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Review of Hanse 531


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Hanse 531 is a large sailboat designed by the German maritime architect bureau judel / vrolijk & co - engineering GmbH. The Hanse 531 is built by the German yard YZG.

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Hull

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


Interior

The boat is equipped with 5-9 berths, a galley and 750.0 liter fresh water capacity.


Rig

The Hanse 531 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.


Keel

The Hanse 531 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel

One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.80 - 2.90 meter (9.19 - 9.49 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Fin keel

Another option is a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

Hanse 531 can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.43 - 2.53 meter (7.97 - 8.27 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Fin keel

Another option is a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.95 - 2.05 meter (6.40 - 6.70 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

The Hanse 531 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 4JH3G diesel engine at 100 hp (74 kW). Calculated max speed is about 8.0 knots

Alternative 2:

Hanse 531 may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 4JH36-HTBE diesel engine at 100 hp (74 kW). Calculated max speed is about 8.0 knots

The fuel tank has a capacity of 400.0 liters (105 US gallons, 87 imperial gallons).


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Hanse 531 is 1.87, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.


EU classification

Hanse 531 holds a CE certification:

The boat is by European Union certified as Class A. OCEAN:
Designed for extended voyages where conditions may exceed wind force 8 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights of 4 m and above but excluding abnormal conditions, and vessels largely self-sufficient.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 9.3 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.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Hanse 531 is about 480 kg/cm, alternatively 2689 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 480 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 2689 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Hanse 531 is 31.6.

Low High 38% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 38% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Hanse 531 is 3.29.

Slim Wide 82% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 82% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Hanse 531 is 167 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

Heavy Light 73% 0 50 100
73% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Hanse 531 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 19.6, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 22.8.

Low High 92% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 92% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 84m2 (904 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.


Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

mainsail specifications headsail specifications

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale



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.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 55.8 m(183.1 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard55.8 m(183.1 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker halyard55.8 m(183.1 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Jib sheet 16.1 m(53.0 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet16.1 m(53.0 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet 40.4 m(132.5 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet35.5 m(116.6 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Cunningham6.5 m(21.3 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Kickingstrap13.0 m(42.7 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Clew-outhaul13.0 m(42.7 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

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.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Hanse 531 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.



References