where are arcona yachts built

Swift and fast: Arcona Yachts of Sweden

• November 2nd, 2017

It was some months ago when I was sailing with a small boat to the Danish Island of Bornholm (Read it here and here ), mooring at Klintholm and standing on the jetty, when two bigger yachts entered the harbour. I was stunned by the beautiful lines of the boats, attractive sheer lines of the hulls and the unusual tall masts. I was sure it must have been X-Yachts, but the distinctive three stripes at the waterpass were missing. Instead, two thick stripes showed that this must be another brand. The moment when the yachts were landed safely and the crew relaxed, I strolled to their berth to take a closer look. “What a great boat!”, I thought and was puzzled when I read the name of the yard: Arcona Yachts of Sweden.

Never heard of it. I was stunned. A European brand making such beautiful boats and I never heard a word of it?! After the trip I searched the web and read in to the brand, grabbed the phone and arranged an interview with Torgny Jansson, the owner of the yard and the “brain” behind Arcona Yachts. Here´s what we were talking about:

Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: “Torgny, thanks for spending your time answering my questions. First of all, as I told you, I shamefully must admit that I´ve never heard of ARCONA Yachts in my life before: How would you describe the brand and the yachts to somebody unknowing like me?”

Torgny Jansson | ARCONA Yachts: “Well, Lars, we are a Swedish company of course. Compared to other bigger brands, we are a small yard making some 35 boats per year. The reason that ARCONA isn´t know to you may be explained by the fact that our main markets are the United Kingdom, where we have our strongest fan base and most clients, Norway and Denmark. Because we aren´t making too many units, it´s clear that you don´t see many Arcona yachts out there sailing. In Germany we do not sell too many units. In UK, on the other hand, we have more than 100 ARCONA yachts in the water.”

NFS.com: “Which is a pity, speaking of Germany, because your boats are extraordinarily beautiful!”

Torgny Jansson: “More than that! We have a dealer in Germany for sure and we want to expand, but you see, we don´t want to grow by force. First premise of our yard is to make the finest boats possible. We don´t have to sell too much as we are a small yard without a big overhead. We don´t have any financial problems nor big loans to pay for. ARCONA yachts is still family owned and because we are situated near Stockholm at our family´s base where we have a large facility providing winter storage and service for sailors, we have a second source of income which makes us more independent. ARCONA employs only 14 people – so I don´t have to push too hard for selling more and more boats. I can concentrate on refining our products to make the best yachts possible.”

NFS.com: “How would you describe and ARCONA yacht?”

Torgny Jansson: “That´s easy: An ARCONA is a new fresh approach to sailing. I want to make sexy hulls sailing particularly pretty well with a tall and efficient rigg to gain speed. The boat is very, very stiff, boasts a load of stability and is a true racy performer. Yet we want to offer a classic interior design with superior material quality. We don´t make compromises here.”

NFS.com: “When I read more into ARCONA I was fascinated by the family´s heritage as the base of the yachts …”

Torgny Jansson: “… yes, the story is nice. I am a sailor in the third generation. My grandfather was into commercial shipping and all around the world, my father was into sailing and I myself sail since I can walk literally. In the late Sixties my father founded the yard near Stockholm which is the core base of our activities still today. When I left school in the Nineties I immediately started working at the yard. Back then we build some 10 boats per year but the most income was generated by our marina service and winter storage, a product we maintain still today. But making boats is most fun. When we started ARCONA with the ARCONA 400 we sold a total of 160 units. This was the real beginning of our brand and the business. As I said, now we produce around 35 units per year, best year lately was 60 units before the financial and economic crisis in 2008.”

NFS.com: “When I first saw the ARCONA yachts approaching, I mistook them for being X-Yachts. Does this happen often? What made me think I saw an X?”

Torgny Jansson: (laughs) “Fortunately this does not happen too often, but I know what you mean. You see, X-Yachts, which I like very much I must admit, make boats that have virtually the same core principles and target groups. When we made the ARCONA 400 we have been very impressed by the competing model of X-Yachts for sure. Both X-Yachts and ARCONA feature a rather more aggressive, sportive look and target the same sailors who seek sleek, stable, stiff and fast performing yachts. And indeed, we very much have the same clients. But from my point of view, when X-Yachts introduced the split between Xc and Xp lines, that left a lot of clients with ARCONA who were seeking a boat placed virtually in the middle between Xc and Xp. A modern, very fast boat with classy interior.”

NFS.com: “ARCONA offers yachts starting from 34 feet to 46 feet. What are the most sold models?”

Torgny Jansson: “Definitely the ARCONA 430 which was and still is our power seller. With some 60 boats now this yacht and this size performs exceptionally well. My favourite boat though is the new 465 which is a perfect yacht in my eyes. Yet still the ARCONA 410 is also a great boat that sails very well, is very roomy and offers a decent performance. People love her too.”

NFS.com: “Who is the principal architect of ARCONA Yachts?”

Torgny Jansson: “We are very happy to be able to employ Stefan Qviberg who is a very, very capable and well known yacht designer. You see, a lot of people can do yacht design. All you need is a CFD-capable computer, some knowledge. But that´s not the point. Stefan Qviberg came to my father´s business after he examined in the late Seventies and that´s the beginning of our partnership. Since then he is the principal designer and I must say I am so delighted by his work. For example, when we introduced the ARCONA 380 we found out that the boat was still one ton – one full ton! – lighter than the competing Xp 38 by X-Yachts! Stefan´s designs are fully race capable yachts with loads of stability which are a joy to sail. Yet very safe and simple. For us, speed is extremely important as weight is as well. Stefan really knows how to make the boats stiff and perfectly smooth and we are very, very happy having him attached to ARCONA.”

NFS.com: “I feel that Scandinavian yachts are special in many respects. And I´ve talked to some people about it as well (read my Interview with Niels Jeppesen of X-Yachts and Magnus Rassy here ), what would you think is a “Scandinavian approach to sailing” and how does an ARCONA meet these things?”

Torgny Jansson: “Well, I´d say first of all we have a lot of upwind sailing here in the Baltic area. This fact calls for specially built boats of course. This is how they use to sail: Upwind. Back in the days there was no choice, you simply had to go upwind in order to reach for certain ports. We opt to have this ability to go upwind in our boats today but now our boats are built in a slightly different way: We do try to offer wide sterns but at the same time combined with sleek narrow bows. Hulls that can take off. See, the fastest speed ever recorded on an ARCONA was 22.7 knots. That´s a lot! Close to the wind our boats regularly break 8.5 knots with ease. This is what we try to do: Offer a boat that can take off downwind but be fast upwind too. Speed is an extremely important aspect of ARCONA yachts.”

NFS.com: “With an ever shrinking market of classic ownerships, a shift towards charter-optimized boats and the current trend to bigger and bigger boats , what´s the perspective of ARCONA boats in the future? Will we see a 60 feet 5-cabin and 4 heads ARCONA next?”

Torgny Jansson: “I would say no because ARCONA has a very different client base compared to the big brands. But I know what you mean: People nowadays don´t want to own a boat but have fun sailing one week and maybe next week go climbing. Still, ARCONA has maintained a classic owner base. You see, 35 boats per year as a sales target isn´t that many people. We can find those people and enthrill them becoming an ARCONA-owner. That´s the advantage of a smaller company like ours. Yet, it´s difficult and we understand we have to do something to get along with the ever changing market. That´s shared ownership for example. And yes, we have a bigger ARCONA in the making yet I don´t want to talk much of it. All I can say is there will be a 54, 55 feet boat in the future as there is much interest in this 50 feet-size.”

NFS.com: “A bigger cruising ARCONA?”

Torgny Jansson: “Yes, a boat made for the very long haul , something around 54 feet, not bigger. This is a size where we still lose clients to X-Yachts for example who offer boats in this size. But still, even the big ARCONA will stay true to our core values of making boats as stiff and as light as possible to offer a very, very fast platform for performance sailing.”

NFS.com: “At last, Torgny, where does the name ARCONA Yachts come from?”

Torgny Jansson: “That´s a simple story: One of the yachts we built in the first years back in the Seventies was a Carl Beyer design, the APHRODITE. We couldn´t keep that name for the company for obvious reasons but I wanted our brand start with an A. We came up with lots of ideas but when we had the charts of the Baltic Sea on our table somebody pointed to the German Island of Ruegen where Cape Arkona is situated …”

NFS.com: “… with most beautiful tall white cliffs …”

Torgny Jansson: “… exactly! And apart from ARCONA Yachts with a C, the name comes from this German Island. It´s a maritime connotation and a place in the Baltic Sea where we are situated. The funny thing about ARCONA as a name is that it is mentioned in Swedish weather forecast 4 times in a row, which is a nice advertising.” (laughs again)

NFS.com: “Thanks so much, Torgny, for answering my questions.”

Now that I´ve got to know ARCONA yachts by their owner and mastermind, I want to experience the philosophy of these boats first hand. Sad to see that there aren´t too many owners around where I live. I admire the boats with their tall masts and sleek, efficient rigging, I am fascinated by the passion of Torgny for his product as he told me he is sailing the boats himself extensively throughout whole summer. The company never went bankrupt or changed ownership, is still owner-owned and manned by people who are true sailors. Time to get to Stockholm again …

You may also like to read these articles:

Magnus Rassy shows the new HR 44

A Day at Luffe Yachts

Fast boats by X-Yachts – a day in the yard in Haderslev

All pictures with kind permission of ARCONA Yachts Sweden

Since 1981, Arcona Yachts has designed and built over 1,000 unique sailboats in the small town of Gustavsberg, Sweden. Always with the same passion and objective: to build sailboats that combine quality, performance and impeccable design. Arcona yachts are boats that, with their timeless elegance and great craftsmanship, offer an exceptional navigation experience for sailing lovers and experienced sailors.

Welcome to the world of Arcona Yachts!

Performance cruisers, arcona´s dna.

Arcona yachts are elegant, safe and comfortable but at the same time with a racing spirit. On water, speed and exhilaratig sensations are constant, without compromising reliability, ease of handling and safety at sea. These sailboats will captivate you with their navigability, robustness, impressive sail area, and comfort.

Yachts by Sailors for Sailors

At Arcona, they don't just build sailboats, they sail them and win regattas! Their passion is to build yachts that define the best sailing experience possible, always seeking the perfect balance between a comfortable and safe cruiser and an agile and fast cruiser-racer.

Design, Performance, Quality and Craftsmanship

Arcona Yachts is committed to develop sailboats that combines sleek design with exceptional performance on water. Each yacht is built with the highest quality standards along with Swedish craftsmanship, which is reflected in every detail; from its luxuriously interior design to every single finishing on the boat.

ARCONA 435 Mk II

ARCONA 465 CARBON

Request more info

New boat: Arcona 380

Sweden's Arcona Yachts built its reputation with durable, no-nonsense boats. The Arcona 380 is a 37-foot, nine-tenths fractional rig, bluewater boat designed as a successor to the venerable Arcona 400. Although the new boat has a modern, European-style hull complete with minimal sheer and plumb bow and stern, the 380's rig and sailplan are practical and traditional–but not old-fashioned. 

The shrouds are outboard on the rail, and there are short genoa tracks well inboard for tacking angles as narrow as 32 degrees to the wind. There are primary winches for the genoa, and secondaries for the spinnaker mounted on the cockpit coaming, which ends just forward of the helms. Two winches mounted on the cabintop handle the halyards and sail controls. The dodger folds down into a cabintop coaming that curves around the companionway hatch. 

The transom center is open, and the opening steps down to a swimstep. The helmsman can sit on the transom, on each side of the opening, at twin wheels mounted on angled pedestals, each with a chartplotter display. Most helmsmen, though, will sit on the side deck aft of the cockpit coaming. 

Belowdecks, the chart table can be folded back to convert the starboard settee into a 6-foot 6-inch berth. There is a V-berth forward, twin cabins aft, and 6-foot 3-inch maximum headroom in the cabin. There is a two-cabin version that offers an enclosed shower in the head area rather than a curtain separating the shower and the head. 

The two-leaf dining table seats six, and has built-in bottle storage. The L-shaped galley has a basket-style refrigerator and a propane stove and oven. The propane is stowed forward in the anchor locker, and a windlass and bow roller are options. 

There is a hanging locker in the forward cabin, cabinets above the settees, some lockers below the settees, and lockers below the cockpit seats. Additional storage comes with the two-cabin version, and that might be a good interior design for extended bluewater cruising. The 380 has a class A offshore rating. 

