Hanse 315: Yacht Review

The German manufacturer Hanse is doing an excellent job with its latest Hanse 315. This new sail-cruiser has been swamped with praise since its launch last year. That's because she is a 'proper yacht' that can sail offshore yet is reasonably priced.

The era when small production yachts like Hood 23s and Endeavour 26s got a generation of Aussies into yacht cruising has long gone. Today's entry-level yacht is 30 foot or bigger, as boat buyers expect more room and comfort, which also means less buyers as the starting price is higher.

This situation is quite a dilemma for the yachting industry, which naturally wants coming generations of sailors to jump aboard. But there are some manufacturers who are trying to make the entry point more affordable.

The German manufacturer Hanse is doing an excellent job with its latest Hanse 315, a 'proper yacht' that can sail offshore yet is reasonably priced.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Locally, this well-equipped yacht retails from a base-price of just $175,000.
With a few important extras like a sun-bimini and wind instruments, the Hanse 315 retails around the $200,000 mark. This is still very good value today for a yacht around the 31-foot mark.

Hanse has been one of the most successful international yacht builders for the past decade and is undoubtedly trying to put the wind back into the sails and sales of entry-level market with this new yacht package.

The local dealer Windcraft had a clever and transparent Hanse 315 'New Sailor' package that included servicing, berthing, insurance, lessons, options and the works for $230k sail away.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- A surprisingly roomy twin-cabin yacht
The cockpit is mounted high but provides comfortable seating
thanks to the raised coamings and a sloped cabin bulkhead. There's a big
stowage locker under the portside seat with a proper floor and all
items including swim ladder and fenders all neatly stowed.

Going
below is made easy by a wide hatchway and steps that aren't too steep.
Below, there's a surprisingly roomy saloon with full headroom (though not in the forward cabin) and a nice blend of
timber and moulded GRP surfaces.

There is a choice of timber veneers but
I like the standard mahogany (pictured), with optional ash inlaid
flooring.

There is a large head/bathroom off to the portside with a
shower, washbasin and WC. This can also double as a wet weather locker
too. Meanwhile, to starboard is a reasonable-sized galley incorporating a
gas-compliant two-burner stove/oven. The L-shaped galley provides a deep
sink/water tap and top-opening fridge with good headroom thanks to the
recessed floor.

The main saloon is a step up from the galley and
provides two settee lounge berths and a fixed centre table with folding
leafs. The table flaps snap into place with a clever folding mechanism.
There's also stowage shelves outboard of the backrests and a wine bottle
stowage locker within the table support.

Up for'ard you have a
choice of either an open double berth, or in the case of our test boat
an enclosed cabin with door and a neat three-quarter size double berth.
The latter can expand into a full double berth when the door is closed.
There is a seat on portside that folds into part of the berth, while
another panel slides out from starboard to complete the in-fill.

Another
double berth cabin is located aft of the galley. It provides a fixed
athwartships berth and has a quite sizeable hanging locker. With a
cockpit opening port it seems like the natural choice for the skipper,
though I wonder if it's as cool in hot weather as the for'ard cabin.

DESIGN, HULL AND ENGINEERING
- A new-breed Hanse yacht on a smaller scale
With a plumb bow and wide, flat stern under a tall rig, the Hanse 315 is very much one of the new breed cruiser/racers just smaller!

She comes from the same famous German design team of Judel/Vrolijk who do the bigger Hanse models and are also designers of top offshore race boats like TP52s, etc.

This pedigree is evident in the Hanse 315s good sailing qualities. So yes, doing the local twilight yacht races are definitely on the agenda!

The Hanse 315 is no lightweight at 4700kg displacement yet her race-bred lines ensure she has a good turn of speed. This is partly due to the long waterline and powerful wide beam (3.35m) carried right to the transom.

