NEW YACHTS
A BUMPER CROP OF HOT NEW YACHTS ARE DUE AT THE AUTUMN SHOWS
At Cannes and Annapolis
HH44
LOA (transoms raised) 14.23m 46ft 8in • LWL 13.28m 43ft 7in • Beam 7.15m 23ft 6in
• Draught (fixed keels) 1.52m 5ft 0in • Displacement (OC model) 8,750kg 19,290lb
• Payload approx 4,750kg 10,000lb
• Mainsail74.2m 2799ft 2• Solent jib51.1m 2550ft 2
• Base prices 44-OC US$957,000 ex vat; 44-SC US$1,325,000 ex VAT hhcatamarans.com
The old adage that the many benefits of a cruising catamaran are achieved at the cost of its sailing qualities is no longer true and a growing proportion of buyers are seeking performance boats that are responsive and fun to sail.
This part of the multihull market has of course existed for a long time, with the likes of Outremer, Catana and more recently Gunboat and Marsaudon Composites proving that lightweight ultra-fast catamarans can be safe and comfortable, yet also exhilarating.
HH Catamarans has grown rapidly since the yard was founded in 2012 by entrepreneur and boating enthusiast Hudson Wang. He has since ploughed some US$50 million into the company, including 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing space with state of the art production equipment, predominately at Xiamen in south-western China. Wang has also recruited top talent, including Kiwi boatbuilder Paul Hakes, who as CEO has brought his knowledge of building very high end raceboats to a cruising audience who want an equal level of attention to detail in an impeccably finished yacht that also offers a high level of comfort and without sacrificing speed.
The latest model to hit the water, the HH44, will be the smallest in the range and therefore available to a wider audience, even if the price tag still ranges upwards of US$1 million ex VAT. Nevertheless this hasn’t deterred 35 owners ordering boats off-plan before the first one left the yard.
This Morrelli & Melvin design is not as ultra high performance as some of the earlier and larger HH models. This is especially true in the OC (Ocean Cruising) versions of the HH44, which have an easily handled format with aluminium mast, white gelcoat finish and mini-keels as standard instead of daggerboards. Nevertheless displacement is one third lower than that of many catamarans of this size, which promises enjoyable and rewarding sailing, as well as markedly reducing time spent under power when passagemaking.
SC (Sports Cruising) models include current race boat technology, including carbon C-foils and rig, a painted hull finish, plus over 4kW of solar panels.
They also have a parallel hybrid EcoDrive system developed by Isle of Wight company Hybrid Marine. This is intended to provide all the key