The hull is solidly built with the bulbed keel attaching to a galvanized steel beam that runs lengthwise down the center of the hull. The beam is glassed into the hull, and it the whole area, up to the chainplates, is strengthened with unidirectional glass. Most of the rest of the hull is cored with Divinycell, and bulkheads are laminated to the deck and the hull. The rudder extends nearly as deep as the shoal-draft keel. Two other keel options are available, 6 feet 11 inches and 7 feet 10 inches. 

The Arcona 400 had a nearly 15-year run at the head of Arcona's fleet. Now there's a worthy successor to that title, the 380.

LOA 37'; LWL 34'9"; Beam 12'6"; Draft 6'3∫ (shoal),  6'11" (medium), 7'10" (deep); Displ. 15,100 lbs.;  Ballast 5,300 lbs.; Sail area 930 sq. ft.; Auxiliary  Yanmar 30-hp saildrive; Fuel 40 gal.; Water 53 gal.

Estimated price $375,000

Arcona Yachts

School Lane, Hamble, Hampshire, SO31 4NB

44 023 80 45 77 70

www.arconayachts.com

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The Promises and Pitfalls of an All-Electric Yacht

• By Tim Murphy
• Updated: November 8, 2021

This past October, I saw one of the most interesting exhibits in more than 500 new cruising sailboats I’ve reviewed over two decades. It was the Arcona 435Z, built in Sweden and introduced by Graham Balch of Green Yachts in San Francisco. Balch describes his business as “a new brokerage dedicated to the electric revolution on the water,” and it was the “Z” in the boat’s name, which stands for “zero emissions,” that made this boat so interesting. This was the first electric propulsion system—not hybrid but all-electric —I’d ever seen on a cruising sailboat.

Electric propulsion isn’t new. Since 1879, electric motors have propelled boats; a fleet of some four-dozen electric launches transported visitors around the 1893 Colombian Exposition in Chicago. But cruising sailboats are not launches, and the open sea is not a protected canal. When we’re using cruising boats as they’re meant to be used, they seldom end their day plugged into a shore-power outlet. Cruising boats comprise many devices —stove, refrigerator, freezer, windlass, winches, autopilot, radar, lights—whose power typically comes from a tank of fossil fuel. And today’s cruising sailors are accustomed to using diesel auxiliary power to motor through lulls or punch into headwinds and seas.

Starting about 15 years ago, we saw a wave of diesel-electric and hybrid propulsion systems on production and custom cruising boats ( see “Perpetuated Motion,” CW , March 2005 ). Both of those systems ultimately start with an onboard internal-combustion engine. A diesel-electric propulsion system relies on a running genset to directly power the electric motor that turns the propeller. A hybrid system relies on batteries to power the electric motor, plus an internal-combustion genset to recharge the batteries. One of the promises of a hybrid system is the ability to regenerate electrical power. Regeneration means using boatspeed under sail to turn the propeller, whose spinning shaft sends electrons from the electric motor back through an electronic controller to recharge the batteries. In such a system, the boat’s propeller is both an electrical load (when running under power) and a charging source (when sailing in regeneration mode).

The Arcona 435Z was different from both of these systems: It incorporates no onboard fossil-fuel engine at all. Instead, it has a bank of lithium batteries, several solar panels, and a proprietary propulsion leg that looks like a saildrive. “This boat,” Balch said, “has the very first production unit in the world of Oceanvolt’s newest electric propulsion system, called the ServoProp.”

For our sea trial, Balch was joined by Derek Rupe, CEO of Oceanvolt USA. “If you can sail the boat and you have some solar, you can go anywhere in the world, and you can make all your power underway while you go,” Rupe said. When we spoke in October 2020, he touted three high-profile sailors who were using the Oceanvolt electric propulsion system: Alex Thomson, for his Hugo Boss Open 60 Vendée Globe program; Jimmy Cornell, for his Elcano 500 expedition; and Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu, who had been teasing their new boat for months on their popular Sailing La Vagabonde YouTube channel.

The efficiency of Oceanvolt’s ServoProp and the regeneration from it is the promised game-changer in each of these boats. The ServoProp is a leg with a ­feathering propeller that can be set for optimal pitch in three modes: forward, reverse and regeneration.

