Best (around 30ft) Scandinavian yachts
Any sailor looking for a solid and seaworthy cruiser around the 30ft size is likely to put some Swedes on his short list. Leading manufacturers such as Maxi, Hallberg-Rassy and Albin built a fascinating selection of models that fitted into the 28 to 31ft range and, in their differing ways, all make popular second-hand buys. But only one – the latest Frers-designed Hallberg-Rassy 310 first introduced in 2010 – can still be ordered from new. Which sadly seems to prove the point that the bigger factories are no longer interested in building smaller boats. So anyone now looking for a brand new 30-footer has their work cut out.
Monsun 31
The first Rassy in the 30ft bracket was introduced in 1974 and remained in production until 1982. Called the Monsun 31, it became the most numerous of all Hallberg-Rassys and by the time the production run finished, 904 had been built. It was the top selling Hallberg-Rassy of all time; but very few have made it to the UK which is a great shame because the Monsun 31 has many attractions.
Designed by Olle Enderlein – who had a hand in all Hallberg-Rassy models until the German Frers designs took over in 1988 – the Monsun 31 has a long keel with a cut-away forefoot and keel-hung rudder, a beautiful sheer line, an elegant coachroof and the first of the trademark Rassy windscreens. A moderate beam of 9ft 3in provides spacious accommodation for a cruising yacht of her era, while a displacement of 9250lb and ballast ratio of 45%, combined with moderate V-sections forward, provide a comfortable motion in a seaway. Not surprisingly, the Monsun 31 proved her seagoing ability with many long voyages. As the crowning example, the HR team proudly point out that: ‘the Swedish sailor Kurt Björklund’s Hallberg-Rassy Monsun 31 Golden Lady has become an important attraction at a museum in Råå in southern Sweden.
‘We at Hallberg-Rassy are of course very proud of this. Kurt Björklund is the first owner and took delivery of his boat in 1974. Kurt knew that he wanted to do some serious sailing, but could never have imagined how far he would travel. In 1983 Kurt retired from work and went on his first solo circumnavigation. The second one
