Hanse 445

Designed by well-known naval architects, Judel Vrolik, the 445 is a modern cruiser with a plumb bow, slab sides with highish freeboard and a 14’4” beam, most of which comes back to a broad transom.

The rig is fractional with a tall, two-spreader mast which is tapered (a rarity on a cruiser) with an adjustable backstay.

Interior layout is a somewhat traditional three-cabin, two-bathroom setup but the design is anything but orthodox. Modern lines, modern inclusions and clever storage spaces set this boat apart from the rest of the European production yachts.

Windcraft generally market the Hanse yachts with ‘packs’ -- the Cruise Pack, Comfort Pack and Navigation Pack. With the first ten 445s getting all three of these packs at no extra cost. This means that for a sail-away price of $349,000, owners are getting a total in excess of $43k of equipment for nicks.

Included in the Nav pack is a chart plotter, wind instruments, and auto pilot from Simrad. The Cruise pack get such goodies as electric winches, teak cockpit sole, mainsail car slide system, anchor windlass with remote, extra battery, 1600W inverter and more. The comfort pack adds extra lighting in the saloon and cockpit, blinds for hatches and windows, cockpit cushions and lifelines with gates on both sides. In all, a host of standard equipment that most owners would want on their cruising, entertaining or race yachts.

There are plenty of opening hatches above and opening ports to allow cross-breezes in summer. Interesting is the design of the windows which open outward from the bottom and have a brow over the top to allow them to be open in rainy weather without the ingress of water. A nice touch.

It’d be good to note here that the upholstery is of a very high quality and is treated with a stain-resistant substance that ‘beads’ and can be easily wiped off without staining. Under the nav is a stool that can be utilised as another seat at the dining table or as a footrest while you’re watching tele.

Forward is the owner’s suite which comprises an island queen-size bed with plenty of storage under and around; including hanging lockers and drawers on either side. The forward ablution areas are split with the shower compartment on the port side and the head on the starboard side. Both are roomy and add to the overall symmetry of the interior.

The overall ambience of the Hanse is bright and breezy thanks to the use of light woods and mid-grey and chrome highlights. The standard wood for the 445 is Mahogany but, according to Peter Hrones, all the boats ordered for Australia have the optional Canadian beech. The optional upholstery colour of Monte Carlo is also popular over the standard cream with small cost.

Back to our galley and we find plenty of room to move – as one would expect on a beamy 44-footer – and plenty of storage. Critical standard equipment includes twin sinks with modern mixer-tap, twin burner hob with oven, and a large fridge with access both top and front. In addition, the test boat was specified with a microwave oven, a neat pull-out espresso coffee machine and a second drawer-style fridge/freezer which would be a great asset for the cruisers among us.

In addition to the galley, the Hanse has a neat cupboard setup behind the chef and beside the companionway. Here we have a twin garbage-bin locker and some worthwhile extra storage in an area that would otherwise be wasted. There is also a dedicated wine storage are under the cabin sole here.

One other thing I did notice while down below were the recessed grab rails running down the either side of the saloon ceiling. There were also other hand holds around the boat indicating that this is a boat designed for the ocean – and something that is getting more rare in European cruisers.

The deck is clean and uncluttered with all the running rigging led back under deck moulds to the coamings near the rear of the boat. This means that the helmsman can reach the clutches and the electric winches which run the mainsheet on one side and the jib on the other. The banks of clutches here control all the sails and most of their trim.

The twin wheels on the test boat were not the standard stainless steel with leather covers but black-coloured composite items (obviously designed to look like carbon fibre) that were easy on the hands and a small-cost extra that I would personally take.

The wide decks were teak-covered -- another option which appeals to cruisers but less so to racing yachties. Interestingly, the decks have no toe rails but instead a low, moulded bulwark that is quite substantial and enables the pop-up cleats (a very nice addition) to be mounted therein. Up forward, the furler is under the deck enabling the jib to be lower cut, and virtually sweep the deck if needed. The anchor locker houses 60m of stainless-steel chain attached to a 20kg gal anchor (personally I’d swap that for a stainless anchor to match the chain).

Slightly aft is a vast forward locker that could hold your optional gennaker and a heap of fenders – plus a heap of other stuff essential for cruising.

To say that this is boat is easy to sail is an understatement. From clearing the pen with the optional bow thruster, through to setting the sails with the help of furlers for both, to tacking with the self-tacking jib, the Hanse was a delight.

On the way out to the bay, the Hanse’s 55hp Volvo managed 8.5kts at 2500rpm which is not hanging around by any means. At lower revs I noticed that the hull did not throw out a big wash, indicating that the hull is easily moved through the water. I found a good cruise under motor of around 2000rpm which gave us well over six knots. The insulation in the engine bay is very good with little noise either down below or on deck.

We had a soft sea breeze for our test sail which peaked at around 12 knots. At that the Hanse liked to be a bit off the breeze and managed around seven knots to windward. Although the self-tacking jib is small, the rig is tall at around 58 feet and the boat is driven by the big main. According to Peter Hrones, the cut of the main for the in-mast furling means that you lose a bit of sail area, so with a normal sail the boat would be even more main driven and powerful.

Although it is main-driven, it doesn’t feel heavy on the helm. In fact, it feels very well balanced and quite stiff. The deep rudder gives it fantastic manoeuvrability and it’ll flick through tacks effortlessly and quite radically. However, as Peter showed us, taken a little easier, the yacht will will tack losing only a a knot of boat speed.

Running downhill, the Hanse prefers a bit of angle to keep the jib drawing. We didn’t have a pole to stick on it, so taking the angles was the order of the day.

The tapered rig is adjustable via a screw mechanism on the starboard side. A hydraulic backstay system is available and generally sold as a package with the ACL sail upgrade for those who want a bit more performance.

In the final washup, I’d have to recommend this boat to anyone who likes short-handed sailing and is looking for well-priced boat that exudes class and style. While the modern styling mightn’t be every traditionalist’s cup of tea, that’s the way the European boats are heading and Hanse is leading the pack.

LOA: 13.52m/44´3?
Hull length: 13.40m/43´9?
LWL: 1220m/40´2?
Beam 4.38m/14´4?
Draft: 2.25 m/7´4? (standard)
1.82: m/5´8? (option)
Displacement: 11,000kg
Ballast: 3.500kg
Engine: 53hp
Fresh water approx: 450 litres
Fuel tank approx: 220 litres
CE Certificate: A (ocean)

RIG
I: 17.52m
J: 5.25m
P: 16.55m
E: 5.90m