“You don’t need fuel,” Rupe said. “You don’t need to dock; you can go anywhere you want to go and always have the power for living and propulsion.”

That’s the promise. But are there also pitfalls?

Innovation and Risk

Marine electric propulsion is an emerging technology. Compared with the mature and settled technology of diesel engines and lead-acid batteries, electric-propulsion systems—with their electronic controllers and lithium batteries—are in a stage of development best described as adolescent. Every sailor has his or her own tolerance for technical innovation. For the promise of fewer ­seconds per mile, grand-prix-racing sailors willingly trade a high risk of expensive damage to the sails, rig or the boat’s structure itself; cruising sailors, by contrast, tend to favor yearslong reliability in their equipment as they seek miles per day.

Folks who identify as early adopters take special joy in the first-wave discoveries of a new technology; if they’re clear-eyed about supporting an ongoing experiment, they see themselves as partners with the developers, accepting failures as opportunities for learning. Sailors motivated primarily by changing the trajectory of climate change might be especially willing to modify their behavior to limit their own output of greenhouse gases. Investing in any emerging technology asks you to start with a clear assessment of your own risk tolerance. We’ll return to this theme with one or two real-life examples.

The American Boat and Yacht Council, founded in 1954, sets recommended standards for systems installed on recreational boats. For decades, ABYC has published standards related to installations of diesel and gasoline engines, as well as electrical systems based around lead-acid batteries. By contrast, it was only three years ago that ABYC came out with its first electric-propulsion standard (revised July 2021). And only last year it published its first technical-information report on lithium batteries (a technical-information report is an early step toward a future standard). The takeaway is that if you need help servicing your diesel engine or electrical system built around lead-acid batteries, you can pull into any reasonable-size port and find competent technicians to help you. With electric propulsion and lithium batteries, that pool of skilled talent is significantly scarcer.

To say that a technology is mature simply means that we’ve learned to live with it, warts and all, but that it holds few remaining surprises. Certainly, diesel-propulsion and lead-acid-battery technologies each leave plenty of room for improvement. When a charge of fuel ignites in the combustion ­chamber of a diesel engine, some three-quarters of the energy is lost in heat and the mechanical inefficiencies of converting reciprocating motion to rotation. Lead-acid batteries become damaged if we routinely discharge more than half of their capacity. During charging, they’re slow to take the electrons we could deliver.

Lithium batteries are comparatively full of promise. Their power density is far greater than that of lead-acid batteries, meaning they’re much lighter for a given capacity. They’re capable of being deeply discharged, which means you can use far more of the bank’s capacity, not merely the first half. And they accept a charge much more quickly; compare that to several hours a day running an engine to keep the beers iced down.

But the pitfalls? Let’s start with ABYC TE-13, Lithium Ion Batteries. Some of its language is bracing. “Lithium ion batteries are unlike lead-acid batteries in two important respects,” the report says. “1) The electrolyte within most lithium ion batteries is flammable. 2) Under certain fault conditions, lithium ion batteries can enter a condition known as thermal runaway, which results in rapid internal heating. Once initiated, it is a self-perpetuating and exothermic reaction that can be difficult to halt.”

Thermal runaway? Difficult to halt? Self-perpetuating?

“Typically, the best approach is to remove heat as fast as possible, which is most effectively done by flooding the battery with water,” TE-13 continues, “although this may have serious consequences for the boat’s electrical systems, machinery, buoyancy, etc.”

If you were following the news in January 2013, you might remember the ­story of Japan Airlines Flight 008. Shortly after landing at Boston’s Logan Airport, a mechanic opened the aft ­electronic equipment bay of the Boeing 787-8 to find smoke and flames billowing from the auxiliary-power unit. The fire extinguisher he used didn’t put out the flames. Eventually Boston firefighters put out the fire with Halotron, but when removing the still-hissing batteries from the plane, one of the ­firefighters was burned through his ­professional protective gear.

Samsung Galaxy cellphones, MacBook Pro laptops, powered skateboards—in the past decade, these and other devices have been recalled after their lithium batteries burned up. In that period, several high-end custom boats were declared a total loss following failures from lithium batteries. In March 2021, a 78-foot Norwegian hybrid-powered tour boat, built in 2019 with a 790 kW capacity battery bank, experienced thermal runaway that kept firefighters on watch for several days after the crew safely abandoned the ship.