She also has the latest L-shaped keel and deep, spade rudder for low water drag. However, the real secret to her speed is the noticeable Vee in the rear sections of the hull. This tapering of the waterline helps to reduce hydrodynamic drag over a wide range of speeds and helps her go faster.

Hull construction features foam-cored fibreglass above the waterline and solid lamination below. Decks are balsa-cored and feature a moulded anchor locker for'ard designed to take an optional electric anchor winch.

A big surprise is the twin steering wheels in the cockpit. Normally you wouldn't see this in a smaller yacht but Hanse has made this work so you get good steering control plus easy access through from the open transom. The tiller is standard, however, I believe the twin, leather-bound wheels are the way to go.

Sail power comes from a tall, fractional rig that stands 47-feet above the waterline and is supported by twin swept-back spreaders with chainplates mounted right on the gunwale. The racing pedigree is very evident in details like this.

Headsails are all non-overlapping and as standard you get a Elvstrom self-tacking jib which is trimmed via one of the two cabin Lewmar 40ST winch.

The sail comes with a Selden jib furler and vertical battens so it’s really easy to handle.

The big 29sq m mainsail is an Elvstrom fully-battened type which is easy to raise and lower thanks to an optional lazy-bag/lazy jack stowage system.

As we motored out onto a sun-baked Pittwater. I was glad of the optional bimini awning over the helm position. This sits behind the backstay with provision for an extension awning for'ard so the whole cockpit can be covered when not using the mainsail.

With furling gear it took us less than a minute to be sailing along in a fresh north east breeze. With two of us aboard I didn't have to do much other than steer as Ric Hawkins did all the trimming.

As the photos show the test boat has optional teak seat decking around the cockpit which looks great. However, I would like some cockpit cushions for a longer day on the water. Maybe you could add this later yourself.

With the breeze about 8-14 knots we were averaging 6 knots, or better upwind, which really is impressive for a 31-footer. Helping us squeeze the best speed out of the boat was a B&G Triton wind instrument display within the companionway hatch console. There is also repeater displays at both helm stations so the skipper is spoilt for choice. Or put it another way, less excuse not to win!

The self-tacker impressed me especially as the breeze freshened. It cuts out the hassle of winching when you tack. That said, in light wind races, or passages the optional full-size headsail will be worthwhile having even if it means manual sheeting on each tack.

Easing into a beam reach we were doing 7 knots plus at times. The self-tacker headsail doesn't like square running so we tacked downwind doing around 5.5-6 knots. This worked out pretty well and we got down the bay pretty quickly by working the wind shifts to our advantage.

The standard Hanse deck package is generous and includes two extra Lewmar 40STs aft for the mainsail, or operating sail controls from the helm when solo sailing. You also get an adjustable backstay, mainsail traveller with control lines, Selden vang, barber haulers and Selden mast/boom. We also had the optional Dyneema jib and mainsail halyards than ensure less stretch.

We had the upgrade 18hp diesel which zipped us along at 7 knots so I would expect the standard 12hp diesel would a bit slower but acceptable for most inshore boating. However, whatever engine package you chose please get the optional folding propeller, otherwise sailing performance will be compromised.

VERDICT
- A great downsizing option as well as first serious yacht
It's a pleasure to find a yacht this size so nicely designed and having virtually all the key cruising features. I'm not surprised the first wave of local buyers has been yachties down-sizing from bigger yachts. No doubt they're seeking a yacht that's easy to handle with less crew and cheaper to marina berth.

Hopefully there's going to be the younger generation buying into the Hanse 315 as well, because she's a great starting point for yacht ownership and easy on family budgets.

LIKE
- Good all round sailing performance
- Practical interior for overnight cruising
- Twin wheel steering and easy transom access

NOT SO MUCH
- Headroom a bit cramped in for'ard cabin
- Folding propeller being an extra
- Stove needs a protective crash bar

Supplied by:
Team Windcraft
Bayview Anchorage
Bayview NSW
Phone (02) 9979 1709
See Windcraft