Hallberg-Rassy 43 wins Australian Marine Award

by Al Constable on 25 May 2006 At Australia's largest Boat Show, the 2006 Sanctuary Cove Boat show, on Queensland's Gold Coast, a strong contingent of craft was evaluated for the 2006 Australian Marine Awards. The major yachting award was made in the imported monohull class, the finalists were the Bavaria 37 Cruiser, Hallberg-Rassy 43, Island Packet 485, Nordship 35 DS, Hunter 38 and Beneteau Oceanis 343.

The 2006 Australian Boat of the Year - Imported Sailing Category winner is the Swedish built Hallberg-Rassy 43 with the North South imported Bavaria 37 cruiser receiving a Commendation.

While 8,400 of the Swedish built Hallberg-Rassy have been built, it is only in recent years than this design has become better recognised in Australia, Known for superb construction and signature seaworthiness, these Germán Frers designed cruising yachts have elegant lines and spirited performance with eight models from 31' to 62'.

Windcraft Australia was appointed the sole Australian Agent for Hallberg-Rassy in 2003.

Peter Hrones and his team at Windcraft are well regarded, they certainly understand the cruising boat scene, and they were the top Hanse Yacht international distributor in 2005

Hrones commented today ‘To be nominated was an honour for us and also for the factory. And we are all very excited about it.

‘There are a lot of boats on the market but the Hallberg-Rassy is really just a step apart. There are less than 200 built each year, there is a wait list, which people put there hands up to be on, because it is a product that does take time to construct.

‘We have more than 20 here in Australia. They are true ocean going boats. In 2005 ARC: 19 of the 227 boat fleet were Hallberg-Rassy’s making the 2600 Nm crossing from Las Palmas to St. Lucia. Of these four were 43’s.

‘This boat is really for the discerning buyer, someone who knows that what they want needs to ability to sail around the world and that they can be comfortable knowing that this company can put that together for them.

Asked to sum up the Hallberg-Rassy attributes Hrones says ‘Handmade excellence, world wide reputation with world wide capabilities. Superb craftsmanship rarely seen in a production yacht these days.'

Of the numerous Swedish boatbuilders found on the Island of Orust, north of Gothenborg, Hallberg-Rassy is perhaps the best known. The yard has been producing excellent boats under the Hallberg-Rassy name since 1972, and prior to that separately as Harry Hallberg and Christoph Rassy.

Hallberg back in 1963 was one of the pioneers of GRP production sailboats using GRP while German boat builder Christoph Rassy started hand crafted cruising boats in Sweden in 1965. Rassy was building long distance cruisers with a powerful engine and a centre cockpit protected by a windshield. This is a design that has remained with the Hallberg-Rassy yachts to this day.

In 1972 the Rassy Yard in Kungsviken purchased Harry Hallberg’s yard in Ellös. As the Hallberg brand was by far the most well-known with its four designs and the Rassy yard was a smaller custom builder, the new company was named Hallberg-Rassy.

The first new design under the name of Hallberg-Rassy was the Monsun 31, launched in 1973 and 900 were built over the next decade; The next design was the HR 41.and 105 of these were built in the later 1970’s. This centre cockpit boats quickly became a trendsetter. This was the first boat with a proper walk through to the aft-cabin below deck.

The HR 352 launched in 1978 was a substantial sales success, with more than 800 built until 1989. This was followed by the HR 312’s and 700 of those were built right up until 1991.

Since 1988 German Frers from Argentina. has been the designer of the Hallberg-Rassy yachts. Frers is as well known for his Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup designs, as he is for drawing cruising yachts with elegant lines.

This collaboration has resulted in a new generation of sail-boats, which combine the Hallberg-Rassy renowned good qualities like sturdiness, seaworthiness, comfort, safety, and fine wood-work; with unsurpassed sailing characteristics. This has delivered excellent performance to a distinctive yacht that is noted for its high quality, solid construction, ease of handling, superior long-term liveability, in a predominately center cockpit design.

The HR 43, like all the boats in the HR range is a modern centre cockpit yacht, with a spray hood canopy, the GRP hull and deck are laminated using a Hand lay-up method and are insulated above waterline with Divinycell PVC-foam against heat and cold. The GRP hull is reinforced with a grid structure at floor level to give it increased stiffness.'

