hh 44 catamaran layout

HH44 Catamaran: The sailing TIE-Fighter

• April 19th, 2024
• Sailing Yacht

Safe the best for last, as they say, right? And as such I´d like to write my final article from this year´s La Grande Motte Multihull show about a very special catamaran. HH Catamarans is neither a newcomer on the boating market – actually, the company was founded some 12 years ago by the renowned boatbuilders Mr. Hudson and Mr. Hakes – hence the name “HH” Catamarans. Nor is their no-compromise approach new.

Honestly, I´ve seen them around but never really approached this brand or boat. Maybe that is because “HH” is an awkward name to speak, but surely because I did not really know what HH Catamarans was all about and frankly, what an awesome build their boats really are! In this, join me for a really cool walkthrough in a yacht that sets the bar a bit higher. Quite a bit!

Emerging Player: HH Catamarans

First things first: Yes, these are boats which are built in China. But, like with so many other things, it is not the origin of a product that is deciding but the briefing and budget given to the makers. In terms of HH Catamarans, the company has set up a state-of-the-art production plant in Xiamen that is owned and run by the company (not a rented production facility!). I haven´t been there but from what one can see online and by talking to the guys present at the HH Cats stand, this is the best from the best. Most advanced CNC , infusion and Carbon Fiber processing technology on the market. Cheap China? Not at all! This 44-footer comes with a plus one million price tag: An HH Catamaran is absolute top shelf luxury.

As apparently the stand and the catamaran was full the whole boat show, I walked by several times hoping for a calm spot to not being interfered with when taking pictures. Which was really hard. Even before opening and after closing times, the cat was full of people checking it out. Which is a good sign. And I can understand why it attracts so many people: Nearing myself from bow, the design and lines are really breathtaking!

The extra-slim hulls and the negative stems make for a fine, slicing entry. The freeboard is very high and distance from the middle section to the waterline pleasantly high: A sign for a very seakind and fast catamaran. I liked the angled shapes very much, instantly I am reminded of the “Star Wars” starship design of the famous TIE-Fighters by the Empire – a daring look for sure. The high class paint of the hull sets it apart from the white deck-salon. A starship, ready to fly.

This enthusiasm changes a bit when I look from a stern angle at the boat. Again, I am reminded of another starship, this time Captain Jean-Luc Picard´s ENTERPRISE D, which looks awesome seen from some angles and doesn´t work anymore from others. The reason for this strange look of the HH 44 are the closed aft sections. The boat appears to have been sort of “cut off” or “sawn away” at the stern – but later more to this, because there is a not so stupid reason.

A hidden gem

Anyways, right on the last day of the “Multicoque 2024” it was my last chance to do the walkthrough and so I went over. Again, even for a traditionally lame last boat show Sunday, the yacht was full of people. So I thank all the guys who allowed me to have them on my pictures here, and so I started my tour.

The HH 44 is the smallest entry level catamaran of the range. The shipyard offers a staggering palette of eight models, ranging from 44 over 50, 52, 60, 66, 80 and a huge 88 feet flybridge super-catamaran. The model shown at La Grande Motte was a used boat, so not brand new anymore, but there were no visible signs of wear. Also, the HH 44 is offered in two principal versions: A cruising catamaran and a high-performance cruiser with daggerboards as displayed at La Grande Motte. Setting my foot into the salon, I quickly realized that this is truly a hidden gem.

A starship for sure!

To stay a bit with the starship-theme, it doesn´t feel like being on a boat. Her design – lightweight sandwich and painted carbon structures – is kept in shiny gloss-white and hard black contrasts. Only a few other colors, like the LED-lighting or slightly crème-colored leather cushion derive from the black/white design. I like it, it really feels like being on a starship.

The salon offers a classy layout with a nice wide L-settee around a reasonably sized dinner table. The windows to the front, the sides and abaft are huge and offer a true 360-degree roundsight. Having a lightweight build utilizing the latest material for stiffness, there are literally no bigger solid walls, it really feels like as if the roof is hovering above the deck.

To make a connection from the “inside” to the “outside”, which is the large aft cockpit under a rigid roof, the large galley window can be folded up and secured under the roof, the sliding door is also removed. In this, a ship´s cook facing backwards will have most fun when providing a meal. Dishes and food can quickly be shuffled out or hauled back in after a meal. Right onto the worktop where a large single sink is located. That this catamaran is a different level indeed can be seen at some really nice details.

For example, the integrated steps to go onto the roof are – at the inside – nicely stitched and wrapped in padded leather. Wow! I absolutely loved how nicely the sunshades work which are made of up to three moving fans going seamlessly up and down. Everything is made of a nice, “heavy” quality – there are literally no cheap plastic clasps installed in the boat.

For a 44-footer, die salon made a great impression on me. The layout is classy and very practical. It holds also a fine balance between providing as much (free) space as possible and at the same time having a safe (less empty volume) room to roam about even in heavy seas violently moving the boat. Comparing the HH 44 salon to “our” Excess 14 , which has roughly the same measurements, this one has less room and feels more “filled”, but on the other hand, comes with a very cruising- and owners-sailed optimized layout.

