Hanse 371 DS Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull is laid up in a female mold using isophthalic polyester resins throughout the laminate, and Practical Sailor's survey noted with surprise that Hanse does not use vinylester in the laminate. Topsides are cored with 22-mm balsa, while additional reinforcements of 25–35 mm solid fiberglass sit at the keel and through-hulls. The interior structure is a solid fiberglass fishbone bonded to the hull, and all bulkheads are bonded directly to the hull on both sides and to the deck on one side, which the builder describes as producing an extreme structure. Decks use a balsa core in a similar laminate, with solid fiberglass at ports, hatches, the traveler stringer, and winch islands; hardware is set in aluminum plates bedded in the laminate. The hull-deck joint is an inward flange with the deck bonded by Sikaflex, and an aluminum toerail roughly an inch inboard secures the joint with stainless bolts and rectangular backing plates rather than washers.

The keel pairs an iron casting above with a lead bulb below, locating weight low to lower the center of gravity. Eleven keel bolts bond into the hull under a stainless plate, and three stainless bolts bond the lead to the iron shaft. The builder claims this arrangement lets the keel shift a maximum of 1.5 centimeters aft in a grounding, reducing hull load. Shrouds are reinforced by a stainless rod to chainplates bonded in and running gunwale to gunwale. Boats are built to CE Standard A for the high seas.

Rig and Handling

The rig is a 9/10 fractional sloop with two sets of swept spreaders and wire standing rigging, with shrouds at the cabin base. Boats carried Z-Spar rigs until 2001, after which Isomat supplied them. A full-battened main and self-tending jib on a furler are standard, reflecting the designer's intent to sail without overlapping headsails; an inboard track allows a genoa with leads via toerail holes. The mid-boom mainsheet travels on a 42-inch track forward of the companionway—an accommodation for cruisers rather than a performance optimization—and sheets run aft to stoppers at the companionway. A split backstay clears the stern but has no adjuster for headstay tension.

Test sailors found her light on the helm and buoyant, tacking easily with the self-tending jib. In 6 knots she barely resisted the engine; in 8–10 she made 5–7 knots to weather, happiest heeled 12–15 degrees. Writing in Yachting World, testers recorded 6.5 knots upwind in 25-plus knots, tacking through 80–85°, and 9 knots on a reach, spinning a boat length in tight maneuvers via the Whitlock rod linkage. The two-bladed Saildrive and high-aspect rudder turn her in a boat length.

Accommodations

Below, mahogany veneer over plywood and foam-cored panels and doors fill the center, with a teak-and-holly sole and cane-faced locker doors for ventilation. Headroom exceeds six feet throughout. The saloon is 11 feet on centerline and 8 feet wide; a large U-shaped port settee seats six and its table converts to an 8-by-4-foot bunk. A starboard chart table has an adjustable helm seat. The galley sits to starboard at the companionway foot with an L-shaped layout, double stainless sink, gimbaled two-burner propane stove with oven, icebox with cooling aggregate, pressure water, and crockery drawers.

The forward stateroom has a berth 6 feet long at minimum and wide for two, with a 2-by-3-foot dressing area; its hatch lies far enough aft to avoid drips on the berth. The aft stateroom holds an oversized 6-foot-6-by-6-foot double. Standard layout is two staterooms and one head—a 3-by-4-foot compartment with sink, toilet, and medicine cabinet, accessed only from the saloon—and the builder resisted a third cabin or second head. Options include a separate 28-by-48-inch shower, a second aft stateroom via the galley, or converting that space to storage. Doors hinge off for winter.

Equipment and Systems

Standard equipment includes pedestal steering with a 40-inch wheel, Gebo 20-by-20-inch hatches, a self-bailing anchor locker with windlass base and double bow roller, and a vented propane locker in the starboard cockpit locker. The engine compartment is lined with heavy sound deadener; testers spoke normally while motoring. The Volvo MD2030 (or later Yanmar 3GM30) drove just short of 7 knots wide open. A 220-litre water capacity and 21-gallon fuel figure support cruising. Cockpit seats are 8-foot-6 by 18 inches with a 17-inch footwell; the forward port locker has no drain.

The Verdict

The Hanse 371 DS is a thoughtfully unconventional 37-footer: a shorthanded-friendly deck with self-tending jib and cruiser-minded controls, wrapped around a polyester-balsa structure that is honestly built to CE A and cleverly keeled. Accommodations are bright and versatile, though finish rough edges and a lack of handholds aft show the speed of assembly.

Pros