The German designers and engineers at Hanse are masters at creating hulls, decks and interiors that maximize the use of available space. On the larger models, this translates into cruising boats that are uniquely spacious.
But in the smaller models, this design imperative results in what almost seems like slight-of-hand. The new 360 is the latest example and provides the living space of a 45-footer within the confines of a 36-foot hull. How did they do that?
First, the 360’s hull has fairly high topsides and a flat sheer. There is a chine that runs the full length which keeps the waterline reasonably narrow while adding interior volume. The hull has almost 14 feet of beam and that is carried all the way aft to create a truly spacious cockpit and plenty of volume for the quarter cabins.
This type of hull has a lot of initial stability due to the wide beam and the chines, so it will sail upright and will tell you quickly when it is time to reef or depower the mainsail. It will probably be fastest and most comfortable at no more than 12 degrees of heel. The crew will like this trait, too.
The 360’s rig will have a large mainsail and a self-tacking jib. Plus, the standard bowsprit will enable the crew to fly down wind sails. Hanse offers a range of options including square-top performance mains, slab-reefed sails or in-mast furling mains. Having sailed many miles on the 360’s larger sisters, I expect the new design will want to be reefed early and often.
Note the twin helms and how the helm seats fold up to open the steps aft to the huge swim platform. This seems to increase the size of the cockpit by a third and provides a great space for a built-in grill. Cruising kids will spend a lot of time in this after area.
Hanse is all about designing boats that each owner can modify in many ways and have on their website what they call a “configurator.” I think they were the first builder to use this technology.
With mouse in hand, you can click on what you like and develop a boat that is special to you. In the case of the 360, you can have three cabins and two heads, or two cabins and one head while the space for the other quarter cabin becomes a vast storage area.
You can have a long bench settee across from the dinette, or you can have a short bench and an aft-facing chart table. The only truly fixed interior pieces are the galley and the dinette.
There are many things to like about this new, modern 360. It will be fun and fast to sail and easy to manage for a couple or a lone watch stander. With a downwind sail flying, it will be fast and stable off the wind. And, with the low cabin top and twin helms, you will great sight lines forward and of the sails from both sides of the cockpit.
A 36-footer is a fairly small cruising boat by today’s standards, but I would venture that a couple with two kids will find the 360 spacious enough for long sailing holidays or even extended cruising. Once again, the Hanse wizards have created a boat that’s a lot bigger than it looks.