Yes, experts are learning a lot about how to mitigate the risks around lithium batteries. But we’re still on the learning curve.

ABYC’s TE-13 “System Design” section starts, “All lithium-ion battery ­systems should have a battery ­management system (BMS) installed to prevent damage to the battery and provide for battery shutoff if potentially dangerous conditions exist.” It defines a bank’s “safe operating envelope” according to such parameters as high- and low-voltage limits, charging and discharging temperature limits, and charging and ­discharging current limits.

Graham Balch takes these safety recommendations a step further: “To our knowledge, the BMS has to monitor at the cell level. With most batteries, the BMS monitors at the module level.” The difference? “Let’s say you have 24 cells inside the battery module, and three of them stop working. Well, the other 21 have to work harder to compensate for those three. And that’s where thermal events occur.”

Balch followed the story of the Norwegian tour boat this past spring. He believes that the battery installation in that case didn’t meet waterproofing standards: “The hypothesis is that due to water intrusion, there was reverse polarity in one or more of the cells, which is worse than cells simply not working. It means that they’re actively working against the other cells. But if the BMS is monitoring only at the module level, you wouldn’t know it.”

On the Green Yachts website, Graham lists five battery manufacturers whose BMS regimes monitor at the cell level. “If I were sailing on an electric boat, whether it be commercial or recreational, I would feel comfortable with having batteries from these five companies and no other,” he said.

The broader takeaway for today’s sailors is that lithium batteries bring their own sets of problems and solutions, which are different from those of conventional propulsion and power-supply technologies. A reasonably skilled sailor could be expected to change fuel filters or bleed a diesel engine if it shuts down in rough conditions. With lithium-ion batteries aboard, an operator needs to understand the causes and remedies of thermal runaway, and be ready to respond if the BMS shuts down the boat’s power.

Real-World Electric Cruising Boats

When we met Oceanvolt’s Derek Rupe a year ago, he and his wife had taken their all-electric boat to the Bahamas and back the previous season. Before that, he’d been installing electric-propulsion packages for six years on new Alerion 41s and other refit projects. “My real passion is on the technical side of things—installations, really getting that right. That’s half the picture. The technology is there, but it needs to be installed correctly.”

When talking to Rupe, I immediately encountered my first learning curve. I posed questions about the Oceanvolt system in amps and amp-hours; he responded in watts and kilowatt-hours. This was yet another example of the different mindset sailors of electric boats need to hold. Why? Because most cruising boats have just one or two electrical systems: DC and AC. The AC system might operate at 110 or 220 volts; the DC side might operate at 12 or 24 volts. On your own boat, that voltage is a given. From there we tend to think in terms of amps needed to power a load, and amp-hours of capacity in our battery banks. Going back to basics, the power formula tells us that power (watts) equals electrical potential (volts) times current (amps). If your boat’s electrical system is 12 volts and you know that your windlass is rated at 400 watts, it follows that the windlass is rated to draw 33 amps.

But an all-electric boat might comprise several systems at different voltages. A single battery bank might supply cabin lights at 12 volts DC; winches and windlasses at 24 volts DC; the propulsion motor at 48 volts DC; and an induction stove, microwave and television at 110 volts AC. A DC-to-DC power converter steps the voltage up or down, and an inverter changes DC to AC. Instead of translating through all those systems, the Oceanvolt monitor (and Derek Rupe) simply reports in watts coming in or going out of the bank.

“We keep all our thoughts in watts,” Rupe said. “Watts count in the AC induction. They count in the DC-to-DC converter. They count the solar in. They count the hydrogeneration in. And the ­power-management systems tracks it that way for shore-power in.

“On a boat like this, maybe I have 500 watts coming in the solar panels,” he continued. “So then I can think: ‘Well, my fridge is using 90 watts. My boat has an electric stove. When I cook a big meal, I can see that for every hour we cook, we lose about 10 to 12 minutes of our cruising range.’”

During his Bahamas cruising season, Rupe observed that on days that they were sailing, the combination of solar panels and hydroregeneration supplied all the power he and his wife needed. “When we weren’t sailing,” he said, “we found that we were losing 8 percent each day, in the difference from what the sun gave us to what we were using for the fridge, lights, charging our laptops, and all that stuff.”

