Design and Construction
Frers’ hull form is balanced for good seakeeping, and the yard’s excellent build quality carries through in a center-cockpit layout with a sheltered helm as tradition dictates. The full beam is carried a long way aft, giving plenty of room below, while a long and clear foredeck and wide empty side decks span to a roomy aft deck. The boat uses twin rudders — a first for the Swedish builder — and the configuration gives ultimate control in all conditions with reduced load on each rudder increasing the security of the system anchor. A full-length, half-height stringer built into the structure compensates for any strength lost by cutting the large topside windows, which are themselves larger than those on other Hallberg-Rassys of this size and as large as those on the flagship 64. Six flush deck hatches, eight opening portlights, and four hull portlights keep the interior flooded with natural light, with milk-coloured glass only in the heads to preserve privacy.
Rig and Handling
The sailplan is modern, with no need for runners even with an optional hard wind stay, and a slightly overlapping headsail that makes tacking easy; a self-tacking jib is optional. A 1:48 purchase backstay tensioner is standard, and the three-spreader rig with long waterline length created a fast and comfortable upwind ride in testing. The in-mast mainsail is a membrane sail with headboard and roach shaped by full-length vertical battens through Elvström’s FatFurl system, which test sailors found produced a genuinely well-shaped main rather than a saggy furling triangle. An integral bowsprit serves as an efficient tack point for a code zero or gennaker and carries the anchor for the electric windlass; the jib furler is recessed under the deck and all control lines run in galleries back to the cockpit, with excess stowed in a hidden coaming box. Lewmar progressive steering uses rods and a gearbox to the rudders, and the single big wheel gives the helmsman control and feedback especially in tough weather.
Performance Under Sail
Pip Hare, testing for Yachting World, expected the comfort and luxury but found aspects of the sailing performance genuinely blew her away, and noted she had never seen windward performance like this in a boat with in-mast furling, with full vertical battens maintaining leech profile despite the reef anchor. In 12 knots she trimmed to 7.5 knots within seconds using an electric winch and reversible jib sheet winches, and in 24 knots with both main and genoa reefed the helm remained light and responsive while the twin rudders made the boat feel nimble rather than labouring. The builder’s own Frers speed prediction table claims a loaded 44 will make 8.49 knots at 100 degrees in just 12 knots of true wind.
Accommodations
The interior layout works as well at sea as at anchor, with a single-level floor throughout and standing headroom gained by tucking the walkway under the cockpit coaming. Buyers choose a standard U-shaped galley to starboard or an optional linear galley to port with large worktops, and the tested boat showed a linear galley down the port corridor with a dishwasher. Four layouts are offered forward of the mast: a standard V cabin with large head and separate shower, two extra-cabin variants adding twin bunks, or a supercabin moved aft for a wide bed. The aft cabin is generous in two versions — twin berths with a sofa, or an extra-wide centerline berth — and the aft heads has a separate shower and an opening portlight toward the cockpit. Handholds are moulded into the furniture, including grab holds at galley and chart table, and the saloon enjoys eye-level vistas through the topside windows.
Equipment and Deck Detail
The cockpit is 2.29 m long, 19 cm longer than on the 43 Mk III, and a large fold-out bathing platform closes elegantly into the transom when stowed, manually as standard or with push-button option. The pedestal head takes a modern chartplotter, and windlass controls at the pedestal let a skipper hold position with bow and stern thrusters while managing the anchor. The Volvo Penta D2-75 of 75 hp with hydraulic shaft drive sits under the cockpit sole, accessed via a small door aft of the galley, with space beside it for a generator.
The Verdict
The Hallberg-Rassy 44 unites the yard’s proven seaworthiness and shelter with a Frers hull that delivers performance previously unexpected from in-mast-furling cruisers. She has been an instant commercial success with orders worldwide, and the Mk II with 29 improvements is to be presented at the Open Yard 21–23 August 2026.
Pros
- Twin rudders and progressive steering give nimble, secure control with light helm
- Membrane in-mast main with vertical battens sails to windward like a slab reefer
- Large topside windows with structural stringer flood interior with light
- Long waterline and beam-aft hull add speed and volume over the 43 Mk III
- Center-cockpit shelter and practical layouts suit sea and anchor alike
Cons
- In-mast furling and twin semi-exposed rudders depart from traditionalist expectations
- Shallow-draft version adds 610 kg and loses 35 cm of keel bite
