Hanse 291
Hanse · Judel/Vrolijk · 1983
Updated
The Hanse 291 is a 8.86 m displacement racing yacht designed by Judel/Vrolijk and built by Hanse, first launched in 1983. It races in Class C.
Length
8.86 m
29′ 1″
Beam
2.69 m
Draft
1.11 m
Displacement
3.0 t
Sail area
41 m²
On the podium
Where a Hanse 291 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
0%
of 14 starts by 1 boat
Wins
0%
Read from 14 starts by 1 boat between 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Hanse 291 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Nordstadtwerke-Cup2026- Miar2026
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Hanse 291 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Seaquest 36 (6 meetings), X-362 (4 meetings), X-332 (2 meetings), X-342 (2 meetings), Pogo 36 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Hanse 291 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
4.40
41°
Beam reach
7.20
90°
Broad reach
7.97
135°
Downwind VMG
7.02
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is running deep in a working breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Hanse 291
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.77 | 3.87 | 4.35 | 4.40 |
| 52° | 4.34 | 5.77 | 6.27 | 6.39 |
| 60° | 4.63 | 5.99 | 6.45 | 6.61 |
| 75° | 4.79 | 6.16 | 6.64 | 6.93 |
| 90° | 4.83 | 6.38 | 6.77 | 7.20 |
| 110° | 4.90 | 6.44 | 7.08 | 7.70 |
| 120° | 4.67 | 6.36 | 7.05 | 8.05 |
| 135° | 4.13 | 6.06 | 6.87 | 7.97 |
| 150° | 3.51 | 5.45 | 6.57 | 7.55 |
| Run VMG | 3.04 | 4.73 | 6.01 | 7.02 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 310 kg.
Rigging
Hanse 291 rig and sail dimensions
A Hanse 291 carries 10.49 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.48 m boom, a forestay 9.23 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 3 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 51 to 59 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.