Hallberg-Rassy 36 for Sale, Mk I or Mk II and What Each Is Worth

The first question with any Hallberg Rassy 36 for sale, Mk I or Mk II

Every Hallberg Rassy 36 for sale falls into one of two camps, and the hull number tells you which. Hallberg-Rassy built 602 boats between 1989 and 2003: numbers 1 to 256 (1989 to 1994) are the Mk I, and 257 to 602 (1994 to 2003) are the Mk II. Search terms like 'hallberg rassy 36 mk ii for sale' exist for a reason, because the later boat is the one most buyers want and the one that costs more.

The important point is what did not change. According to the yard, the mast, keel, rudder, underwater hull shape and engine installation are identical on both versions, and so is the waterline at rest. Everything that differs is above the water and aft of the cockpit.

• Mk II hull length is 37 ft 1 in versus 35 ft 8 in, an extra 44 cm, all of it in a new retroussé stern with an integrated bathing platform.
• The Mk II is 30 cm wider at the transom, with wider side decks and a wider aft cabin superstructure.
• Inside, that gives the Mk II more lockers and wider berths in the aft cabin.
• The Mk I's aft deck locker sits above deck level; on the Mk II it is flush.
• Maximum sailing waterline grew by 67 cm on the Mk II thanks to the longer stern.
• Small tells: the blue hull band is 5 cm wider on the Mk I, and about 23 of the earliest Mk Is have no integrated rubbing strake.

Frers arrives in Ellös

The 36 belongs to the first generation of Germán Frers designs for Hallberg-Rassy, launched in 1989 when the Argentine designer took over from Olle Enderlein. Frers kept the house formula of center cockpit, fixed windscreen and aft cabin, but gave the 36 moderate V sections, a bolted lead keel with a bulb and a rudder hung on a skeg. The yard credits that hull work for 'surprising performance for her type' and a motion normally found on larger yachts, and an HR36 won its class in the ARC transatlantic rally.

The numbers support the claim of a sea boat rather than a racer. Displacement is 7.5 tonnes (16,500 lb) with 3.4 tonnes of lead, a ballast ratio around 45 percent. Sailboatdata calculates a sail area to displacement ratio of about 16.8 and a comfort ratio near 32, well into moderate bluewater territory. Working sail area is 65 square meters with the standard jib and 70.2 with the furling genoa, on a double-spreader masthead rig with an air draft of 51 ft 10 in.

Below decks, nothing fights the mast

A detail Hallberg-Rassy still points out is that the mast support is built into the main bulkhead rather than running through the saloon table or a settee. It sounds small, but it keeps the saloon open and the table usable. The navigation table faces forward, so the navigator can sit comfortably on passage, and the navigation area, engine room and switch panel sit together near the companionway.

Forward is a V-berth cabin, then a single head with a shower stall that pumps directly overboard rather than into the bilge. The saloon is finished in silk-matt mahogany with a teak and holly sole, headroom of 1.91 meters (about 6 ft 3 in) and louvered locker doors for ventilation. The galley has a top-loading 110 liter icebox, a gimballed two-burner stove with oven and a deep sink with a foot-pump reserve tap. Aft, a walk-through with an oilskin locker leads to the aft cabin, which the yard designed to stay private even with doors open. The Mk II's extra stern width shows up here in wider berths and more stowage.

Deck, cockpit and that one-piece windscreen

The HR36 cockpit sits behind a one-piece tempered glass windscreen whose middle section opens for air in the tropics, with handholds built into the side panels and a sprayhood that folds forward under a canvas cover. Teak covered chart tables flank the sliding hatch. The engine panel is built into the steering pedestal, and a hide-covered wheel drives a 50 mm rudder stock running in roller bearings.

Original boats had 12 mm teak laid in rubber on deck and cockpit seats, a Seldén double-spreader rig, a Furlex 300 S headsail furler, Lewmar 48 self-tailing sheet winches and Elvström sails. Stowage is good for a 36: a full-width lazarette and a deep starboard cockpit locker big enough for bikes, plus a self-draining gas locker for two bottles.

MD22 or D2-55, and the tanks behind them

Most HR36s carry the four-cylinder Volvo Penta MD22, rated at 42 kW (57 hp); the yard's last specification lists the 2.2 liter D2-55 at 41 kW (55 hp). Either is a generous engine for a 16,500 lb boat. Diesel capacity is 345 liters (92 gallons) and fresh water 310 liters (82 gallons). Note that some listings and databases quote a larger water figure; the builder's data sheet gives 310 liters, so confirm what is actually installed.

Hallberg-Rassy published a speed prediction diagram and stability curves for both keels but no motoring fuel table we could find for this model, so treat broker claims of exact range with caution. With 92 gallons and a modest four-cylinder diesel, an HR36 has a long motoring range by 36-foot standards, which is exactly what you want on a calm passage leg.

Where a 1990s Hallberg-Rassy shows its years

The hull and bulkheads, laminated in on both sides, are rarely the problem. Time catches up with the bits that wear: the rubber-bedded teak deck, original MD22 engines now 25 to 35 years old, the 17 keel bolts and the keel to hull joint after any grounding, chainplate cover plates that were welded on for watertightness, and windscreen seals. Electrics on early boats are basic by current standards, and many have had piecemeal additions behind the switch panel.

None of this is unusual for the era. The advantage with a Rassy is that the yard keeps wiring diagrams, through-hull drawings, winter cradle sketches and cutless bearing instructions online, so a surveyor and a yard can work from original information rather than guesswork.

What owning an HR36 costs in the US

Plan on roughly $9,000 to $20,000 a year once the boat is sorted, depending heavily on whether you keep it on a New England mooring or in a Florida or California marina slip. Insurance for offshore cruising, haul-out and antifouling, Volvo service and regular replacement of sails and running rigging are the main items.

The bigger number is the first year. A good survey will usually find a deck, engine or rig item that needs money, so negotiate with a refit allowance in mind. Because the HR36 holds value well, money put into a proper deck or a repower is largely recovered at resale, which is not true of most production boats of the same age.

Where the 36 sits among other Rassys

The 36 replaced Enderlein's long-running 352 at the small end of the center cockpit range, and buyers often compare the two. The older 352 has encapsulated iron ballast and a lower price, while the 36 brings the Frers hull, a bolted lead keel and more volume. Above it sat the HR 39 and later the HR 37 and 372, each a little larger and more modern. If an HR36 Mk II stretches the budget, a late 352 is the obvious fallback; if you can stretch further, an HR 37 or 40 gives more space but at a big jump in price.