03 Oct
From luxury blue water passage makers to sleek performance cruisers and stylish family yachts, Windcraft will display an eclectic collection of yachts at what will be Australasia’s largest sailing boat show this year.
We will have four models available for viewing at Pittwater Sail Expo 2025: the sensational new Moody DS48, the award-winning Hanse 460, the highly regarded Dehler 38SQ, and the fun, family-friendly Hanse 348.
Sailing enthusiasts will be spoilt for choice at the unique sailing event, which will transform the waterfront at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) at Pittwater. Organisers are pitching the three-day Expo, October 24, 25, and 26th, will be the ultimate destination for sailors and newcomers to experience the very best of the sailing lifestyle.
Moody DS48
As regular readers of Windshift would be aware, we have now done a reasonable number of miles, both ocean and on the Pittwater loch on Moody’s acclaimed big deck saloon cruiser.
For Windshift, the huge advantages of the Moody’s deck saloon configuration make it a stand-out among serious cruising boats.
DS stands for Deck Saloon, featuring a single-level walkthrough from the cockpit through to the galley and saloon, making the DS48 a rarity among sailing yachts that usually have saloons and galleys below the main deck.
At 15.42 metres or just over 50 feet, with a beam of 4.85 metres/16 feet, the DS 48 cuts an imposing profile, while its configuration neatly maximises exterior and interior space on one level, similar to a catamaran, hence the term ‘monomaran’, coined for the Moody DS range, which also includes the award-winning Moody DS41 and Moody DS54.
Add to that for me, the comprehensive internal helm station is a game-changer, making internal driving easy, safe, and low-stress. The dedicated nav station to port with its 12” Raymarine Axion Pro screen, autopilot, and electric engine throttle means you can sit at the nav table and have all the critical functions within easy reach.
The DS48 does away with the angst of navigating a wet, slippery, and tilting cockpit by its single-level ‘monomaran’ configuration connecting the saloon to the cockpit. Once inside, the saloon’s panoramic curved front window grants more than adequate forward visibility while you stay dry and warm.
Read the full review of the Moody DS48 that appeared in the August-September issue of Club Marine here:
Hanse 460
A dozen Hanse 460s have been purchased by discerning sailors in Australia and New Zealand who appreciate all the outstanding features and amenities offered by the 2022 European Yacht of the Year Winner. The 460 has been a critical and commercial success for Hanse with over 250 hulls sold. Reviews acknowledge the cruiser’s enviable luxury lifestyle elements; “this boat exudes style with a capital S”.
At 14.6 metres (nearly 48 feet) and with a beam of 4.79m or 15 feet 9 inches, the 460 is a big boat, but it’s easily handled thanks to Hanse’s well-established core values of safe cruising and sailing for a couple or short-handed.
The 460’s Berret-Racoupeau hull design has full forward sections which, combined with the broad stern, generous freeboard, and ample beam, give the Hanse 460 enormous interior volume. The saloon, with an ample headroom of more than 1.96 metres (6 ft 5 inches), creates, according to David Harding in his review for Yachting Monthly, “a thoroughly pleasant and remarkably light environment.”
Read the full review here:
There are no fewer than 48 layout combinations for potential 460 customers to choose from to configure their Hanse 460 to suit their needs: from three to five cabins, two to four bathrooms, and from six to 10 berths.
Dehler 38 SQ
Highly regarded in the sailing community, the Dehler 38 SQ is recognized as truly able to transition between competitive racing and comfortable cruising, epitomizing the performance cruiser design.
The Dehler 38SQ comes in either a two- or three-cabin version with a large head and separate shower. The Owner’s cabin in the bow features a very comfortable island double berth, while the port aft cabin can be configured as a big storage locker, extremely handy for extended bluewater cruising.
Once snugly anchored, you can take a refreshing dip, then dry off on the swim platform, which has a handrail and flush-mounted ladder for quick and safe access in and out of the water.
The large cockpit is the place for sundowners as you relax around the very nicely finished teak table with fold-out wings.
Just as much attention has been paid to tweaking the interior design of the 38SQ as its racing set-up, with welcome natural light below deck from large rectangular hull windows, with two more windows on the coach house roof.
The saloon with features such as bespoke cushions, a slidable nav table, pull-out wine rack in the saloon table, and well-set-up galley creates a warm, stylish, and inviting atmosphere out of the elements.
As well, there is the opportunity to highly customise your yacht with designer fittings and even the option of furniture in lightweight foam sandwich.
Hanse 348
The Hanse 348 is widely recognised as representing very good value for family sailing, offering lots of space for a boat of its size, as well as being a competent coastal cruiser. Its L-shaped keel, tall fractional rig, and long waterline length of 9.5 metres compared to 10.4 metres overall translates to a fast boat easily handled thanks to Hanse’s signature self-tacking jib.
The standard layout is a large Owners cabin in the bow with an aft guest cabin to starboard, and at two metres, there’s plenty of room to stretch out. To port, there’s a head with a separate shower. Further aft is access to the deep cockpit locker, useful for storing sails, fenders and a deflated dinghy. In the three-cabin version of the 348, there are twin aft cabins and a smaller head.
The fact that Hanse has produced over 300 of the 348 models is a testament to its success as a well-thought-out mid-sized cruising yacht that is fun and enjoyable to sail while cruising in safety and comfort.
The Windcraft team will be on hand for the three days of the Pittwater Sail Expo to discuss your sailing interests, whether they be new yachts from Hanse, Dehler, Moody, Solaris or Contest, or the selection of brokerage yachts we currently have available for immediate delivery, including a quarter share in a private syndicate on a new Hanse 410.
The Expo is going to be great, so we invite you to come down to The Alfreds and talk about sailing yachts.
Click on the link to skip the queues and register for your exclusive VIP tours of any of our yachts at the Expo:
