For many years, the Bluewater Sailboat Hallberg-Rassy 31, created by German Frers and debuted in 1992, has been one of Hallberg-Rassy’s most popular models. As a go-anywhere cruiser on the lower end of the offshore sailing spectrum, the yacht maintains a harmonic mix between comfort, safety, and performance.
The yacht received great press coverage upon her debut and has gained acclaim from her owners over the years. “Frers has given us a lovely yacht,” remarked Bob Perry, one of the major names in cruising design, in Sailing Magazine. From the high cockpit seatbacks to the fractional rig, I adore almost everything about this design.” Closer to home, Swedish yachting publication Btnytt described the interior as “very big, airy, and inviting. “Extremely roomy, light, and pleasant interior; sailing and sea-going qualities are unrivaled.”
The Hallberg-Rassy 31 is the latest in a long line of 31-footers. Hallberg-Rassy, a Swedish yacht builder, has long been known for producing high-quality yachts, with many referring to it as the Mercedes-Benz of boatbuilders.
When Harry Hallberg and Christoph Rassy united their boatyard operations to form Hallberg-Rassy not long after 1972, the company’s Olle Enderlein designed Monsun 31 soon became the company’s most popular model, selling 904 boats between 1974 and 1982, making it the all-time best seller. This model was supplemented and subsequently replaced by the 312, a more modern design by Christoph Rassy and Olle Enderlein that introduced a fin keel. The 312 was also a popular model, with 690 boats constructed between 1979 and 1993.
The Bluewater Sailboat Hallberg-Rassy 31 debuted in 1992 to replace the long-running 312, retaining many of her characteristics but with a lighter, beamier hull and other changes. This time around, the design was created by German Frers, who has been the sole designer for Hallberg-Rassy since 1989. His designs have provided much-needed performance to the Hallberg-Rassy roster.
By 2006, the design had been updated with a MkII version, with modest alterations, the most important being a rig change to a lighter twin-spreader mast and an engine update, as well as several improvements to the interior furnishings. The Hallberg-Rassy 31 had a long manufacturing run, lasting 18 years and 356 boats before being superseded by the Hallberg-Rassy 310, a little smaller and lighter yacht, in 2009.
The change in designer from Hallberg-Rassy to Frers has provided this 31-footer a much-needed increase in speed over her predecessors; for a cruiser, her speed through water and close windedness is superb in most sea situations. She has been known to suffer in low winds and short turbulent seas. The boat is perfectly balanced and easy to handle with one hand, with all control lines leading aft to the cockpit.
Under heavy circumstances, the Bluewater sailboat is sea-friendly and placid; as one owner described it, “it always feels wonderful arriving in carpet slippers and a smoking jacket rather than a wet mess.”
A beamy medium displacement hull is combined with an efficient fin keel and a balanced spade rudder in the design. Her sweeping sheerline conceals a low freeboard, which helps keep her windage low, while a higher cabin top provides more interior headroom. The low freeboard configuration also keeps the crew dry and safe thanks to a high cockpit wall and Hallberg-distinctive Rassy’s fixed windscreen.
The rig also carries on the concept of cruising functionality and performance. Frers has chosen a fractional rig, a more common arrangement in racers, but without the extra problems of running backstays to support the head of the genoa, instead relying on its masthead backstay and an aft-swept spreader to provide forestay tension management.
Belowdecks of this Bluewater Sailboat is a light and airy arrangement with mahogany joinery that has become a Hallberg-Rassy signature. There are two spacious double cabins, one ahead and one aft, as well as a large head and shower compartment in the aft compartment. The saloon is spacious, and there is plenty of room in the Sailboats Galley and on the chart tables. In contrast to the “full-sized” motif, owners report that the berths are rather small, best suited to persons under 5′ 10″ tall. The cockpit is pleasant and well-protected, and it can easily accommodate a decent crew. A portion of the starboard seat folds up to reveal a large stowage compartment.
Overall, the Bluewater Sailboat Hallberg-Rassy 31 is a competent cruising yacht that combines the popular features of larger Hallberg-Rassys in a tiny size. She can sail safely in all weather conditions, is practical for cruising, and is simple to sail.
If you are interested in learning more about the specifications and details of a sailboat, we recommend visiting the page Bluewater Sailboat data by Ocean Wave Sail. This page provides comprehensive information and is an excellent resource for anyone seeking detailed information about 1000+ sailboats.
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