Review of Hanse 401

The hull is made of hand laid fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of hand laid fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The hull is a sandwich construction which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.

The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 4-8 berths, a galley, 400.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

The Hanse 401 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

The Hanse 401 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Unknown keel type

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.98 - 2.08 meter (6.50 - 6.80 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Wing keel

But be aware that even though a Wing Keel keel is very good for speed racing, a fishing nets and the like in the water can easily make you into a troublesome situation.

Hanse 401 may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD2040 diesel engine at 38 hp (28 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.3 knots

The fuel tank has a capacity of 90.0 liters (23 US gallons, 19 imperial gallons).

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Hanse 401 is 1.94, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Hanse 401 holds a CE certification:

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.9 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Hanse 401 is about 274 kg/cm, alternatively 1536 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 274 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1536 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Hanse 401 is 26.2.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Hanse 401 is 3.08.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Hanse 401 is 39%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Hanse 401 is 199 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)
Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind:
- Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15
- Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20
- Racers have ratios above 20
- High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24
Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 23.31

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 46m² (495 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Hanse 401 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.