Spotlight: Hans Christian yachts

A fairytale romance

They don't build boats like that anymore, right? Well, think again. Those gorgeous double-ended Hans Christian cruising yachts, whose timeless lines conjure romantic images of bygone sailing days, are back in production thanks to a fanatic and romantic resurrecting the marque using the same specifications, time-honoured boatbuilding methods and highly skilled craftsmen who cut their teeth on earlier Hans Christians.

"Unlike our Hans Christian predecessors we own the land and yard where these vessels are built," said Jack Hall, principal of Pantawee Marine in Thailand, and a Hans Christian fan. Hall's passion for sailing was ignited during his childhood in Auckland, where he had the opportunity to cruise around on a neighbour's 52-foot yacht and a friend's Herreshoff.

At the age of 17, Hall undertook a five-year Ship, Yacht and Boat Building apprenticeship with the well-respected Salthouse Brothers. His experience and expertise in fibreglass construction is partly responsible for Pantawee Marine being the sole authorised builders of Hans Christian yachts.

The man who inspired the Hans Christian phenomenon was American John Edwards, who started building the namesake yachts in the 1970s. They were called Hans Christians after the fairytale writer Hans Christian Anderson, whose timeless classics hold immeasurable charm.

TIMELESS CLASSIC
Inspired by 16th century Dutch jaghts, which are traditional Scandinavian double-enders, Edwards re-created a timeless classic that is still as practical and appealing today as it was four centuries ago. He engaged renowned naval architects Harwood Yves and Scott Sprague to put seaworthiness foremost making Hans Christians strong and powerful little 'ships' built to cross oceans.

In fact, there are plenty of original Hans Christians still out there circumnavigating the world, sailing as testament to their suitability for blue water cruising. Many websites have been set up by owners creating their own Hans Christian (fairy) tales of their adventure (see opposite).

But in the 1980s, Edwards got into financial trouble when he took the moulds from Taiwan to Thailand. He could not cope with all the pitfalls that a foreigner is often confronted with in this part of the world. In his early seventies, Edwards passed away about 10 years ago.

Francis Mertens from Belgium took over the assets in 1996. Prior to that, Martens had been a big Hans Christian dealer in Europe, selling some 40 vessels. He retired in November 2004, passing the Hans Christian baton to NZ-born manager Jack Hall.

The Hans Christian yard was already under Hall's guidance, where he had been working as general manager of the boatyard since 1996. Today, he still uses the same moulds and plugs, the original specifications, and many of the same highly skilled craftsmen, carpenters and engineers to build Hans Christians.

The change in ownership was a mere technicality, but it has led to reinvigoration of the Hans Christian fairytale.

TRADITIONAL BUILD
"The most popular Hans Christians are the 41T and 48T and we are still building these models exactly as they have always been built, with solid teak interiors and decks, lead ballast, custom bronze deck hardware, portholes, winches and so on. There are no substitutions in any facet of material or construction - they are true Hans Christians," Hall says.

At this time of writing, a 48T was in production for a German client, another 48 well underway for a Canadian, and a 41T was on the go. But when the roof on a new 2400m² shed is completed, production will be stepping up a gear and Pantawee Marine is likely to be the largest sailboat manufacturer in the region.

The popular 33T is also be back in production and, in fact, one of the first 'new' 33s is heading to Yarra's Edge Yachts, where Graham Stephens told Trade-a-Boat that Hans Christians are, "the types of boat you buy and keep for a lifetime."

"Motion at sea is a quality that is often unmentioned but this is where Hans Christians excel," adds Stephens, who expects the 33, which has full headroom below decks, to arrive here in mid-2009 with an asking price of around $655,000.

For more information, phone Yarra's Edge Yachts on (03) 9329 0882 or visit www.yarrasedgeyachts.com.au; www.pantaweemarine.com

JOIN THE HANS CHRISTIAN FAMILY
Websites set up by owners of Hans Christians. Read their tales of adventure...