Design meets practical solutions

Looking at some key features, the distinction between an owner-optimized and vacation-optimized boat becomes apparent. For example the nav-station. This is an indisputable feature in a cruising catamaran, but of course, for boats predominantly used as vocational ships which as well must work fine in charter business , a dedicated nav-station will be as small as possible. This is different from a catamaran or boat (same goes for monohulls) which are intended and thought-through for sailor and owners-couple usage.

If you liked the huge role model nav station on the Outremer 52 , you will simply love the one on the HH 44! The desk is big enough so that two persons can take a seat on the lightweight, very practical poufs . I personally like the pivoting stool on the Outremer 52 more, but I´m sure the yard could fit something like this here as well. Also, all electronic displays and controls of the boat to be found outside are mounted as daughter displays in here. A fully operational control-bridge – best for a heavy weather watch!

Another deciding detail – this time much, much better solved than on the (much bigger) Outremer 52 and many other catamarans I´ve seen is the galley. It´s a U-shape, which not just provides so much extra stowage, but also a safe standing position to prepare food or doing the dishes. A ship´s cook can wedge in here and there´s no danger of falling through an all-open salon.

The boat is loaded with such amenities and practical solutions. The point is that you will never have the feeling that something has be done afterwards or as some sort of concession to some weird client´s requests, but it feels like the boat has been constructed around these things. Best seen where the large washing/drying machine is installed. They haven´t taken out a cabinet and just somehow fitted a washing machine, the whole area was planned to fit it. And to look nice, on top.

A Cathedral of light: Cabins aboard the HH 44

Let´s stay down below for a while because this is there the HH Catamaran really gets exciting. First of all, the black/white design in combination with huge and manifold windows and deck opening hatches makes for a wonderfully light suffused interior. There are windows literally everywhere you look – and a friendly light atmosphere. Many other boats are like “traps”, rather boosting seasickness than curing it.

This light-concept is best understood when checking the aft sections of the hulls: Huge rectangular bed which utilized all of the area between the hulls´ walls instead of island beds (which in my opinion are nice to look at in a catalogue but are a waste of space and unsafe in heavy seas). But the best are the windows … just look at this:

Owners and VIP-guests sleeping aft will enjoy a sunroom-like openness. I cannot remember having seen a boat´s cabin that offers such a huge amount of transparent area, being here whilst underway on the blue Ocean must be a tremendous experience. The only downside – as with so many boats – is that the hull windows are so high that you cannot look out whilst laying in bed. I guess that´s a safety issue, but it would have had an extra boosting comfort effect for sure.

Have no fear for your privacy, all windows on the HH 44 are tempered so that nobody can peep inside. This is especially important for the aft cabin´s windows which are directly en par with the cockpit: Essentially, any helmsman would have a front row seat and look through a +70 inch TFT-screen onto the owner´s berth. Normally, you don´t want this. The beds aren´t just big, spacy and cozy. Underneath, parts of the really advanced propulsion system are installed.

Hybrid propulsion and autonomous energy generation

Sustainability in boat building is a huge thing currently and I support this. Big companies are investing a lot in research and development, smaller startups try out their ideas and approaches. Of course, full electric or hydrogen-based propulsion is a thing of the future, but the first brands have launched their hybrid boats already. The HH 44 is such a yacht and the shipyard calls their concept the “Eco Drive”.

It´s basically the proven, rigid and reliable Diesel engine with a linear electric motore directly attached. This electric drive with two 10 kW also works as an alternator so that, when under Diesel engines, the large batteries are constantly reloaded. The Diesel engines (Vetus) are fitted directly underneath the aft beds. This is a rather uncommon approach and I have a lot of questions regarding heat, possible (dangerous) fumes, noise and vibrations and last not least questions like maintenance (inside the cabin) to possible exchange of an engine, but apparently HH found a solution to this.

The interesting aspect of the HH Catamarans “Eco Drive” concept is the interaction of the ensemble. Diesel-mode is clear, all electric mode is also clear. Furthermore, the alternators – when sailing and the props aren´t locked – recuperation mode is possible. Meaning by having the props rotate when sailing, they function like a hydro-generator. Also, there is a very clever “mix”-mode, as I call it. When you need Diesel-Power but also sleep, only one of the Diesels can be operated whilst the other is in recuperation mode.

Entering via a big removable door or wall piece from the forward guest cabin, there is full access to the battery and charger-room. The HH 44 is equipped with a set of 48 Volts lithium batteries with a combined power of over 43 kW hours, which is very impressive. This capacity is more than enough to ensure a cruising range (at 7 knots) of over 600 nautical miles or the utilization of all possible amenities for onboard comforts, like fridges, freezers, washing machines and even an AC.

Apart from than, the whole rooftop of the catamaran is completely covered with solar panels . The maximum power generation of these is 4.200 Watt-peak, which is also a lot when sailing or anchoring in sun-rich areas. The HH 44, like his bigger sisters, is a proven concept and a safe offshore-capable system. I found especially impressive how openly and honest the shipyard declares that they consider all-electric propulsion for not ready now. For the sake of seamanship and safety at sea, this is a brave and trust-building standpoint, better than offering something that is not ready now.

