Hanse 291/301

£17,000-£25,000

Following the reunification of Germany in 1990, Michael Schmidt, then owner of a network of yacht brokers across Europe, was quick to see the potential to establish a boat building operation in the former East Germany. The Baltic ports benefited from a strong sea-going heritage that’s reflected in the yard’s name and long-standing tradition of yacht building. He chose Griefswald, one of the former Hanseatic ports just 50 miles from the Polish border. At the time the city offered abundant inexpensive skilled labour and distinctly low-cost premises in the former shipyards.

Hanse’s early models were largely revamped discontinued designs from the well-regarded Swedish Aphrodite range of cruiser/racers. The 291 was originally the Aphrodite 29 from 1980, a lightweight fast cruiser in its day with moderate beam. It has also achieved a string of racing successes, notably notching up a fourth place overall in the Round the Island Race.

To keep the price in check the deck layout was very simple as standard, but with single line reefing and a self-tacking jib that made for impressively easy handling. The result was a lovely boat to sail – quick, well balanced and responsive.

In 1997 the interior was updated to bring a small heads compartment aft near the companionway and to create a double berth under the cockpit, which greatly updated the concept. This model was dubbed the 301 and became one of the first Hanse designs to be marketed in the UK in a big way.

Two keel options were offered – a conventional fin and a wing with a draught of barely more than 1m.

I’ve sailed this version with winds varying from light airs to a Force 5/6 and found it

to be a brilliant boat – fast, yet with good manners, and an impressively small tacking angle.

A base price of only £30,000 undercut rivals by a huge margin. There were ways in which the boat was clearly built down to a price – a lack of trim on exposed edges of marine plywood in the interior, for instance.

However, deeper inspection revealed a solidly built boat and it’s a model that did much to help establish the Hanse name, especially in the UK.

hanse.com