A catamaran from Hallberg-Rassy? That would be a remarkable step for the traditional Swedish shipyard. After all, the name Hallberg-Rassy has been synonymous with comfortable blue water cruising yachts from Sweden for decades, today with a model range from 34 to 69 feet.
A break with its own line
Anyone familiar with Hallberg-Rassy knows how clearly the brand has been positioned over the decades: protected cockpits, solid construction, lots of comfort and a classic monohull design. The current programme with aft cockpit and mid-pit yachts also fits into this image. A catamaran would therefore not simply be a new model, but a real break with the previous brand logic.
In the official announcement, the shipyard actually announces a 39-foot catamaran called the "Hallberg-Rassy 39Cat". Although the new two-hull boat is expected to heel less than a monohull, it sails significantly worse, especially in windy conditions, requires considerably more space in the harbour and is also at a clear disadvantage when manoeuvring compared to a Hallberg-Rassy monohull. Even the low boom is not sold as an advantage, but is explained with aesthetic reasons, which also prevent there being room for a sprayhood above the typical Hallberg-Rassy windscreen.
The punchline is in the details
At the latest when it comes to the general dates, the product announcement, which at the beginning still seemed halfway serious, turns humorous. Orders will only be accepted on 1 April of each year. Deliveries will also only be made once a year, always on 1 April, starting in 2028, with a ready-to-sail price of 20,260,401 Swedish kronor plus VAT. The fact that this sequence of numbers corresponds suspiciously precisely to the date 2026-04-01 is hardly a coincidence.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
