Hallberg-Rassy 49

BoatsHallberg-Rassy 49

See her sail

The Hallberg-Rassy 49, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Distant Shores TV

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 40 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 40

CoastalBluewater

1.70 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.70

LightHeavy

257 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 257

EasygoingPowered-up

13.5 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.5

TenderStiff

45% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 45%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

Heavier than ~91% of boats her size on file
Beamier than ~81% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1845 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Hallberg-Rassy 49, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Hallberg-Rassy 49 is a 15.0-meter sailboat designed by Olle Enderlein and Christoph Rassy, built by Hallberg-Rassy from 1982 to 1997. It was offered with both ketch and sloop rigs, with early models predominantly ketch-rigged. The hull features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, and the boat displaces 17,999 kg. Aboard *Distant Shores TV*, a 49-foot variable-draft sloop, the crew navigated the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal, staying in waters shallower than 20 meters to avoid orca interactions.0:33 During a 350-mile transit from La Coruña to Cascais, they maintained a close-to-shore route during daylight hours, moving offshore at night, and kept the engine ready to deter orcas.0:10 The voyage continued with a 650-mile offshore passage from Cascais to Lanzarote, where they experienced downwind conditions.12:25

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

45.1%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Staysail Ketch

Ratios

SA / displacement

13.5

Displacement / length

257.0

Comfort ratio

40.1

Capsize screening

1.70

Hull speed

8.6 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

2124

Hull

Hull type

Fin with rudder on skeg

Construction

Fiberglass

Ballast type

Lead

Production

Years built

1982–1997

Units built

89

Designer

Olle Enderlein, Christoph Rassy

Builder

Hallberg-Rassy

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Hallberg-Rassy 4614.78 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser built for stability and comfort with a high ballast ratio and skeg-hung rudder

East Coast Long Sailing Passage - Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale 1000 Mile Sailboat Voyage from SailingBritican

Hallberg-Rassy 4814.99 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser featuring a stiff 42% ballast ratio and a stable, comfortable motion at-sea motion

Hallberg-Rassy 48 - A Yacht Delivery from Bremen to Ellos. Wonderful trip on a fabulous boat!from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery

Oyster Marine 47514.81 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Holman & Pye designed masthead sloop evolved from the 46, offering a high comfort ratio for blue water cruising

Boat Show - 5 Reasons To Attend a Boat Show (For Aspiring Sailing Cruisers)from SailingBritican

Caliber Yachts 47 LRC14.81 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA long-range cruiser with a 52.92-foot overall length and a high comfort ratio for extended offshore passages

Summer Sailing in the San Juan Islands - Part 1. Episode 111:56 from Sailing Wind Therapy

Kraken Yachts 50 (Dibley)15.24 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 15.24-metre offshore cruiser with a 19.77 sail area-to-displacement ratio for balanced performance in varied conditions

A RACE across Europe to SAIL on our DREAM BOAT [EP 144]2:48 from Sailing Millennial Falcon

Oyster Marine 48514.78 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA robust cutter-rigged blue water cruiser developed from the 461, featuring a skeg-hung rudder for offshore security

This sailing technique saved my butt (Why does nobody teach this?)16:22 from Be The Captain

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Hallberg-Rassy 48A German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser featuring a stiff 42% ballast ratio and a stable, comfortable motion at-sea motion Hallberg-Rassy 46A German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser built for stability and comfort with a high ballast ratio and skeg-hung rudder Hallberg-Rassy 41A masthead ketch designed by Olle Enderlein, offering a split-rig configuration for balanced handling on long passages Hallberg-Rassy 42 (Enderlein)A 12.9-metre blue-water cruiser offered in both ketch and sloop configurations, featuring a skeg-mounted rudder Hallberg-Rassy 48 MKIIA German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for blue-water stability with a high comfort ratio and a deep fin keel

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