Hanse Yachts
Now internationally renowned, the manufacturer Hanse launched its first cruising yacht in 1993 with the main motto of « to think outside the box and promote new trends». This policy, which has been followed by the German shipyard since its inception, has enabled it to offer excellent cruisers from 32 to 63 feet at remarkably competitive prices. The brand has notably produced marvels of pleasure boating such as the H325, H345, H400 and H505 series, which have naturally become very popular models thanks to their elegance, their comfort and their impeccable functionality in all conditions.The Hanse Group, the world's third largest sailboat manufacturer, was founded in 1990 by Michael Schmidt, a sailor who won the 1985 Admiral's Cup. The shipyard is located in the German town of Greifswald, on the Baltic Sea. His first pleasure boat, the Hanse 291, was designed based on a yacht by the Swedish builder Carl Baier, theAphrodite 291, the plans and rights of which were purchased in 1993 by Michael Schmidt. This strategy paid off, as this sporty sailing boat enabled Hanse to fill its order book and quickly make a name for itself in the pleasure boating sector. The Hanse 292, launched in 1995, then confirmed the brand's move into the big league, winning the "European Yacht of the Year 1998" award.Wishing to make further adjustments of course and speed, the German company began a long and fruitful collaboration in 1999 with the Judel/Vrolijk & Co. architectural firm. The latter helped the shipyard to establish its reputation by masterfully developing the Hanse, Dehler and Varianta ranges. The alchemy worked immediately, as evidenced by the immediate triumph of the Hanse 371 model, voted « Yacht of the Year 1999 ».The relevant creativity of the designers at Judel/Vrolijk & Co., combined with the shipyard's ultra-modern factory, has thus given rise to several other models that have also won prestigious awards. Models such as the Hanse 331 (2000) and Hanse 341 (2002) also won the title of « European Yacht of the Year » the year they were launched. The German number one in pleasure boating, led by Dr. Jens Gerhardt, has also made judicious acquisitions that have enabled it to expand its range of sailboats and motor yachts. For example, there was the acquisition of the Norwegian brand Fjord Boats in 2006, that of the luxurious British label Moody in 2007, and more recently the takeover of the English shipyard Sealine in 2013