“Handsome, hearty and hellacious” HH52 Review by Herb McCormick, Cruising World Magazine

What I'll remember most was the first H word that came to mind after testing the cat, a 2026 Boat of the Year nominee, on Chesapeake Bay last fall: holy smokes. Let's start with the sailing, because that's the part of our sea trial that I'll long remember.

The 52 is offered with two steering-helm setups, the first being a set of wheels well aft, called the Dual Aft Helm configuration. Our test boat, however, had the Forward Helm option: an enclosed steering station in the salon, just abaft a forward "pit" with all the sail-handling controls. It's accessed through a set of glass doors. Capt. Chris Bailet, the company rep who put the boat through its paces, likens this space to an orchestra pit, where the trimmer is the "conductor* of the winches and clutches designed to tame the abundant running rigging for the triple-headsail rig. It's a fitting analogy. More important, our test ride also sported the optional aft tiller chairs: curved, comfy bucket seats placed well outboard with push-button sail controls right at hand, including a joystick toggle to ease or trim the square-topped North Sails carbon-fiber mainsail. When I was seated there, in command of this marvelous sailing machine, it was hard to stop smiling. Driving the boat from this perch really is an otherworldly experience. On a close reach with the main and jib in 14 to 16 knots of wind, the boat made an effortless 10 knots. But the real fun began when we swapped headsails for a big reacher and cracked off the breeze, skimming along with boat speeds in the mid-teens, all with fingertip control on the tiller. It was quite the singular sensation.

The HH52 is an evolution of the award-winning 50-footer that's been, as the company says, "redesigned with electrification in mind." Aesthetically, it's one of those boats that looks fast just resting on a mooring, with wave-piercing hulls, a pronounced sprit, a maxed-out waterline and a coachroof that extends over the cockpit with an attendant hardtop festooned with a massive solar array. It all looks like it means serious business. HH calls the 48-volt diesel-electric package the EcoDrive system. It pairs a Beta or Yanmar diesel engine with an electric motor generator that can be run in silent, electric mode but with the backup reliability of a trusty diesel. A belt connects the two units, and a straightforward cam shaft allows easy switching between them, making the system redundant. With hydro-regeneration capability, under sail you can also recharge the lithium battery banks. At 10 knots, 1 kW of power is generated; at 15 knots, 1.5 kW of juice is recharged, and so on. Combined with the 4.2 kW of solar panels, the power package is impressive. So, too, is the construction: The Ocean Cruising, or OC version, is an infused carbon-epoxy laminate with a foam core that's stiff, strong and light. Likewise, the Sports Cruising or SC model is 100-percent carbon fiber, ideally for sailors who plan on racing their boat. All that said, standalone diesels with shaft drives are available. Likewise, the carbon rig and daggerboards on our test boat can be replaced with fixed mini-keels and aluminum spars. There's a range of options available that basically make the HH52 a semi-custom boat, which is understandable for a yacht with a price tag north of $2 million. That also goes for the interior plans. Along with those helm options, the layout comes in two- or three-stateroom versions with a U-shaped or island galley and with myriad choices in interior fabrics, wood veneers, soles and countertops. My fellow Boat of the Year judge Ralph Naranjo was as smitten with the HH52 as I was. He said, "This is a vessel that takes cruising performance to another level, andit does so with some of the most advanced composite technology available today. The engineering-driven design work resonates throughout the boat. The interior design team complemented rather than competed with the workings of this machine. The technology chosen to handle the three-furler headsail system is run from the forward cockpit at the base of the mast and allowed for full view of what was in play. The interior featured elegant minimalism. Meticulously executed carbon fiber construction details were left exposed, not hidden from view. The cabin layouts followed course with strict avoidance of the superfluous. With that, really, there's only one thing left to say about the HH52: It's a helluva boat.