Breehorn 41

Price £200,000-£250,000+

This yard is typical of many contemporary Dutch brands, whose names are not well known in the UK, yet produce excellent serious cruising yachts. Although other Breehorn models are Koopmans designs, for the 41 (and the 48) the yard turned to the Dutch/South African Simonis-Voogd partnership. They drew a relatively slender hull allied to a deep draught with bulb keel and powerful spade rudder, although a shoal draught option is also available.

The boat bears all the hallmarks of the Breehorn brand, including wide side decks and an unencumbered flush foredeck. An optional fixed sprayhood/ pilothouse is very neatly styled and underlines the nature of this solid go-anywhere yacht thanks to the excellent protection it gives to the forward end of the cockpit.

It would be a mistake to think of this as being a staid choice – it’s a quick yacht that’s optimised for sailing qualities, performance and seaworthiness, rather than maximising accommodation space. Nevertheless the spacious three-cabin layout, with distinct wet and dry areas, makes this a thoroughly civilised and comfortable yacht, both at sea and in harbour.

The first Breehorn 41 was launched in 2006 and it’s still a current model in the company’s line-up of five sailing yachts ranging from 31-53ft.

■ breehorn.nl

LOA 12.40m 40ft 8in LWL 10.48m 35ft 5in Beam 3.75m 12ft 4in Draught 2.10m 6ft 11in Displacement 9,300kg 20,500lb

Ballast 3,250kg 7,170lb