Luxury amenities and full-cruising capabilities

So, with such a rich abundancy of electric power and a long lasting range of almost complete autonomy, this catamaran is set to re-define the combination of luxury cruising with performance sailing. Luxury, that´s often a matter of being able to use the same household appliances which make our daily life at shore so convenient.

The HH 44 offers all of them, and even more. For example, in the very roomy and tasteful designed owner´s bathroom I was happy to discover an electric towel dryer. Such a small appliance that can make life so much easier. A washing machine, dishwasher in the galley up and many more little “helpers” not only add to the impressive price tag here, but also and foremost add to the label “luxury sailing” which is truly earned.

HH Catamarans utilizes latest production techniques. This can be seen by looking at the bare numbers: The HH 44 has a displacement of 10.2 tons (empty) and 14.5 tons with maximum load. Compared to the Nautitech 44 for example, that’s 1 ton lighter. Even more, almost 3 tons lighter than the 12.8 tons of the Excess 14 . How is this achieved? Carbon, lightweight sandwich layups and even prepreg-applications are used to build the boat.

Here and there the shipyard offers a glimpse onto these facts by having bare glossy painted Carbon there to admire, for example in the bathrooms. People who know will easily recognize the thumb-metallic sound when knocking on the materials, which is a totally different sound from ordinary GRP layups.

Both boats are made for four persons who will love their aft cabins, but there´s also another guest cabin in the front with a single bed. At least here a small window nearly at the height of the head of the occupant is offered. I guess this is the cabin that will remain unoccupied anyway or utilized otherwise as additional stowage. Let´s check the performance data, now that we´ve seen her interiors.

Performance through High-Tech

In the 44/45 footer class there isn´t much to compare the HH 44 to. So let´s stick to the Nautitech Open 44, the Excess 14 and the Outremer 45 . The upwind sails area of the HH 44 is said to be 116 square meters, whereas Nautitech, Excess and Outremer clock in with 105, 135 and and 106 square meters. Being the lightest of them four boats sporting the second biggest area of canvas up in the wind, it should be clear which one performs best.

The Excess 14 is an excellent, easy to sail cruising catamaran which exceeds the projected sailing performance by the shipyard by far. But it is not a performance cat – as well as the Nautitech, both have no daggerboards which gives both the Outremer and the HH Catamaran a much better directional stability and upwind performance with significantly lessened leeway. I haven´t sailed the HH 44 (yet) but I´d say a match race between her and the Outremer 45 would be a great feat.

The HH 44 has rounded (C-shape) daggerboards made of carbon fibers, hence provide a huge safety margin, high stability with flexing capability and are easy to operate due to their light weight. Besides these features, walking the deck and inspecting the running rigging, I notice so many great details, like the Carbon shrouds with soft shackles or the tall 90 cm stanchions which provide maximum safety.

The HH 44 is a classy sports catamaran with two full-sized helm stations in the cockpit. The starboard side features the primary plotter and all control panels for anchor windlass, all electric winches (which can also be operated by foot) and some secondary displays for wind and log-data. Like on the Outremer 52, the steering wheels are mounted on a pivoting stand.

So in active “fun” sailing mode, the wheels are put to the outer face of the hulls, granting perfect view over the leeward hull. In cruising mode or during bad weather phases, the wheel is put to middle position (as shown in the pictures) to grant a dry stand for the helmsman underneath the hardtop and they can even pivot further into the inside of the cockpit, maybe useful in long motoring sessions.

The handling of all lines and winches is ergonomically perfect, all is well protected. I must say that for my taste a bit more “exposure” to the elements wouldn´t had been bad as I deemed the forward vision through the cabin windows an bit obstructed. Excess and Outremer have much more exposed helm stations in this matter. On the other side, aboard the HH 44 safety is apparently of utmost importance and a such this explains the decision for the positioning the helmstations this way.

A perfect ship?

Praise for the HH 44 is unison high. These boats win awards like Tiger Woods in his golden days. This year the catamaran was nominated for the prestigious “Multihull of the Year”-award. And as rumors go, they haven´t won because of the – surely justified, but ridiculously – high price of well over 1.5 million Euros. I can clearly see why the yachting magazines and blogs are full of admiration for this boat: Her finishing and building quality is close to flawless.

So I leave the boat after my intense time aboard. I leave her over one of the foldable bathing platforms, which also brings me back to the beginning of this article. Comparing the HH 44 to the ENTERPRISE D, with a “best view” and some more awkward angles. The closed stern with a foldable bathing platform is the reason for the strange looks of the HH 44. Now that I understood that safety is the main thing on this boat – I can see the advantage of having such a closed stern.

This is a view I could grow into and make my peace with. Yes, the high-active fully exposed Outremer 45 helm station is super exciting and makes for the most adventurous shots, but at the same time, standing a watch up there in really bad weather is clearly much more dangerous than on the HH 44. In the end, this catamaran shows how high class boatbuilding goes if tooling, machinery, material choice, intense high-class labour and of course a later price to be paid is all but secondary. The full order books of HH Catamarans speak for themselves, as well as the opening of a second high-tech production facility in Cebu. Impressive!

