Finally we have decided on the boat that we want...!

[cakeslovesbaking]

Finally we have decided on a boat that we want to begin our adventures.

Hanse 385. All we have to do now decide on the spec.... which may be even more difficult than deciding on a boat.

Anyone got a Hanse? I would love to know anyone experiences of this make.

Thanks

 

[AndrewB]

Wow, congrats, brand new, eh. Its proving a popular model, there are even some appearing here in Oz.

Do you have your order in? How long are they quoting for delivery?

 

[mucklestone]

Wow nice new boat. Will you be having it for the start of next season??

I cannot really offer any advice on the spec as I don't know what you are doing but I would recommend you stick to a white hull. There are a few hanse with coloured hulls in the lake district and all of them have really faded. God knows what they would be like in a sunnier climate!!!! I think unless you keep waxing them they look about ten years old within 2-3years!!

Enjoy it!

 

[Talulah]

Finally we have decided on a boat that we want to begin our adventures.

Hanse 385. All we have to do now decide on the spec.... which may be even more difficult than deciding on a boat.

Anyone got a Hanse? I would love to know anyone experiences of this make.

Thanks

Sometimes you see people who say "We have finally decided on the boat we want." Then you see the boat they've decided upon. You think to yourself "Oh. No." as your heart sinks at the prospect.
But many people do not want to post their thoughts for fear of shattering anothers dreams.
Hence you are likely to only get approving responses.

 

[Wansworth]

A mate of mine bought a 32 foot sailing boat which is a wonderful seaboat but as his wife is not keen on sailing they are selling the boat.Before they bought it I tentatively suggested a smaller less seagoing boat that would have given fun in sheltered week end sailing,I should have insisted more and they would still be sailing.

 

[Orla]

Would like to say great boat, go for it and all that, but I dont no what you are going to use it for......

Full time liveaboard not a chance.

Weekend sailing and the odd extended trip, fine....

The last thing I want to do is put a downer on getting a boat, but I am concerned that you have posted in the liveaboard, which makes me think that is your plan.

 

[cakeslovesbaking]

Wow, congrats, brand new, eh. Its proving a popular model, there are even some appearing here in Oz.

Do you have your order in? How long are they quoting for delivery?

We hope to buy new, fingers crossed. We have not placed an order yet. The lead time is about 3 months. We sailed on one last month, they really impresss. If you get the chance to sail on one, you should take it.

 

[cakeslovesbaking]

Would like to say great boat, go for it and all that, but I dont no what you are going to use it for......

Full time liveaboard not a chance.

Weekend sailing and the odd extended trip, fine....

The last thing I want to do is put a downer on getting a boat, but I am concerned that you have posted in the liveaboard, which makes me think that is your plan.

Hi, thank you for your reply. We do plan to liveaboard... Why do you say "Not a chance"?

 

[jonic]

Hi, thank you for your reply. We do plan to liveaboard... Why do you say "Not a chance"? [/QUOTE

I would raise a slight eyebrow too, there may well be better choices for long term liveaaboard.

You need storage (lots of it) and durability on the inside finish.

(We lived aboard for eight years as a family, initially on a Westerly Corsair and then a Moody 38).

For that money you could get a well bedded in and equipped older and bigger Moody.

 

[cakeslovesbaking]

Hi, thank you for your reply. We do plan to liveaboard... Why do you say "Not a chance"? [/QUOTE

I would raise a slight eyebrow too, there may well be better choices for long term liveaaboard.

You need storage (lots of it) and durability on the inside finish.

(We lived aboard for eight years as a family, initially on a Westerly Corsair and then a Moody 38).

For that money you could get a well bedded in and equipped older and bigger Moody.

Yes, I do think that you have made very valid points. We have decided on this particular boat for several reasons. One thing that is quite important to know about us... we are novices

1. The 385 is very easy to sail short handed & has a self tacking foresail
2. They appear to be good value for money (for a new boat)
3. Rightly or wrongly we are taking any warranty a new boat will have into account
4. We hoped that buying new there would be less chance of things breaking/general repairs that we may not know how to fix.....

