VARIANTA 44 has been characterised by the international press as the most inexpensive  44-ft sailboat in the world. She costs only 99,999 euros -VAT included!- and she can be purchased only on line on www.varianta.info in order to keep costs low by bypassing the dealers.

Varianta is the most affordable sailboat in this category. This is a ground-breaking project of the Hanse Group in cooperation with the Judel and Vrolijk designer team. It is worth mentioning that the latter is the designer of “Alinghi”, the sailboat that won the Americas Cup in 2003.

Varianta 44 has been designed for fast sailing while her excellent interior arrangement offers comfortable living to passengers. The interior design bears the signature of the interior design firm Henrike Gänß. Polyester was used for the hull and GRP with balsa wood were used for the sandwich deck. The boat builders are Dehler Yachts which are now owned by HANSE.

The entire deck is fully anti-slip. As far as the rigging is concerned, this boat has a 9/10 fractional mast, made of anodized aluminium just like the boom. The spreaders form a backward angle to better support the mast while the backstay can be trimmed. The boat has a full batten mainsail with lazy jacks and a single line reefing system. This system features a single reefing sheet at the cockpit for easier boat handling. In the cockpit we find 4 winches for the mainsail sheet, the halyards, and the jib sheet. There are three cleats for mooring in port, one at the bow and two astern. Back at the cockpit we find the large 1800mm leather-lined steering wheel. Generally speaking, we find the basic systems to handle the main and jib with considerable ease, whereas there are no handling systems for the spinnaker. There is no anchor hatch and no electric winch for the anchor.

Interior

The interior consists of two double cabins standing next to each other at the bow and one or two cabins astern. In the middle there is a living room area with two sofa beds, a galley and a toilet. What is particular about the interior is the austere and minimal design.

Engine house – Facilities

The engine house is located under the stairs and it can be easily accessed from three different points. It features a 40 hp VOLVO engine with saildrive and a 12V power station with a 120A battery for servicing and an 80A battery used to start the engine. The sailboat’s fuel capacity is120 litres and her water tank can take 280 litres. The boat also features a waste tank.

Specs

LOA 13,33 m.

Hull Length 13,18 m.

|LWL 12 m.

Beam 4,16 m.

Draft 2,23 m. - 1.79 m.

Displacement 9,8 t 

Ballast 3.2 t

Sail Area 105 m²

Main Sail 55,73 m²

Self tacking jib 40,63 m².

Genoa jib 106% | 45,81 m²

Gennaker 150,65 m²

Rig

I           17.50 m

J           5.20 m

P          16.55 m

E           5.90 m

Engine Volvo D2- 40 Hp

Fuel  120 lit

Water Tank  280 lit

Certification Class Α

Text Gerasimos Gerolimatos

photo Hanse Group