You might as well be interested in these related articles:

Carbon overflow: Gunboat!

At the Outremer shipyard

Sea Trial of the Excess 14 catamaran

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

First look: HH44 – smallest offering yet

• Toby Hodges
• September 5, 2023

Big solar capacity, fixed keels or daggerboards, protected helms and drop down transom platforms are just some of the key feature that make the HH44 stand out

Product Overview

The old adage that the many benefits of a cruising catamaran are achieved at the cost of its sailing qualities is no longer true and a growing proportion of buyers are seeking performance boats that are responsive and fun to sail. This part of the multihull market has of course existed for a long time, with the likes of Outremer, Catana and more recently Gunboat and Marsaudon Composites proving that lightweight ultra-fast catamarans can be safe and comfortable, yet also exhilarating.

HH Catamarans has grown rapidly since the yard was founded in 2012 by entrepreneur and boating enthusiast Hudson Wang. He has since ploughed some US$50 million into the company, including 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing space with state of the art production equipment, predominately at Xiamen in south-western China.

Wang has also recruited top talent, including Kiwi boatbuilder Paul Hakes, who as CEO has brought his knowledge of building very high end raceboats to a cruising audience who want an equal level of attention to detail in an impeccably finished yacht that also offers a high level of comfort and without sacrificing speed.

The latest model to hit the water, the HH44, will be the smallest in the range and therefore available to a wider audience, even if the price tag still ranges upwards of US$1 million ex VAT. Nevertheless this hasn’t deterred 35 owners ordering boats off-plan before the first one left the yard.

This Morrelli & Melvin design is not as ultra high performance as some of the earlier and larger HH models. This is especially true in the OC (Ocean Cruising) versions of the HH44, which have an easily handled format with aluminium mast, white gelcoat finish and mini-keels as standard instead of daggerboards. Nevertheless displacement is one third lower than that of many catamarans of this size, which promises enjoyable and rewarding sailing, as well as markedly reducing time spent under power when passagemaking.

SC (Sports Cruising) models include current race boat technology, including carbon C-foils and rig, a painted hull finish, plus over 4kW of solar panels.

They also have a parallel hybrid EcoDrive system developed by Isle of Wight company Hybrid Marine. This is intended to provide all the key benefits of an electric boat – including silent, fume-free motoring, instant torque when manoeuvring, and hydro-regeneration while sailing – without sacrificing the reassuring backup of diesel engines.

The first boat, an SC model painted in a striking metallic silver, was scheduled to hit the water this summer. Demand has been such that HH is currently building an additional set of moulds and two production lines will run for the HH44 at its Cebu facility in the Philippines.

HH44 specifications

LOA (transoms raised): 14.23m / 46ft 8in LWL: 13.28m / 43ft 7in Beam: 7.15m / 23ft 6in Draught (fixed keels): 1.52m / 5ft 0in Displacement (OC model): 8,750kg / 19,290lb Payload approx: 4,750kg / 10,000lb Mainsail: 74.2m2 / 799ft2 Solent jib: 51.1m2 / 550ft2 Base price 44-OC: US$957,000 ex vat Base price 44-SC: US$1,325,000 ex VAT Builder: hhcatamarans.com

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2024 Boat of the Year: HH44

• By Dave Reed
• December 18, 2023

On a cool late-October morning in Annapolis, Maryland, Sailing World ’s Boat of the Year judges stepped on board the gleaming red HH44 built by the Hudson Yacht Group in China. With them for the test sail was HH Catamarans president Seth Hynes and commissioning skipper Chris Bailet, who had tuned the rig and bent on the boat’s Dacron delivery sails. (The race sails were delayed in shipping.) It was their first time sailing the boat too, and like the judges, they were eager to see what it could do.

As the crew slipped dock lines and motored away in silence, the boat’s twin 10-kilowatt electric engines propelled the sleek catamaran through the mooring field in silence. If not for the sound of water gurgling from the transoms and the apparent wind blowing across the foredeck, the judges could barely tell they were underway.

The mainsail was then carefully hoisted inside the lazy jacks, and the halyard held firm with an innovative Karver KJ cone (a conical rope-holding device that acts like a restricter). They bore away and unfurled the non-overlapping jib, which snapped full, and the boat immediately accelerated. 

“Once we got going, it was 5, 6, 7 knots and then—boom—we’re right up to 10,” Stewart says. And with that they were laying tracks all over the Chesapeake Bay, making good pace on all points of sail, even without a reaching sail to deploy. (That too was stuck in transit.)

After two hours of straight-­lining, tacking, jibing, and enjoying the comforts of the interior in a 10- to 15-knot southerly and sharp Chesapeake chop, I extracted the judges from the boat and asked, “So?”

“Boat of the Year,” was veteran Boat of the Year judge Chuck Allen’s immediate response. “That thing is wicked.”

