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Good issues come to those that wait, and crusing the HH44-SC confirmed the adage. Even below supply sails—and solely a fundamental and genoa, at that—we pretty flew throughout the Chesapeake Bay on a breezy fall day after the U.S. Sailboat Present in Annapolis, the place hull No. 2 had missed a debut on the docks by simply days.
Photograph courtesy of HH Catamarans
When this intriguing new design did arrive, we have been desirous to spend time with it—and so, evidently, have been numerous different folks. Tied up throughout the harbor from the place the boat present was dismantling, this boat was a traffic-stopper, wanting screaming quick sitting nonetheless and drawing the eye of anybody who handed by. Whereas the execs at HH stress that the 44 was designed as an opulent, bluewater cruising cat, there’s no mistaking the efficiency lineage right here. HH constructed its fame and earlier boats on the designs of speedsters Morelli & Melvin, and whereas this new 44 was designed in-house—by Hudson Yacht Group naval architect James Hakes, son of HH co-founder Paul Hakes—that DNA remains to be evident within the boat’s rakish profile, 10-foot-long, pre-preg carbon daggerboards, and 64-foot, fractional carbon spar, which topped out at 72 toes with the usual, grounded lightning rod. And, Morelli & Melvin nonetheless had enter right here, designing all underwater appendages, together with boards and rudders.
Likewise, sure components aren’t what you’d affiliate essentially with a “cruise-y” boat, equivalent to load cells constructed into the cap shrouds that assist decide when finest to reef, an built-in hydraulic mast base jack to tune the rig (no turnbuckles), carbon all through the construct, and a completely 48-volt boat powered with electrical and programs engineering that it’s secure to say could demand a reasonably steep studying curve.
Nonetheless, as HH President Seth Hynes identified, what drove this boat’s design from conception was demand from sailors who’re looking forward to the main tech edge—and that’s the push towards extra reliable electrification of propulsion and residing programs aboard.
“Our homeowners drive Teslas, they’ve been wanting on the business a very long time and asking, ‘Why aren’t there extra electrical boats on the market?’ ” Hynes mentioned. “We’re attempting to construct the very best quality cruising cat. To do this, we’re excited in regards to the electrification of boats. It looks like we’re a decade behind automobiles, and we’re on the cusp of it actually coming into the marine business. There’s been quite a lot of makes an attempt to do it, however in it, we really feel they tried to change present boats to make them electrical, relatively than constructing one from the bottom as much as be electrical.”
Consequently, of all of the boats the SAIL Prime 10 Finest Boats evaluation workforce noticed for 2024, none put sustainable crusing as far within the forefront because the HH44. There are two fashions, OC—Ocean Cruising—and SC—Sports activities Cruising, and they’re considerably completely different. HH says the SC is rapidly proving the most well-liked; that’s the model we noticed in Annapolis and on which this evaluation focuses.
Photograph courtesy of HH Catamarans
The sustainability emphasis facilities across the boat’s EcoDrive, a hybrid diesel electrical system whose spine is a 43.2 KwH 48V lithium ion battery financial institution fed partially by a whopping 4,232-watt photo voltaic array on the cabintop. Two 30-hp Beta diesels have a conventional gearbox and shaft, however relatively than an alternator, an electrical motor generator is related to the prop shaft with a belt, managed with a mechanical clutch. The boat’s two 10-kw electrical motors (every about 15hp) can be utilized independently as silent, fume-free electrical propulsion, offering about two hours of full-throttle run time at 8.5 knots (3,000 rpm at 120 amps), or a half-throttle cruise pace of 6 knots for about 5 hours. Additionally they could be engaged basically as alternators whereas motoring below diesel energy, producing 5 kw every at 48 V DC energy instantly into the batteries. And, the system has hydropower functionality in-built; whereas crusing, the propeller can free spin, rotating the shaft and permitting the electrical motor to behave as a generator to feed the batteries.
Hynes mentioned some clients need totally electrical boats, however “we felt that it doesn’t qualify for being a secure bluewater boat. You may be on a lee shore, in a storm, there isn’t solar, you don’t have a strategy to cost. We actually felt the redundancy of getting a conventional diesel with the electrical drive was the way in which to go.”
With the cabintop dedicated to photo voltaic, the helms are aft within the cockpit, proper behind an L-shaped sofa to port with a desk and in-line sofa reverse. This instantly begs the ahead visibility query, which HH addresses with Jefa helms that swing via an arc into three positions. With the helm outboard, I had no drawback seeing the telltales and the bow, and I might both lean on the hull facet or perch on a intelligent pocket seat right here.
Photograph courtesy of HH Catamarans
With a step on a lever, I might swing the helm inboard to be extra protected–though right here I relied on devices since I couldn’t see the telltales. I might see the bow via the salon’s large, opening home windows on carbon frames, though the starboard helm had an obscuring glare from the salon door that slides throughout (they’re engaged on that drawback, Hynes mentioned).
Each helms had 12-inch B&G shows (in addition to one on the nav station) and equal controls by way of throttle and panels—no dashing from one facet to a different to drive the boat below energy. Mainsail controls have been led aft to the port helm (the Antal mainsheet traveler and automotive system was on the cabintop) and headsail controls to the starboard helm, with daggerboard controls on either side. Two Harken electrical winches simply ahead of every wheel managed all of this with foot controls.
Halyard and line tails vanished into storage buckets below the aft finish of the settees, simply accessible whenever you carry that part of the seat. There’s rather a lot occurring at these helms, however they’re nicely laid out, transferring between and round them was simple, and your loved ones and pals are proper there within the cockpit or salon as you’re crusing the boat.
