Hallberg-Rassy 69 first look: bigger and better?

Toby Heppell

The Hallberg-Rassy 69 is the latest offering from the popular Swedish marque, and is also the largest yacht the family-owned company has ever produced

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Go big or go home? Well Magnus Rassy has decreed that Hallberg-Rassy needed a new flagship, and this is it – the largest yacht that the Swedish has ever built, the Hallberg-Rassy 69.

Going bigger is a direction that many other yards are also taking. Just look at the Arcona 50, the Saffier SL 46 and the Jeanneau and Beneteau Yacht ranges (55-65ft) as cases in point.

So just what has Hallberg-Rassy managed to squeeze into 69ft? Well, they’ve stuck their guns about what they believe makes a good boat, and the queues at the Düsseldorf Boat Show at the start of 2024 suggest the punters think so too.

Designed, as has been the case for many years, by German Frers, the Hallberg-Rassy 69 follows the overhaul of the range begun in 2017 with the Hallberg-Rassy 44 – fine bows, wide stern, twin rudders, a long waterline, vertical stem and integrated bowsprit.

Forward of the mast, the deck is completely flush, while aft of the mast, the coach roof and cockpit could almost be a cut and shut from many of the other models, save for the fact that this boat has twin wheels – it’s designed to feel secure and offer a commanding position for serious cruising, rather than the wide, open sun decks that are more common these days.

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In the cockpit, you’ll find all the controls to hand at the push of a button – this is a boat intended for family sailing rather than with a crew, though you might struggle to single-hand her.

Accommodation is split between the vast aft owner’s cabin, just forward of the tender garage, and another larger double up in the bow, plus two smaller cabins athwart the mast – a pullman bunk cabin to port and a smaller double to starboard.

The saloon simply has more space, with the familiar formula of a U-shaped galley, a large table with L-shaped seating and a bench, and two arm chairs to port ahead of a generous-sized chart table. The
mind boggles at this much space, but if there’s little point in cramming more in if what you’re after is luxurious cruising with, one imagines, high average speeds with little apparent effort.

Hallberg-Rassy 69 specifications

LOA: 20.96m / 68ft 9in
LWL: 19.70m / 64ft 8in
Beam: 5.89m / 19ft 4in
Draught: 2.70m / 8ft 10in
Displacement (Light): 46,500kg / 102,500lb
Standard Sail area: 224.4m2 / 2,415ft2
Price: Base ex VAT c.£4,328,000

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