Design and Construction
The 39 PH shares its hull with the HC 38 MKII, a useful reminder that the pilothouse variant is an accommodation evolution rather than a clean-sheet design anchor. The hull itself is solid fiberglass over a long-keel form, with a 33-foot waterline beneath a 46-foot overall length and a modest 12.5-foot beam. That beam-to-length proportion, combined with the 6-foot draft of the attached-rudder long keel, gives the boat the directional stability and interior volume typical of the marque's traditionalist cruisers. Her comfort ratio of 39.98 and capsize screening value of 1.66 reinforce the picture of a boat tuned for offshore steadiness rather than speed around the buoys.
Rig and Handling
Ives specified a cutter rig, and the published sail plan bears that out: a reported 1,015 square feet of canvas that includes the main and a 120 percent genoa anchor, with a foretriangle built on a 15.54-meter I and 6.25-meter J and a main driven by a 14.53-meter P and 4.72-meter E. The sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.86 and an S# of 1.50 confirm a moderate-power, easily handled offshore cutter. With a hull speed of 7.70 knots and a pounds-per-inch immersion of 1,474, she is a boat that rewards patient, well-balanced sailing — the numbers describe a vessel that carries her load without drama but will not be hurried.
Accommodations and Tankage
The pilothouse format is the defining accommodation choice, lifting the helm and companionway into a protected interior volume suited to cold or wet passages. Below the practical consequences of the heavy hull are clear: 250 gallons of fuel and 100 gallons of water give the 39 PH the self-sufficiency expected of a bluewater cruiser of this size. The 37.75-foot length on deck, shorter than the 46-foot LOA because of the long overhangs typical of the Ives styling, keeps the working cockpit and foredeck proportions in the traditional cruising idiom.
The Verdict
The Hans Christian 39 Pilothouse is a purpose-built traditional cruiser: heavy, directionally stable, and generously tanked, with a cutter rig and shared HC 38 MKII hull that speak to evolutionary rather than experimental design. She is a boat for the sailor who values seakindliness and protected pilothouse voyaging over outright pace.
Pros
- Long-keel solid-fiberglass hull with 37.29 percent ballast ratio for offshore steadiness
- 250-gallon fuel and 100-gallon water capacity for extended autonomy
- Cutter rig with main and 120% genoa totaling 1,015 sq ft, manageable via moderate SA/disp of 17.86
- Pilothouse layout derived from the proven HC 38 MKII hull
Cons
- Heavy displacement and 342 displacement-length ratio limit light-air performance
- 46-foot LOA with only 33-foot waterline and 12.5-foot beam is voluminous but not nimble
