The 355 was conceived as a genuine family cruiser capable of doubling as a club racer. Sharing its lineage with the smaller 325, the two boats are, as one reviewer put it, like peas from the same pod, but the 355 stretches the formula in every meaningful direction: a longer forward coach house, a more spacious cockpit, a taller mast, and the option of a third double cabin below.
Hull and Construction
Hanse built the 355 with the same structural discipline applied across its full range. The hull uses a monolithic layup with a vinylester first layer and isophtalic gelcoat, while GRP strongbacks, balsa deck laminate, and main bulkheads laminated to hull and deck give the structure both stiffness and long-term resistance to delamination. Iron bulb keels are fitted as standard, with buyers able to specify either a deep or shoal draft option depending on their intended cruising ground. The deep draft version at 1.92m gives the boat a meaningful righting-moment advantage; the shoal keel at 1.52m opens up shallower anchorages without dramatically compromising stability.
Rig and Handling
The 355's handling philosophy is unmistakably Hanse. Self-tacking jibs and simple mainsheet controls make the boat ridiculously easy to sail — the manufacturer's word, echoed by those who have sailed her. The standard headsail is a 95-percent furling jib on a self-tacking track, which means tacking through a busy channel requires no crew intervention at the foredeck. Slab reefing on a fully battened main rounds out a rig that is genuinely manageable for a couple.
The mainsheet arrangement on the 355 differs from its smaller sibling in a significant way: mid-boom sheeting via a German mast-base turning block system leads to cabin-top winches, clearing the cockpit entirely of sheet clutter in cruising mode. The tradeoff is that boom-angle control is less precise than an end-boom traveller arrangement, but for most coastal and offshore cruising the difference is academic. Those who want more performance upwind can specify optional genoas or asymmetric and pole spinnakers — the rig architecture accommodates both.
On the water, the longer, more powerful 355 outpaced the 325 on and off the wind in the tests conducted, and off the wind especially the extra waterline length gives the boat a consistent speed advantage. The Jefa rack-and-pinion steering fitted for review was noted for light, slack-free feedback, equally usable standing cruising-style or sitting on the windward rail.
One caution for crews: gloss-finish on the cabin tops looks classy but offers no foot-grip when wet, and anyone who needs to move forward regularly — charter guests, club racers sheeting a genoa — should fit anti-slip strips before departure.
Accommodations
Below decks the 355 offers genuine flexibility. Buyers choose between a two-cabin layout and a three-cabin layout, each with its own merits. The two-cabin version yields a large head with a separate shower section and enormous sail-stowage lockers beneath the port cockpit seat. The three-cabin version squeezes a guest cabin aft — remarkable packaging for a 34-footer.
Dinettes that offer comfy seating for six are standard in both arrangements, and highly polished compression posts integrate well with the woodwork rather than fighting it. The galley gains a slight edge over the 325's equivalent, with marginally more bench space, and the chart table area shares the same electrical module layout across the range. One subjective complaint from the press test: grey plastic cover mouldings on the radio and electrical modules feel out of place in a polished-wood interior; buyers have the option of deleting them.
Vee-berths and twin robes forward complete a forward cabin that lives up to Hanse's claim of a home-like experience. Water capacity sits at 240 litres and fuel at 90 litres — adequate for coastal cruising, though blue-water passages would require supplementary tankage.
Known Considerations
The 355's performance and packaging come with a handful of characteristics buyers should understand before committing. The standard 18hp engine is modest for a boat of this displacement; an engine upgrade from 18hp to 27hp was available from new and is worth seeking out, particularly for anyone who motors regularly in calms or needs to hold position in a strong headwind while anchoring. The saildrive transmission is conventional for European production boats of this era and generally reliable, but saildrive bellows warrant inspection during any pre-purchase survey.
The balsa-cored deck is standard across the Hanse range; balsa core responds poorly to water ingress at deck fittings, so any signs of soft spots or delamination at chainplates, stanchion bases, and hardware penetrations should be investigated carefully. The iron bulb keel should be inspected for osmotic blistering at the keel-hull joint and for rust staining — both are manageable when caught early and properly treated.
The Verdict
The Hanse 355 delivers on a specific and valuable promise: genuine shorthanded cruising capability in a compact package, built to a consistent standard, with enough accommodation flexibility to serve a range of owners. Elegance, speed and superb sailing characteristics are standard, as are the self-tacking jib and wheel steering — and the boat's sea trials confirm that the brochure language is not misplaced. It is not a boat for those who prize traveller-precise upwind tuning or cavernous offshore tankage. It is a boat for couples and small families who want to leave the dock with minimal fuss and arrive with minimal fatigue.
Pros
- Genuinely shorthanded-capable rig with self-tacking jib as standard
- Three double-cabin layout available in a 34-foot hull
- Clean cockpit in cruising mode; mid-boom sheeting keeps the sole clear
- Stiff, well-built hull with structural bulkheads laminated to hull and deck
- Rack-and-pinion steering with light, slack-free feedback
Cons
- Gloss cabin-top finish offers no wet-weather grip for foredeck work
- Standard 18hp engine is undersized for the displacement; upgrade advisable
- Mid-boom sheeting sacrifices boom-angle control compared to traveller arrangement
- Balsa deck core requires diligent inspection of all hardware penetrations
- 90-litre fuel capacity limits range under power