Greg Stewart and Mike Ingham confirmed with nods of approval and big grins. There was no need to debate any further: The HH44 had earned the first award of what will be more to come. This $2 million crossover catamaran is the performance sailor’s retirement race boat. [Editor’s note: The judges’ estimated price was based on an expected racing inventory and associated hardware, but according to HH Catamarans, the new 2024 pricing is as follows: The HH44-OC will start at $995K and is approximately $1.3m fully optioned with EcoDrive and sails). The HH44-SC will start at $1.45m and be approximately $1.6 million fully optioned with EcoDrive and sails.]

With a stated 37 of these 44-footers on order as of late October and a waiting list of three-plus years, HH44s will someday be scattered about in cruising grounds around the world, says Hynes. But it’s only a matter of time—and it will be sooner than later—before owners gather and give the racing thing a go.  

The HH44 is the smallest of the builder’s new lineage of hybrid-powered performance catamarans (there is a 52-footer in the works), so it is positioned as an entry point into big-cat sailing. This model does not require a professional captain or crew because simplicity and owner-operator considerations are prevalent throughout the boat, which is designed by young naval architect James Hakes, son of Paul Hakes, one of the company founders. Chinese entrepreneur Hudson Wang is the other “H” of HH Catamarans.

“It had a great groove upwind. The self-tacking jib was really easy to deal with, and for the mainsail it was just a few feet of ease on the mainsheet, adjust the powered traveler up to center, trim on and go.”

“James brought the hybrid idea with him, and Hudson was willing to take a risk and look at doing something kind of game-changing in the industry with our parallel-­hybrid approach,” Hynes says. Morrelli & Melvin was intimately involved in every performance aspect of the boat, from the appendages to the final hull profile.

“It’s a diesel engine with a shaft drive, and then independent of that is an electric motor with a belt to the shaft, so they’re really independent of each other,” Hynes explains.  

HH isn’t the first or only builder to use the system from Hybrid Marine, but Hake’s approach to the boat overall is inextricably linked to maximizing solar coverage, which means a clean roof and placing the helm stations down in the cockpit. To address the known challenges of cockpit steering in such catamarans, the steering wheels pivot inboard and outboard to allow for better forward visibility and communication with anyone on the foredeck dealing with sails, anchors or dock lines.

Placing the steering stations in the cockpit eliminates the tiered wedding-cake look of most big catamarans these days. More importantly, doing so allows them to lower the sail plan. “That allows for more sail area and less stress on the standing rigging,” Stewart says. “Plus, it looks so much better.”

There are 4,432 watts worth of solar panels piled onto the coach roof, which Hynes says has plenty of juice to get by off the grid, even in low-light conditions. “At full battery capacity, you can run the boat at full throttle using the two 10-kilowatt electric motors and get 7 knots of boatspeed for approximately two hours,” he says. “In light air, you can even keep your leeward electric motor running to build yourself some apparent wind. That’s what’s great about this system: You can sail quietly when no one else can sail at all.”

The port helm station is where a lot of the boathandling happens; there are powered halyard winches and a meticulous array of labeled jammers. Tails disappear into a deep trough forward of the pedestal. The wheels are sized just right, Stewart says. “Initially, I was steering from the weather wheel and I could see fine, and when I went to the leeward wheel, I could easily see the telltales. It had a great feel to the helm—light and responsive with no slop or tightness.”

In Allen’s sailing assessment of the HH44: “It had a great groove upwind. The self-tacking jib was really easy to deal with, and for the mainsail it was just a few feet of ease on the mainsheet, adjust the powered traveler up to center, trim on and go. There is some choreography to learn with the steering wheel, though. You have to move the wheel inboard to get better access to the sail and daggerboard controls during the tack. But once you’re done, you pop the wheel right back out to the outboard position. We didn’t have a screecher to really light it up downwind, but even with the Dacron jib and main, the boat took off. I was really impressed.”

One wish for Stewart would be a sliver of a coach roof window for quick sail-trim checks, but he understood the priority of using every inch of solar-panel coverage.

Not having a sail-trim window wasn’t an issue for Ingham, however. “Most of the time, you’ll trim it to your best guess, take a step outboard and up the stairs right next to the wheel, and check yourself on the trim. It’s all push buttons anyway, so you’re not having to reload a winch or anything like that every time you make an adjustment.”

Even as the morning’s fresh breeze abated, the boat continued to perform beyond expectations, Stewart says. “As we got down to 5 knots of wind, the boat was still quick through the tacks. We didn’t have to back the jib at all, and it sailed at good angles upwind. I was impressed with how well it tacked, and how well it tracked with only one daggerboard down.”

Stewart, a naval architect himself, also appreciated the boat’s modern styling and “sexy-looking profile,” especially the uncluttered interior. “It’s a nice departure from other similar-­size catamarans,” he says. “I like the styling—it caught my eye the very first time I saw the rendering. The transom angle and the reverse bow give it nice aesthetics and the buoyancy you need. The curved boards worked well and are integrated nicely on with the boat. Overall, it’s a great-looking package, and it would be a lot of fun to do some races on.”

