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Intro
 Until quite recently there was little to write home about Hanse Yachts. Modest in looks and simple in nature, several of the early designs used moulds and tooling from defunct yards like Rex Marin's 29ft Aphrodite which, after a new deck line and several other tweaks, became the Hanse 291 and later the 301.
While their looks made little impression, attractive price tags turned heads and gradually the German company built market-share. But in the last two years Hanse has stopped people in their tracks with the launch of a new model range that takes the company onto a different level.
The big change came in 2003 with the launch of the Hanse 531, a big, plumb-ended, brutish-looking cruiser. She had big topsides, a massive transom, twin wheels and a terrace-sized cockpit, but the real surprise was down below.
Here, her radical, trendy styling – from the cabin sole that consisted of paving slab sized panels, to the rectangular squab seating and the high gloss finish of the joiner work – made her feel more like a trendy restaurant at the Radisson than a family cruiser.
But, like many pioneering styles, whether you liked it or not, the new look was a jolt, providing food for thought for both customers and the industry.
A smaller sister ship, the 461, every bit as bold and brassy, followed swiftly during the summer of 2004 and has already proved a big success.
The next new models saw a change of gear, however. During 2005, the 370 and the 400 slipped into the water for the first time. More modest in appearance on the outside and subtler on the inside, the new duo have plenty to offer in looks. But that's not where the story ends. The new pair offer a simplicity under sail that's disarming for such modest-looking boats and, when you include the 461, as a threesome they present a bold new approach for family cruising.
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Hanse 370 & 400
Choosing between these two is easy: size is all that matters - the size of the boat you're after and the size of your wallet.
In their basic form, (which does include a decent specification), the 370 starts at £73,183 ex VAT and her larger sister is around £14,000 more. When it comes to bulking up the price tag with options, there are not many to choose from on the official list, just 17 lines, which take up less than a third of a page. Of these, the two biggest dilemmas will be whether to go for the dilemmas will be whether to go for the
teak-laid sidedecks at around £4,000 and whether to spend a similar amount on having an epoxy hull. More of the latter later.
Considering price at the start of a review is perhaps unusual in a boat test, but so is Hanse's approach. Both boats are so similar in overall style (above and below decks) as to be able to be considered as one. With a variety of cabin layouts available in a mix-and-match manner, just about all the major bases are covered. Add to this a couple of A4 colour and fabric option sheets and the ability to pick your perfect boat is no more difficult than applying for a credit card.
First you start with your budget, then the size of boat you'd like, before moving on to the colour and trim – simple. Of course, there's nothing new in such a modular approach to specifying your boat; Dehler led the way in this field a decade ago with their innovative 33-footer. Little surprise, then, to see Karl Dehler's name pop up in the Hanse literature in the section that introduces the 'creative heads'. Having left the company that bears his family name after the Dutch buy-out, Dehler has clearly been busy influencing a new generation of production cruisers.
Of even less surprise, then, is that both these boats sail extremely well and are a pleasure to sail short-handed. At the heart of this ease of handling lies a fractional rig with a self-tacking jib and fully battened mainsail, optional batten cars and single-line reefing that works. In the cockpit, control lines emerge from their under -deck routeing on either side of the companionway hatch and just ahead of a pair of self-tailing halyard winches.
Further back in the cockpit lie two sheet winches in the position you'd normally expect to find spinnaker sheet winches, just in front of the wheel steering. But here lies one of the simplest and cleverest details I've seen aboard a production boat and one that will surely be copied.
Scallops in the trailing edge of the coachroof top allow both the mainsheet and the jib sheet to be transferred from the halyard winches to the sheet winches without cluttering or compromising the cockpit. This allows both sheets to be within easy reach of the helmsman and crew, should you wish. I certainly do.
The difference this simple layout makes to her handling would be enough to sell me the boat there and then, together with the fact that on both boats the steering is light and responsive, well balanced with easy motion. Her self-tacking jib makes light work of upwind slogs while your crew can bunker down in a secure cockpit. My only criticism of the control line layout is that the mainsheet traveller is forward of the companionway hatch, making for an inefficient sheeting position.
On-deck stowage is good for boats of this type, as is the stowage and general feeling of space below decks. The Hanse 370 and 400 are good examples of designs that haven't tried to squeeze a quart into a pint pot – at last a pair of boats that make no attempt to set new records for the number of heads you can squeeze into the design. On the 370 you get just one and on the 400, if you really, really want them, you can have two but I just don't see the point.
