Hanse boats

[webd71]

After having read a lot of material and visiting quite a few manufacturer''s sites I am very impresed with the Hanse line of boats, My knowledge is a bit limited however , and so might be my perspective.

Do any of you have any first hand -or second- scoop on these german boats, particularly their 37 footer?

Their interiors seem absolutely gorgeous, but they do make extensive use of veneers.
I wonder if this would prove a liability a few years down the line.
Any thoughts?

Mike

[WHOOSH]

Mike, I have heard two reports of the joiner work being spotty altho'' I''m not sure it was structural. A friend is currently considering the purchase of a Hanse 37 and one of his main reservations is the very small tankage (even with some add''l capacity ordered as an option). They are unlikely to use the boat for more than local sailing, yet his reservations were fairly firm.

If you like the Hanse, you might look at the Elan - another E European builder located in Slovenia, which is due to join the EU one month from today. They are beginning to appear more commonly here in the UK but I don''t know if they have a U.S. distributor, yet.

Jack

[JIO]

Mike: I own a Hanse 371. I have been very pleased with the boat. I use it to primarily cruise on the Chesapeake. I cannot speak to your question as to potential problems down the road with respect to the interior finishings, but obviously hope this will not be a problem. Happy to try to respond to any other questions you may have.

Jon

[webd71]

Dear JIO:

When did you purchase your boat?

How has the support of the factory been?

Any regrets?

Any sugestions on the purchase process?

Do you singlehand her?

Would you feel comfortable taking her on an extended cruise?

What other vessels did you comppare the hanse to?

Sorry about the tirade of questions. Please feel free to contribute any additional thoughts you might have.

You have one sweet boat, No doubt you will enjoy her for years to come.

Mike

[JIO]

Mike: Here is a quick response to your questions. Feel free to email me at jopert@krooth.com if you have more questions or get serious about the boat.

When did you purchase your boat? Fall 2002

How has the support of the factory been? Decent.

Any regrets? I would buy the boat again knowing what I now know. Only regret might be that I did not find the $ at the time to buy the Hanse 411.

Any sugestions on the purchase process? Not sure where you live, but Hanse has dealers set up around the US. I purchased prior to the setup of the larger dealer network, so my process would not be representative of how it would go now. I know a few of the dealers and they appear to be good folks.

Do you singlehand her? All the time. I have an autopilot, which helps. I singlehand using both the self tacking headsail and also when I use a genoa. It is a piece of cake to singlehand her in stronger winds when you use the self tacking non overlapping headsail. Very easy boat to sail.

Would you feel comfortable taking her on an extended cruise? Yes, hope to do so this summer.

What other vessels did you comppare the hanse to? I spent much time looking at everything in the same general price range and above. As the time, I thought the Hanse was a great boat and great value.