Design and Construction
The 341 is a monohull cruiser/club racer with a long-waterline hull of medium displacement and a moderate ballast-to-weight ratio by contemporary standards. Her solid fibreglass hull runs to the waterline, while topsides and deck use an end-grain balsa-cored sandwich. The hull and deck are fibreglassed together and bolted through the toerail, with a through-bolted join, and a wide solid fibreglass girder circles the hull to spread local stresses. All bulkheads and furniture are glassed in top and bottom, and the standard keel is a cast-iron fin on stainless steel bolts, with shallow-draught lead and lifting-keel options available. The rudder sits on an alloy shaft and is very deep, almost keel-depth, with ample bearing surface.
Rig and Handling
Her seven-eighths fractional rig carries a deck-stepped anodised aluminium Sparcraft mast on a stainless-steel kingpost, with two sets of swept-back spreaders and continuous shrouds tensioned by open-faced rigging screws. Sail area is generous for the displacement — a 34.2 sqm battened main on Rutgerson battcars, a 27.3 sqm self-tacking jib, and a 36 sqm genoa — giving a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio that keeps her quick. The self-tacking headsail, still rare in production boats of the era, takes all the effort out of tacking and gybing, and test sailors found her lively and responsive on all points of sail and easy for two people to manage under full sail. That light, almost dinghy-like feel is heightened by the self-tacker, though writing in Boating New Zealand, testers noted noticeable windward helm that needed rig tuning, and a tendency to round up in strong gusts where the rudder would let go if over-canvased.
Accommodations
Below, the standard layout gives two private double cabins — a long V-berth forward with hanging locker and wardrobe, and a starboard quarter double with its own hanging locker — while a three-cabin version was also offered. The saloon has a starboard U-lounge around a timber table whose base doubles as a drinks cabinet, with an optional dropleaf, and a port-side navigation table flanked by single seats. The starboard-aft galley holds deep vertical-sided twin stainless sinks, a two-burner Triton stove-oven, and a 95-litre top-loader fridge. A forward head with separate shower and wet locker serves the boat. Joinery is mahogany veneer with machine-varnished high gloss and synthetic teak-holly floors; Rattan cupboard doors and standard curtain tracks complete the trim, with 6ft 3in saloon headroom. Yacht and Boat Sales found the interior and trim on the opulent side of comfortable and the performance and handling with a real edge.
Equipment and Systems
Standard kit included a pressurised hot-water system, Simrad log and depth, a Plastimo compass, Lewmar and Gebo hatches, Harken winches, and a Facnor twinfoil furler on the dacron headsail. The Volvo Penta MD2020 three-cylinder saildrive (rated 18 hp, quoted at 19 hp elsewhere) sits under the companionway, driving a fixed two-blade prop with folding option. Tankage places a 185-litre polyethylene freshwater tank under the forward bunk, a stainless fuel tank with shut-off valves under the starboard quarter bunk, and a 60-litre stainless holding tank. Seacocks use ball valves and the wiring carries spare leads for added electronics.
Known Issues
The cockpit's enclosed transom does not open to the swim platform, and the rudder's behaviour in over-pressure gusts is a tuning, not a construction, matter per Boating New Zealand's test observations.
The Verdict
The Hanse 341 earns her Yacht-of-the-Year standing by blending a well-structured hull with a self-tacking rig that makes short-handed cruising genuinely easy, yet keeps a racer's edge through high sail-area ratio and responsive helm. She is comfortable below without sacrificing the practical tank access and wiring margin a long-term owner values.
Pros
- Self-tacking jib and lazyjack main make two-person sailing effortless
- Structurally robust: glassed bulkheads, chainplate girder, through-bolted deck join
- High-gloss interior with real headroom and smart storage
Cons
- Noticeable windward helm and gust-round-up need active rig tuning
- Enclosed transom limits direct swim-platform access
- Deep rudder can let go if sailed with too much canvas in bullets