When it comes to styling there's no question that both boats are modern below decks. White bulkheads, square squab upholstery and the same glitzy, high-gloss finish as can be seen on mother goose, the 461. The difference, however, is that the 370 and 400 are more modest in their appearance, a subtle balance between extreme and conventional styles.
And so to construction. In basic form, the pair consists of a balsa sandwich down to the waterline and then a solid laminate below. Polyester resin is the norm for this lay-up. An optional extra is to have an epoxy hull for around another £5,000, along with a lower case 'e' after the model number to go with it. The main advantage of having an epoxy hull is reducing the risk of osmosis, although this is unlikely to affect the first owner.
Another advantage is that you get a stiffer, lighter boat, thanks in part to the more efficient quadraxial glass used in the infused laminate. For those taking their boats to hotter climes, epoxy laminates are less prone to post-curing and, therefore, keep their shape better over time and avoid the hungry-dog look as the laminate shrinks around the frames. These are good reasons, the company believes, to make the epoxy option worth taking up.
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Hanse 461
 In the same way that any international rugby prop forward would stand head and shoulders above others in a queue for the bus, put the 461 alongside a typical 46-footer in a marina and she'd outstrip them in every department. She's big, powerful, has a tall high-aspect ratio rig and at around £165,949 ex VAT, she's clearly a lot of boat for the money.
But if all of this passes you by, her proportions won't. When you climb aboard, her high freeboard means that, for most, additional assistance in the form of a U-shaped, step-type fender or similar device is required to board her – an important point for those who roam further afield.
Once on deck, her clean-looking, flush foredeck stands out for its simplicity, her low profile coachroof gives sleek looks and her giant yet convivial cockpit has dining al fresco written all over it. And yet, the 461 is not all about looks.
With such an ample beam aft, fitting a single wheel would have resulted in a structure the size of the London Eye. Instead, her twin-wheel configuration keeps the steering down to manageable proportions, but also makes absolute sense both sailing and at rest. With a decent passageway between the two, movement through the cockpit is easy and secure, even when heeled. The arrangement also allows for the controls to be led back to a position where both the helmsman and crew can reach them with ease, a big advantage in my book. The seating area further forward is uncluttered and secure, great for family sailing.
In this department the picture gets better under way. With a single line reefing system as standard for the mainsail, she's set up to shorten sail using this method from the start. The system works well and, with assistance from the electric winches and a little practice, you'll wonder why you might have considered anything else.
Her headsail is a non-overlapping, self-tacking jib that means no-one other than the helmsman needs to do anything upwind. Furthermore, with no overlap, visibility forwards is very good indeed.
And then there's her performance. We pushed our test boat hard in some blustery (and wet) weather and I was pleased to discover a boat both light and responsive on the twin wheels, but with a solid feel to the way she tracked upwind. Even pushed beyond her limits, the weight on the helm remained manageable, right up to the inevitable round-up.
Her rig is a high-aspect ratio configuration and, as such, quite a tweaky affair, needing good sails to get the best out of her. A suit of North sails or similar is included in the standard package and to my mind it's money well spent.
Under power and with a retractable Max Power bow thruster, she's easy to handle at close quarters until it comes to jumping down to the pontoon. Be prepared – either to jump or to rig an intermediate step from the guardwire gate.
Below decks, she's just as striking as her 53ft sister ship . Overall, the layout is little different from several other similarly styled cruisers, but it's the modern glitzy style that sets her apart – that and the mix-and-match approach that offers a wide variety of layout combinations. The brochure comes complete with a press-out interior kit to help you and your family conjure up your ideal layout.
Overall, the accommodation is both practical and well put together, with plenty of space throughout. There are a few areas that don't stack up so well, namely the galley when it's also part of a walk-through to the after cabins. In this configuration there's less space than you might expect from a boat of this size; with the U-shaped option, the problem is solved.
The nav station doubles as an additional saloon table. While this is a good use of space on smaller boats, some may prefer a dedicated station for an oceangoing cruiser.
Apart from this and given her price tag, she's a well-put-together cruiser with an arresting appearance.
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Conclusion
 There seems little doubt that the 531 and the 461 have provided a significant turning point for the German company. Radical in appearance, perhaps, but elements of their style has very quickly filtered down through the ranks to the 370 and the 400 to provide a pair of good looking and appealing boats.
What impressed me the most was that this has not simply been an exercise in styling or building to a budget. All three are good sailing boats, with sprightly performance while being easy to handle. All that and with modest price tags to boot.
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Specifications
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