Photograph courtesy of HH Catamarans
From every helm, two steps up led to the broad facet decks and ahead, with lifelines on 35-inch-high stanchions. Behind every helm was an particularly good security characteristic for crusing offshore—vertical transoms with carbon, drop-down swim platforms, simply lowered by way of line and winch, that successfully added 4 extra toes to the boat whereas at anchor and totally enclosed the cockpit whereas crusing. Considerate boarding doorways have been integrated into the hull sides right here for entering into the cockpit from a dock or dinghy.
With the coachroof comparatively low, increase top can also be decrease, which interprets right into a decrease heart of effort and the flexibility to place extra energy into the sails. It additionally implies that with two simple steps up, I used to be on the cabintop and proper subsequent to the hayrack increase at waist-height (at 5 toes 4 inches tall), offering wonderful entry to the 779-square-foot, square-top fundamental with Anomaly headboard.
On deck, the curved observe for an optionally available self-tacking jib was simply ahead of the mast step; Hynes says most homeowners go for an overlapping Solent genoa—tracks on the cabintop—with an internal staysail and a fractional reacher and/or A-sail on the sprit.
On the bow, the longeron, cross beam, and striker are a single carbon construction. In a intelligent piece of engineering, the anchor rode passes via the longeron with an computerized washdown that comes on when the windlass is activated. The 48-volt Lewmar V3 electrical windlass itself was simply accessible below the port ahead hatch. Each hulls had carbon fiber hatches all the way in which ahead offering entry to deep sail lockers; that is additionally the place the primary collision bulkhead is positioned—the boat has 4 watertight bulkheads in every hull with a bilge pump serving every compartment.
Photograph courtesy of HH Catamarans
Development is a carbon-reinforced, foam composite sandwich with infused epoxy resin. The boat’s whole skeleton—bulkheads, beams, hulls, deck—is carbon fiber, with exterior e-glass, additionally epoxy infused. Further carbon is added for power in high-load areas equivalent to chainplates, and all bulkheads are bonded in carbon taping and epoxy. This all makes for a robust, gentle, slippery boat.
Cockpit, facet decks and foredeck have been SeaDek, which felt improbable underfoot—grippy, safe, and a little bit forgiving.
This boat’s structure places the proprietor’s cabin within the port hull, with a head and bathe ahead and queen berth aft. The entire berth lifts on gasoline struts to reveal the hybrid propulsion system, offering terrific entry for upkeep; the identical is true below the starboard aft berth. The bunk tops are insulated for noise and warmth; nonetheless, I’d be curious if below energy you’d really feel them beneath you.
Ahead within the starboard hull is a smaller berth. A shared head is midships, in addition to entry to the boat’s relatively astonishing battery and technical house that resembles the enterprise finish of a small powerplant. The ahead starboard cabin will also be configured for bunkbeds or a workshop.
Within the salon, a C-shaped galley is aft and to port with a four-burner electrical Bosch range, microwave, and convection oven. The fridge reverse has two drawers, each programmable to be fridge or freezer. There’s an choice for a fridge in a 3rd drawer, a plug for a standalone, Engel-type of freezer, and Hynes mentioned they will construct a further customized freezer into the bilge.
Photograph courtesy of HH Catamarans
Ahead of the galley, an infinite, L-shaped nav station with a 16-inch B&G show—choice to go to 24 inches—supplies ample house to be a house workplace with views to die for. An L-shaped dinette is reverse. The general type is sort of lean and minimalist, with terrific pure gentle and air flow in every single place—you’re solely going to want AC within the hottest of locations and no breeze.
Our check sail day offered loads of breeze, and we banged round a bit heading out of a uneven Severn River below the total fundamental and jib in about 17 knots of true wind, making 9 knots of boatspeed at an obvious wind angle of 40 levels. Additional out within the Bay, with the leeward board down at 7 toes and the wind nonetheless between 17 and 18 knots, we climbed to 10.2 knots at an AWA of 47, and after we opened up the angle a bit extra, we popped as much as 11 knots. Regardless of the chop, we have been dry and cozy aft, and the helm was nicely balanced.
Hynes mentioned that in actual fact, gentle air efficiency was the emphasis on this boat’s design. “Individuals assume efficiency is all about being a Ferrari,” he mentioned. Extra helpful is when a ship can sail at windspeed when it’s solely blowing 5 or 6 knots. “To have the ability to go 8 knots when everybody else is motoring is the very best.”
We wouldn’t get to check that on this present day, although. Pushing upwind to an AWA of 30 in 16 knots of true wind, the HH held to 9.5 knots. And bearing off, wishing for some downwind sails however restricted to the supply jib, we made about 8 knots at 150 AWA heading again into the river. We fired up the diesel for the brief run again to the dock; 2,500 rpm gave us 8 knots, 1,800 rpm, 6 knots.
There may be, as they are saying, rather a lot to unpack on this new design, and you may most likely dedicate a complete evaluation simply to its electrical and propulsion programs. For the uninitiated, this new 48-volt world generally is a bit intimidating, and I’d actually need to go to high school on the programs and redundancies earlier than I took off for factors unknown. However you’ll be able to’t come away from this boat with out feeling such as you’ve simply sailed on one thing that’s actually pushing ahead, and in that respect, HH has succeeded in its purpose.
Photograph courtesy of HH Catamarans
LOA/LWL 50’2”/43’10”
Beam 23’5”
Draft 4’3” (up) 9’9” (down)
Air draft 72’2”
Displacement 22,487 (gentle)
Sail Space 1,254 sq ft (fundamental and Solent)
Energy Beta 30hp diesel (2) and 10kW electrical (2)
Designer Hudson Yacht & Marine Ltd.
Builder HH Catamarans, hhcatamarans.com
Worth as sailed $1.5 million (OC model begins at $995,000)
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Might 2024
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