“We will definitely end up racing in the Caribbean and doing some fun events for owners,” Bailet says. “The cool thing about this boat is you can take a smaller crew of friends and race competitively, and it isn’t going to cost you $50,000 in paid crew and housing. You can race this boat with three or four people, no problem. Doublehandling is pretty easy too, but if you really wanted to go banging around the buoys, with this boat it would be easy.”

• More: 2024 Boat of the Year , HH Catamarans , Print January 2024 , Sailboats
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Nominee Spotlight: HH Catamarans HH44

• By Andrew Parkinson
• October 4, 2023

Over the past several years, Jason and Nikki Wynn have become an internet sensation of sorts, documenting their ‘round the world cruising endeavors on their sailing YouTube channel “Gone with the Wynns,” which has grown to over a half a million subscribers, becoming the third most popular (and growing) sailing channel on YouTube today. Beginning this fall, they’ll be broadcasting their adventures from the decks of a sweet new ride—the eco-conscious and carbon-reinforced HH44 by HH Catamarans.

Poised to appeal to early tech adopters, world cruisers and serious sailors alike, the HH44 is a disruptive new entry in the catamaran market, and it’s ready to make waves as a strong 2024 Boat of the Year contender at its US premiere in Annapolis.

This new model from HH Catamarans is available in two versions: OC (Ocean Cruising) and SC (Sports Cruising). The HH44-OC is a fast, comfortable, family-friendly cruiser that skews toward ease of operation for bluewater cruising. It shares the same hull and interior fit and finish quality as the sportier HH44-SC but features an aluminum mast, e-glass longeron, white gelcoat finish and mini-keels as standard instead of daggerboards. The HH44-SC integrates the very latest in race boat technology but remains equally as comfortable as a family cruiser. This is a “no-compromise-boat” with C-shaped carbon daggerboards, a carbon rig, a painted hull finish, emissions-free motoring, cutting-edge solar integration and an EcoDrive as standard equipment.

Designed for hybrid propulsion and solar power, the HH44 was conceived from the ground up to work with a parallel electric/diesel hybrid, a 4,232 watt solar array on the cabin top and hydro-regeneration while sailing. HH’s EcoDrive provides all the benefits of an electric boat: silent fume-free motoring at 7.5kts, instant torque for maneuvering, and hydro-regeneration while sailing, while also providing the reliability of trusty diesel engines as a backup. For technology shy owners, traditional standalone diesel engines with shaft drives are also offered.

The 4,232 watts of custom integrated solar come standard, as does an electric parallel hybrid with shaft drives, folding transoms, dual swing helm stations, forward opening salon windows, line tunnels, EVA foam decking and carbon fiber design detailing throughout.

Steer the boat from the outboard position with the wind in your hair and increased visibility of your sail plan. A fold-down helm seat stows out of the way or easily deploys when needed. Or, rotate the helm(s) inboard and steer from the protection of the three-seat sofa on the aft beam.

An angular cabin allows the two large, forward-facing windows to open fully from inside the 187 square-foot salon. Ceiling height is over 6’6” throughout. Comfort underfoot has been enhanced with non-skid EVA foam decking as standard.

Carbon and epoxy construction creates the strongest yacht possible without adding weight. All lines run under the deck to create an uncluttered walkway. Stanchions are 900mm tall for safety underway, and a continuous, unbroken toe rail runs the length of the deck with all hull and deck-joints fused and hidden.

An emphasis on craftsmanship and fit-and-finish is evident throughout, with foam core furniture and meticulous joinery, top of the line fixtures and Bosch electric appliances standard. Cabinet locks are cleverly hidden in the modern design and an optional pocket TV can deploy and spin to face the viewer. Optional RGB rope lighting throughout can be dimmed or change colors depending on your vision needs while night sailing or for setting the mood at anchor.

HH Catamarans HH44 Specifications

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Designing the HH44 Interiors

Paul Hakes (CEO & Co-Founder of HH) and James Hakes (HH Naval Architect) in the second video of the series: how they and the team at HH Catamarans developed the all new HH44 Interiors. Welcome to “Yachting Evolved.”

Luxury Living Spaces

“The interior is where our clients live and as well as being inviting and comfortable they’ve got to be open and functional. I would like to think that after starting from the 66 seven years ago with all the models that we’ve done in between we’ve really cracked it with this one”.

“We’re quite fortunate in that all our boats are semi-customized. Despite us being an in-house design office, compared to a high volume production, we need to talk to the customer first to find out what they want, and design a functional space that suits them. That is how we developed the 44.”

“The 44 doesn’t have as much room for customization due to the price point so we had to design an interior that we could set in stone. The choices had to be limited on décor rather than arrangement and equipment.”

How it’s Arranged

“Let’s dive into the arrangement itself. On the port side as you enter the salon is the galley and it’s U-shaped. We’ve found this works really well on the 50. We’ve rotated it on the 44 but it is still fantastic on a fast moving boat that can move a bit and so you have room to brace yourself all around you.”

