HH50 Sports Cruising

It was only two years ago that we took the helm of the very first HH catamaran designed for blue water sailing. The HH50 Ocean Cruising (unlike full carbon models such as the HH66 or the HH 55) saw the use of fiberglass/foam/vinylester infused hulls. Today, we have the pleasure of sailing the first HH50-SC model presented in Europe. In terms of differences between the two versions, the inventory is simple. The hulls are made of carbon on a carbon frame. The skeg keels are replaced by curved and profiled daggerboards (still in carbon) plunging over 10 feet (3.3 meters) below the surface. The custom Sparcraft aluminum mast painted in black is replaced by a Marstrom carbon mast with a teardrop section. The sail plan is bigger by around 5% in comparison with the Ocean version, while the full carbon construction of the boat lowers the weight by a ton and a half, giving around 25,000 pounds (11.5 t), which clearly does favors for the weight/power ratio. Two symmetrical helm stations allow for optimum control on each side. An optional set of Doyle Hydranet sails and a Maxikote radial reacher complete the performance-...