Do you know of a better boat to look after a family on year (minimum) long trip ?

Advice welcome

 

[Orla]

Hi
Sorry but IMO I don’t think they are strong enough to put up with full time living aboard, the internal fixtures and fittings won’t put up with the constant use.
Friends have one and it is spotless but they work very hard to keep it that way, they now don’t use the showers onboard because the bottom of the doors are not sealed so water wicks up them. And i am suspicious that it all looks very good up front but when you go behind the fixtures things aren’t that well made or robust enough.
The tankage fuel & water is very small, and it is a common complaint with owners constantly having to fill the tanks, our friends carry huge quantities of water and Fuel in containers.
They were never built to be liveaboard boats, not many modern designs are.
I’m sorry I don’t want to discourage you, but i will never forget when we first started looking for a suitable boat, if we had had the money at the time we would have bought the wrong boat. We didn’t have the funds at the time to put an offer in so we kept looking and five years later after looking at lots of boats we found Orla and new right away that this boat was built for living aboard and would take us anywhere in comfort and safety.
Five years down the line we are still 100% sure we have the right boat for us and our plans.
I guess it all depends on how you are going to use it and for how long.
I wish you all the best with your plans but please don’t do anything in haste..
Dougie

 

[jonic]

Yes, I do think that you have made very valid points. We have decided on this particular boat for several reasons. One thing that is quite important to know about us... we are novices

1. The 385 is very easy to sail short handed & has a self tacking foresail
2. They appear to be good value for money (for a new boat)
3. Rightly or wrongly we are taking any warranty a new boat will have into account
4. We hoped that buying new there would be less chance of things breaking/general repairs that we may not know how to fix.....

Do you know of a better boat to look after a family on year (minimum) long trip ?

Advice welcome

First of congratulations on the main thing, and that is the decision to go

That is the most important thing. Have a click on my sig and a dig around and you will find our blog and stories.

I was once told that cruising is fixing boats in exotic places and that is very true. New or old. It will happen, but you will learn to deal with it and that is all part of the trip.

A brand new boat can sometimes be problematic as the snagging takes a while. The best boats for long distance are sometimes a three to five year old that has been bedded in and well tested.

Warranty is a consideration but its usually the hull that is warranted for five years and the engine, instruments and equipment will be for between one and two years. New boats tend to lose the VAT value almost immediately so weigh up whether the money you could save by buying older can offset the warranty and also get you a better boat.

It is not an exact science, there are no right answers and all boats are a compromise.

There is nothing wrong with your choice of boat, but as others are gently saying for the plans you have, there may be better choices.

Where are you going and how many in the family?

 

[Oliveoyl]

A couple of cyber-pals bought brand new Hanses, and had quite a few probs with things to be fixed from new. Recently had our Bav surveyed in Greece, surveyor had poor opinion of Hanses in general.

 

[cakeslovesbaking]

Thank you LordMacDonald.

I will definatly concider what you and any others have said. We have not parted with any money yet! I hope whatever we chose we will not repent in leisure.

 

[Talulah]

If you need to make a warranty claim you will have to transport the boat back.
Assuming you won't just be living aboard but off on your travels the chances of you actually being in a position to get a fix under the warranty are pretty slim.

The one thing I like about Hanse is that they often have coloured hulls. (Accepting this is not always practical but it makes a nice change from just another AWB.)

However, in common with a lot of new builds in that price range the insides will start to look tatty sooner than you think.

 

[Tranona]

Yes, I do think that you have made very valid points. We have decided on this particular boat for several reasons. One thing that is quite important to know about us... we are novices

1. The 385 is very easy to sail short handed & has a self tacking foresail
2. They appear to be good value for money (for a new boat)
3. Rightly or wrongly we are taking any warranty a new boat will have into account
4. We hoped that buying new there would be less chance of things breaking/general repairs that we may not know how to fix.....