“It’s a very functional space for cooking. It’s important when you’re on passage, when even on a comfortable boat like this if you’ve got a meter or two meters of swell, the boat’s moving around.”

“Having a U-shaped galley is is a tremendous asset. We all love open spaces but on a boat, open spaces can be dangerous. There is a fine balance, a line that we had to walk when designing the interior. How much space do we offer? Lots of space looks great at a boat show but it’s not so good when you’re in the middle of the ocean when you’re trying to walk from one side to the other.”

“On the opposite side of the salon you have an L-shaped settee, two meters by two meters so you can lie down either side of it. The table even lowers into a pilot berth day bed”.

Work From Home

“One of my favorite areas in the salon is the nav station. You’ll notice it’s larger than on the HH50 in terms of surface area but we always seem to fill it up. I’m sure a lot of us experienced in 2020 a fair stretch of home working, and many wish they could have been working on a yacht somewhere at anchor.”

“A lot of our clients are buying boats for this very reason, so we paid a bit more attention to the nav station to make it functional not just as a navigation desk but also as an office desk, so you’ve got room for your laptop or a big screen, there’s storage and plenty of console space if you want to fit different electronics.”

Ventilation

Also in the salon, we should mention that the two forward windows swing open and that will create great ventilation. They swing forwards so when there’s light rain, you don’t have to close them. Also just behind the mast there are port lights that that actually open inwards.”

Keeping Cool

“One of the fantastic benefits of the hybrid is that in order to power it you need quite a large lithium battery bank to push the boat. In comparison to the power it takes to push the boat, air conditioners don’t use very much so, in a hypothetical scenario, if you weren’t using anything else but an air conditioner you could run it for a week non-stop.”

“Living on the boat every day you’re getting solar energy and if you are sailing the you’re charging. So you can run air conditioning all the time if you want and not have to worry about draining the batteries.”

Sleeping Well

“Another important aspect of the HH44 of course is luxury. We spend 30 percent of our lives sleeping, so we use proper sprung marine mattresses with plastic springs and memory foam on the top so you sleep well.”

“Even our cushions in the salon and cockpit we’ve developed over many generations to get the right combination of open cell high density and foam with a lighter density foam on top so that it feels nice to sit in for an extended period. This is what luxury is about: beautiful sculptured foam cushions!”

“An important one because the human race as a species has got taller quite dramatically over the last 40 years, and Americans are particularly tall. In the hulls you have between six foot eight and six foot six clearance.”

“Despite the good looks of the boat, with clever design we can provide great head room. In the salon it varies from six foor eight to six foot ten. That in itself creates the feeling of luxury.”

Room for your Kit

“Storage space I consider another luxurious thing and we’ve got really big lockers at the front where we can house scuba gear and a dive compressor thanks to the hybrid electric engines.”

“Instead of the engine room, we’ve got a an empty space (well it’s got some steering gear in there and some other functions) but it’s another good cockpit storage space with a big deep locker.”

“The lockers at the front of the boat have plenty of room for all your sails and toys and if it were just a couple aboard and storage was the primary consideration we do have the option for the forward starboard cabin: you can take out the double berth there and fit it out with a workshop space with additional refrigeration.”

“And you’ve still got the aft cabin on the starboard side for your guests to come aboard with a vip double queen bed. And you’ve got overflow into the salon should people need to sleep there. So whether that space is a pantry, a workshop with lots of storage and a big working bench surface is up to you.”

“Also adding to the luxury feel of the boat we’ve paid special attention to the lighting because that’s an important part of any environment: the feeling and being able to set the mood. A harsh spotlight makes the space feel smaller so we’ve used indirect lighting wherever possible with rope lights hidden in the furniture.”

“One of the features of this that I really like is that there are RGB lights so when you’re night sailing you can set all the rope lights in the boat to red to help with your night vision.”

“That’s form and function coming together beautifully. It’s one thing to design a beautiful interior but it’s another thing to keep the design as a performance boat.”

“And you know, we have a proprietary system of making our furniture panels. They’re all foam cored and weigh just over three kilos a square meter.”

“Well I think we have touched over everything beautiful about the inside of our boats, thanks for joining and welcome to Yachting Evolved on the HH44!”

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This sexy looking cruising cat was designed for speed

At first glance at the 2D sailplan this 44-foot catamaran appears to be a stubby and kind of awkward looking cat. But don’t be fooled. Add the third dimension, the depth and the complex geometry of this cat is revealed and it is anything but stubby looking. But before I get into the meat and potatoes of this design I’d like to compliment and thank the builders who are also the designers for providing such a well-prepared package of design drawings. It’s very clear when you look at the drawings that those involved with this cat were really enjoying the design process. Unfortunately, to do this design justice I would need four pages. I’ll do my best with the space allotted.

This cat balances comfort against performance with an all carbon fiber build. The D/L at light ship displacement is 111. If you use the max load figure displacement this increases to 148. That’s quite a range. Using an individual hull the L/B is 9. The typical cruising cat today is designed for charter and tries to use the biggest rectangular footprint to cram as many accommodations in as possible. That’s fine if you are selling charter boats. But the downside is very moderate performance. This 44-foot cat has plenty of accommodation volume but it does not fill the entire footprint and that allows a much lower overall displacement translating to more boat speed.

