Cruising World – August 2019

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83

SEPTEMBER 2019

A

funny thing has happened

in the world of production

boatbuilding since the

German company Hanse Yachts

launched its fi rst model, the rela-

tively modest Hanse 291, in 1993. To

put it mildly, Hanse has exploded

and is now a certifi able behemoth,

trailing only Group Beneteau in the

ranks of the world’s largest sailboat

builders (the fi rm’s holdings include

the Moody and Dehler brands, and

Privilège Catamarans as well). Pay a

visit to the Hanse stands this fall at

the big U.S. boat shows in Newport,

Rhode Island, and Annapolis,

Maryland, and see for yourself. The

Hanse exhibit is a veritable boat

show within the boat show.

This past fall, the builder unveiled

three new models, the largest of

which was the Hanse 548 (all three

boats were part of the company’s

8-Series, an ongoing upgrade of

almost the entire line). It’s a volu-

minous yacht that sails well, boasts

gargantuan accommodations, and

has a list of available options—with

regard to interior layouts, keels, hull

and furniture colors, fabrics, elec-

tronics, and on and on—that’s longer

than a giraffe’s neck. You can trick

out this boat to your very own liking.

That said, no matter what the

degree of customization, the basic

platform remains the same. And it’s

quite the platform: With its maxed-

out waterline, low-rider coach roof,

extremely tall topsides and double

headsails (the inner is a self-tacking

number), and a half-dozen hull

windows to each side, the 548 cuts

a thoroughly contemporary fi gure.

This is the basic template, more

or less, that defi nes the modern

sailboat aesthetic as interpreted

by a whole host of European naval

architects, including Judel/Vrolijk

& Company, who were responsible

for this design. Admittedly, not

everyone is wild about straight-razor

profi les that don’t exhibit a little

rake or angle in the bow and tran-

som. But I think they’re pretty cool.

The other visual (and practical)

accoutrement in the yacht is the car-

bon-fi ber T-top that extends over the

cockpit—a solid Bimini with a canvas

enclosure within it that can slide

forward from its spot above the twin

wheels for some sunshine and a good

look at the main. It’s quite functional

and extremely well-executed. (An

additional hard dodger is also avail-

able.) So too is the “dinghy garage,”

or tender bay, beneath the cockpit

for stashing the infl atable; the asso-

ciated, hydraulically controlled drop-

down transom with a retractable

ladder that raises to the deck is also

useful for boarding the boat—not an

easy task otherwise given its outsize

NEW TECHNOLOGY, REVIEWS and

PRODUCTS for the CRUISING SAILOR

LENGTH and

BREADTH

One of the latest models from a builder that’s become a colossus, the

HANSE 548 is a large, rangy boat that hasn’t forgotten why we all

go sailing.

BY HERB McCORMICK

BOATS

& GEAR

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