Hanse 311 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull reads as contemporary but conservative, with a displacement of 3,860 kg and 1,250 kg of ballast in a cast-iron fin attached by stainless-steel keel bolts; a lead bulb drawing 1.45 m was offered as an alternative, and a swing-keel version with twin rudders and 0.95–1.80 m draft could also be specified. Below the waterline the hull is solid fiberglass, while topsides and deck use an end-grain balsa/GRP sandwich, all laid up with iso resins. Bulkheads are glassed in at top and bottom, and the separate inner ceiling moulding carries padded vinyl headliner panels that pull out to expose deck fittings — a practical maintenance detail rare on boats of this size. Interior structure and furniture are mahogany marine plywood, with veneers finished in two-pack varnish for a high-gloss shine.

Rig and Handling

The 311 carries a seven-eighths fractional rig on an anodized aluminum Sparcraft mast that is deck-stepped and supported by two sets of swept-back spreaders with shrouds and lowers. The mainsail roach clears the backstay, and the backstay itself is adjustable by block and tackle, as is the boom vang. Sail control is deliberately minimalist: a single jib sheet leads to a foredeck traveler car and aft to one of a pair of Harken 16 self-tailing winches, while two Harken 32 self-tailers sit on the coamings, and a Pfieffer mainsheet traveler spans the cockpit. Mainsail area is 28.5 sq m with a 21.3 sq m furling self-tacking jib on a twin-foil Facnor roller, and lazyjacks with a boom bag simplify dropping the main. The standard 19 hp Volvo Penta saildrive tucks under the companionway; writing in boatsales.com.au, testers found the boat maneuverable under power and happy to make 6 kt at 2,600 rpm in calm conditions.

Accommodations

Two private double sleeping cabins define the layout, with berths for four to six overall and 6 ft 1 in of headroom. The bow cabin holds a 2.01 m V-berth that fills the available space; a starboard aft master quarter offers a 2.03 m berth, hanging locker, and storage, and a door separates the aft double from the saloon. The saloon keeps to a central drop-leaf table on a stainless-steel compression post, with opposing settee berths running into the forward chainplate bulkhead. The galley at the starboard aft end pairs twin sinks with hot/cold pressurized supply from a 22 lt tank, a two-burner Triton stainless stove with oven, and a Waeco-cooled icebox with a removable door. The port aft bathroom houses the marine toilet, vanity, washbasin with pull-out shower hose, and wet-gear hanging space. A "charter" layout substituted two mirror-image double quarter berths, and a tight-access pipe berth shows in the lazarette adjacent to the head.

Equipment and Systems

Standard specification included a pressurized hot-water system, 12V refrigeration, a Muir electric anchor winch, Simrad log and depth instruments, a Plastimo binnacle compass, stainless steel fuel and freshwater tanks, and a toilet holding tank. The navigation station carries a switch panel with circuit breakers and a chart table; the aft head repeats the electric pressurized water. A boarding platform and swim ladder sit at the stern, though the transom itself does not open.

The Verdict

The Hanse 311 is a thoughtfully packaged small cruiser that trades overt performance pretension for usable volume and forgiving systems. Its balsa-cored topsides and glassed bulkheads give a stiff, accessible structure, and the self-tacking jib with single-sheet lead makes short-handed sailing genuinely simple. The two-cabin layout is generous for the length, though the V-berth suits children more than tall adults and the pipe berth is an afterthought. A swing-keel option broadens its reach, but the standard iron fin remains the pragmatic cruiser's choice.

Pros