The Achilles’ heel for a lot of cruising cats is the shoal-draft, low-aspect-ratio fixed keels. The HH44 attacks this with daggerboard fins built with pre-preg carbon that are arc shaped to provide both lift and extra righting moment. This is a huge advantage. The draft with boards down is 9 feet 10 inches and boards up is 4 feet 7 inches. The overall beam is 23 feet 5 inches.

There are numerous interior options and I get the idea that these boats are built with semicustom layouts. I will concentrate on the “August Release” layout. There are three double berth sleeping cabins. The forward cabin in the starboard hull is tight. The mirror image, aft double berths appear to be generous. The starboard cabin shares the head with the forward cabin. In the port hull the entire volume is used for sleeping cabin and head all the way forward with a large shower stall. On the main deck there is a galley aft to starboard. This galley has tons of counter space and will be a pleasant place to cook. To starboard there is an L-shaped dining area. Adjacent to the settee forward is a navigation station that will make any navigator happy. There is another L-shaped dinette aft on the “veranda.”

The deck is complex. That “stubby” house is faceted artfully to provide the headroom where needed while reducing overall bulk. It almost has the look of a stealth fighter jet. The wheels are pushed outboard and aft about as far as possible for great visibility forward. Lines are lead aft, under the deck, port and starboard to both wheels. Large bins are provided at each wheel for stowing the lines. There is a track for a self-tacking jib. There is a fixed sprit to get the downwind sails away from the headstay. The mainsheet traveller is on the cabinhouse top. 

Swim platforms hinge down from each transom. The dinghy  is carried on davits between the hulls. All deck hatches are flush type. There is room on the cabinhouse top for flexible solar panels that provide 3,190 watts. Another 550 watts of solar power is available from optional panels mounted on the davits. The solar panels will come in handy because this cat has a hybrid power system using twin Beta 30-horsepower engines located under the aft berths and lithium ion batteries with a Victron monitoring system.

As I anticipated I’m running out of “word count.” To quickly sum up, the rig is all carbon with a fixed mast and a square-topped mainsail for a SA/D of 28.62 if I use the Solent style overlapping jib as the working jib.

I would really love to have a ride on this exciting design.

LOA 49’9”; LWL 43’7”; Beam 23’5”; Draft board up 4’7”, board down 9’10”; Displ. 27,558 lb.; Sail area 1,349 sq. ft.; Fuel 146 gal.; Water 106 gal; Auxiliary twin 30-hp; SA/D 28.62; D/L 111; L/B 9

HH Catamarans

[email protected]

386-414-6700

www.hhcatamarans.com

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HH44-SC (Sports Cruising) Catamaran

Carbon Construction

Like all HH Catamarans, the HH44 features excellent sailing performance, strong and robust hull construction using substantial Carbon Fibre reinforcements, exquisite interior finish and detailing, and the very best marine equipment. Every line and curve has been carefully considered and executed to create the most beautiful 44ft cruising catamaran on the planet.

Parallel Hybrid System

The HH44 was conceived from the ground up to work with a parallel hybrid system. The HH44’s parallel hybrid provides all the benefits of an electric boat, silent fume free motoring, instant torque for manoeuvring and hydro-regeneration while sailing, with the reliability of a trusty diesel engine. The helms have been positioned in the aft corners which opened up the cabin top for up to 3.2kW of solar panels (+.5kW mounted on the davits) to compliment the hybrid. The hydro-regeneration combined with the possibility of huge solar and excellent sailing performance in all wind strengths give the HH44 essentially infinite range.

Saloon and Cockpit

Both large flat forward windows open completely for ventilation and increase one’s connection with the sea while relaxing in the generously sized (17.4m2) salon. Aft salon windows are hinged and open fully to allow continuous flow from salon to aft cockpit. Dual aft helms pivot in/out for protection/visibility/sailing experience. Flip down helm seats are out of the way for everyday living, and are simply deployed when needed. All sail controls are managed from the aft helm stations: hoisting and reefing the main, furling sails, trimming sheets, and adjusting the dagger board position.

• LOA 49.7ft/15.15m
• Displacement 9390kg
• Mast Length 19.0m
• Fuel 2 x 275L
• Engines 2 x Beta 30 w/ PRM 150

Boat Description

The HH44 is a disruptive new market entrant designed for those seeking the perfect balance of style, performance, safety and innovation. The carbon composite construction, parallel hybrid HH44 is a game changing, eco-friendly cruising yacht, poised to win the hearts and minds of early tech adopters, world cruisers and serious sailors.

HH44 Layout

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This is a new catamaran announced for late 2022 that manages to reconcile a very “performance” vision of cruising (all-carbon construction, a sleek sail plan with a 62’ / 19 m mast, and deep daggerboards) with a hybrid propulsion system.

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Published 05/08/2021

By Emmanuel van Deth

Published: sept. / oct. 2021

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Issue #: 179

Published: September / October 2021

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