The interior accommodation is designed carefully for long-distance cruising boats: an excellent wet locker well placed handholds, plenty of stowage space and generous fuel and water capacity. There are commodious staterooms fore and aft with large heads. The forward head has room for an optional washer/dryer installation.

In 2002 the Hallberg-Rassy 43 has recently won the prestigious Yacht of the Year award in the biggest category in the respected German magazine Yacht and it was a top 10 winner 2003 in American Sail magazine awards.

The recognition of the marque continues across the range, the Cruising World Boat of the Year Winner 2006 and Imported Cruising Boat of the Year, Hallberg-Rassy 62 and Production Cruiser 37 to 39 Feet Hallberg-Rassy 37

Australia
Windcraft Australia Pty Ltd
Peter Hrones
Bayview Anchorage Marina
Suite 7b, 1714 Pittwater Rd
Bayview
NSW 2104

Tel: +612-99 79 17 09
Fax +61 2 9979 2027
boats@windcraft.com.au

Argentina
José Frers
Ruben Dario 3447
1646 Victoria PBA
Argentina
Tel: 54-11-47 45 05 37
Fax: 54-11-4801-0423
info(a)josefrers.com

Denmark
Melfar Marine ApS
Stensgårdvej 3
DK-5500 Middelfart
DanmarkTel +45 64 40 2425
Fax +45 64 40 2429
info(a)melfarmarine.dk


Finland
Nafco-Trading OY
Årvägen 2A
FIN-00830 Helsingfors
Tel: 09-788 658
Fax: 09-781 579
bjorn.eklund@nafco-trading.com


France
LJB Marine
Rue de la Perruche
ZA des Minimes
FR-17000 La ROCHELLE
France
Tel : + 33 (0)5 46 52 19 52
Mobile + 33 (0)6 22 88 13 80
Fax : + 33 (0)5 46 52 19 99
E mail info(a)ljb-marine.com

Germany
Hallberg-Rassy Deutschland GmbH
Horst von Hörsten
An der Wiek 7-15
23730 Neustadt
Tel 04561-55 86 48
Fax 04561-55 86 49
info@(no spam)hallberg-rassy.de - remove '(no spam)' for correct address -


Holland
Nova Yachting International BV
Jachthaven Aqua-Delta
Postbus 15
NL-4310 AA Bruinisse
Tel: 111-48 18 10
Fax: 111-48 27 14
info@nova-yachting.nl
Web: www.hallberg-rassy.nl


Italy
Lions InT.-Yachts SRL
Via Salento 12
IT-00162 Roma
Tel: 06-44 23 75 37
Fax: 06-44 29 07 06
e-mail: lionsyachts@fastwebnet.it


Japan
Global Marine Inc.
Imazu Boat Center 3F
2-16 Imazu-Nishihama
Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8225
Tel: +81-798-34-7345
Fax: +81-798-34-7346
info@global-marine.co.jp
See also http://www.global-marine.co.jp

Norway
Pollen Maritime AS
Leangbukta 31
1392 Vettre
Tel: +47-91 77 14 51
Fax: ;+47-66 76 27 52
ole-petter@pollenmaritime.no

Russia
ZAO SwedenBoats
Konstantinovskiy Prospekt 1/24
RU-197110 St. Petersburg
Russia
Tel : + 7 812 702 4770; + 7 812 931 1330
E-mail: samoylov(a)swedenboats.ru

Switzerland
Bootswerft Rolf Müller AG
Bottighofen
CH-8574 Lengwil
Tel: 071-688 41 41
Fax: 071-688 41 46
rolf.mueller@hallberg-rassy.ch
www.bootswerft-mueller.ch
Mehr Infos über Rolf Müller

Spain
Eurosail
Port Balis
Local 11
ES-08392 Saint Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona)
Tel: 93 792 85 84
Fax: 93 792 88 49
eurosail@eurosail.net
www.eurosail.net

Turkey
+D Group
Mr E Galip Kaynar
Macka Cad. N 33/5
Tuncer Ap. Macka
TR-34367 Istanbul
Tel +90 212 24