Design
The cockpit is substantially larger than the HH55’s in response to requests from clients for extra space
invested $35Mbuilding a new yard from the ground up, filled it with state-of-the art CNCmachines, and tasked veteran Kiwi boatbuilder Paul Hakes with creating the world’s leading catamaran brand. The new HH60 is a breathtaking boat, as stylish and luxurious as it is quick, and is a fitting model for a brand with such lofty ambitions. It hasn’t all been plain sailing since the
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business was launched, but Hakes has homed in on a winning formula. Building boats in Chinameans lower labour costs but higher freight costs for any boats sold into US or Europeanmarkets. As Hakes points out: ‘there is no point building cheap boats here, as themoney you save on labour is only enough to cancel out the extra freight charges. ‘However, at the higher end of the
market we can invest an additional 20,000 man-hours per boat compared with European yards whichmeans we can
hen HudsonWang decided to expand his industrial empire to include boatbuilding he didn’tmess around; he
deliver a level of finish that would not be economically viable in Europe’. The exponential growth the brand is currently experiencing is reflected by the fact that only 16 HH Catamarans have been launched to date, but that a further 16 are currently in build! Hudson is not a man to rest on his laurels and is in the process of fitting out a second production facility to cope with the demand. The HH team already includes a 30-strong in-house design office led by James Hakes and 300 boatbuilders, whilst an additional 200 boatbuilders will be employed to staff the new facility. The next model to be
launched will be the HH60 and seven have been sold already, with five of those already in build. The model is designed as an improvement on the HH55 for owners looking for a little more space and performance. Another new model, the HH52, will also be launched shortly to give a pretty comprehensive offering from 44ft to 88ft,
and there are mid-term plans to move up the size range even further. The factory has been designed to have space to build a 150ft-triple-decked catamaran, and maybe one day they will work up to that size. The Morelli & Melvin designed HH60
‘The HH60 is an evolution not a revolution’
has an enormous bowsprit, giving a longer J-measurement than previous models to create space for multiple headsails. The hull design features significant forward volume which when combined with the headsails set inside one another should lead to blistering off-the-wind performance. The hull and deck are made from carbon fibre with a foam core, infused with epoxy resin and cured in an oven. No money has been spared on detailed composite work, with everything from crossbeams
to chainplates to stanchions coming in carbon fibre as standard. The 6.5m C-shaped daggerboards are
The forward cockpit option is ideally suited to shorthanded ocean cruising 70 SEAHORSE
larger in both length and chord than on previous models. The standard foils are symmetric which means they can both be left in a “half-down” position when cruising. The owner of HH60#1 has opted for asymmetric foils to increase performance, although these will need to be lowered and raised during every tack or gybe. An electric line drive system is optional to allow for the foils to be raised and lowered at the touch of a button which makes the asymmetric foil option viable for cruising. The daggerboards have fixed, impact resistant bearings and the steering system has been designed so the rudders can be changed in less than an hour whilst at sea in the event one is damaged. Such features are representative of the effort throughout the design to make such a powerful yacht practical for long- distance shorthanded cruising. The boat comes with a fixed carbon
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