Do you know of a better boat to look after a family on year (minimum) long trip ?

Advice welcome

I am with the "there are better choices" side. I have a 10 year old Bavaria - very similar position in the market at the time to a Hanse, but not designed for full time liveaboard if you have a family and are adventurous. Fine for just the two of us drifting around the Med for a couple of weeks at a time, but not enough stowage and tankage for longer periods and more people. Although I would be happy to do longer trips in it, that is because it is the boat I have, but if I were buying a boat specifically for a longer trip I would buy somehting different.

Don't go overboard on the easy to sail bit - this can apply to any under 40footer (and many over that) with modern sail handling. You spend 90%+ of your time NOT sailing so the LIVING side is much more important - again most boats of this size can make good passage times, although some more comfortable than others.

There are obviously benefits it buying new, but you will find the "extras" list will add up quickly, so you will easily end up spending £170k+, and still have the problem of getting it all sorted. For that kind of money you can get a much better 5-10 year old boat that will have most of the snags sorted but still be new enough to not feel like an old boat - but even older boats that are well looked after can still feel good. Mine is a much better boat than it was when I bought it new because I have constantly upgraded it and made sure everything works properly. Whether you like it or not, as John says you are going to have to learn how the boat works because you will be responsible for everything - even if you get somebody else to do the work, you need to know what needs doing and spending the money buying a good older boat that needs a bit of work perhaps is a good way of getting to know whats what.

Probably worth talking to somebody like John who has the experience and access to suitable boats before taking the big plunge.

Good luck - getting the right boat will be good in the long run. You will also find a well sorted boat that has done the job will be easier to sell when you have finished your trip.

 

[chinita]

There is also the issue of resale. Your one year (or longer) will pass very quickly and you need to consider if you can afford to have your Hanse sitting around on the market. Perhaps you can afford it, I don't know.

I was very lucky as, back in 2001, our liveaboard boat in the Med was a five year old HR36. Completely sorted and immaculate.

After three years cruising we sold it at £25k profit (to buy bigger, huge mistake).

The same boats of the same vintage are, ten years later, still commanding the same price we paid.

Speak to JONIC for the best advice.

 

[Boatinglifeaway]

The more a person has in experience in boating the more it takes to study the market and the boats when one is trying to purchase one. I like to compare it to the cell phone market. We become more demanding on the specs with every phone.

 

[Talulah]

Hi
... they now don’t use the showers onboard because the bottom of the doors are not sealed so water wicks up them

This is a good example of the type of thing that doesn't really cross your mind when buying a new boat of this class. It is very true though of the type of issue you soon encounter.
I'll give you another relating to doors on another brand but may well apply to Hanse:
Because the doors are made of a light weight particle board and laminated the edges of the door are also laminated. This edge laminate protrudes a tiny fraction but enough to get pulled off should you walk through the door dragging something through. I've seen the boat in question. 6 months old. Similarly laminate chipped/pulled off around the galley worktops.

On another boat I was talking to the proud owner and said to him 'Your boats not that old. 2 years maybe." The response was "6 months."
Again, another boat I was working on the owner was very pleased. He was stating how well built it was whilst meanwhile I was noting all the defaults. He couldn't see it.

 

[Talulah]

Thank you LordMacDonald.

I will definatly concider what you and any others have said. We have not parted with any money yet! I hope whatever we chose we will not repent in leisure.

You need an Estate Agents phrase book.
"Lots of Potential" aka Wreck.
"Upcoming area" aka Area can't get any worse.
"Needs some modernising" aka replace/decorate everything.
"In need of TLC" aka Rebuild.

Apply the above to some of the terms used in the previous posts:
"there are better choices"
"the issue of resale"
"little chance of warranty claim"