Rupe’s solution? “Twice in Eleuthera and once outside Major’s, we went out and sailed laps for a couple of hours because the batteries were below 30 percent of capacity. It was good sailing, and the wind was coming over the shore, so we didn’t have any sea state. We did a couple of hot laps on nice beam reaches, and generated about 700 watts an hour.”

Of the three sailors Rupe touted in October 2020—Alex Thomson, Jimmy Cornell and the Sailing La Vagabonde couple—only Cornell can report back on his all-electric experiences with Oceanvolt. Alex Thomson ended his circumnavigation abruptly last November, just 20 days after the Vendée Globe start, when Hugo Boss collided with an object in the South Atlantic. And at press time in early fall 2021, Riley and Elayna had just recently announced the build of their new Rapido trimaran; keep an eye on their YouTube channel for more about their experiences with the Oceanvolt propulsion system.

As for Cornell—circumnavigator, World Cruising Routes author, creator of the transoceanic rally, and veteran of some 200,000 ocean miles—he suspended his planned Elcano 500 round-the-world expedition solely because of the Oceanvolt system in his new Outremer catamaran. His Aventura Zero Logs on the Cornell Sailing website, particularly the Electric Shock article posted on December 2, 2020, are essential reading for any sailor interested in sailing an electric boat. “Sailing around the world on an electric boat with zero emissions along the route of the first circumnavigation was such a tempting opportunity to do something meaningful and in tune with our concern for protecting the environment that my family agreed I should do it,” Cornell wrote. “What this passage has shown was that in spite of all our efforts to save energy, we were unable to regenerate sufficient electricity to cover consumption and top up the batteries.”

Cornell’s experience in that article is raw, and his tone in that moment bitterly disappointed. We recommend it as essential reading—not as a final rejection of the electric-boat concept or of Oceanvolt’s system, or even as an endorsement of Cornell’s own decision that the system didn’t work. I suspect that I may have arrived at the same conclusion. Yet given the same boat in the same conditions, one imagines that a new breed of sailor—a Graham Balch or a Derek Rupe—may have responded differently to the constraints imposed by an all-electric boat, as nearly every cruising sailor today habitually responds to the inconvenient constraints of diesel engines and lead-acid batteries.

“If you bring electric winches, electric heads and an induction stove, and then sail into a high-pressure system, you’ll set yourself up for failure,” Balch said. “You have to balance your power inputs and your power outputs.

“Sailing an electric boat is a return to the tradition of sailing that the crutch of a diesel engine has gotten us away from,” he added. “Magellan’s fleet got all the way around the world, and they didn’t have a diesel engine.”

Tim Murphy is a Cruising World editor-at-large and ­longtime Boat of the Year judge.

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Arcona 435 review: Swedish star offers something for everyone

• May 30, 2019

Pretty, elegant and fast, this award-winning Swedish cruiser is a real all-rounder. Graham Snook tests the Arcona 435

We tested the Arcona 435 in the Western Solent in 6-10 knots

After the Arcona 435 sailed off with the Performance Cruiser category win at this year’s European Yacht of the Year we thought we should look at her in more detail. In order to win, it had to be good, but just how good is she to sail?

Very good indeed, is the simple answer. From the gorgeously smooth feel on the helm to its speed and handling on the water, the Arcona 435 makes for a fitting swansong from designer Stefan Qviberg – he sadly passed away last year.

It also ticks many boxes for would-be owners – whether you’ve grown out of racing and are looking to cruise in speed and comfort, or still want to compete occasionally, but demand more luxury for your sailing trips.

Although the deck is a little low to sit on, the helmsman can sit forward, astride or abaft the carbon wheels

The more you sail the Arcona 435 the more involved you feel with it, and the more you notice the nuances with wind strength or course change. It’s involving, all-consuming: the balance, the weight, the direct connection.

Move the carbon wheel slightly with your fingertips and you’ll feel the boat respond. I’ve long been a fan of Jefa steering, but on the Arcona 435 it seems to be elevated to a higher level, and its feel is addictive.

Speed and comfort

It’s not only the feel of the boat that is addictive, but the speeds are sure to please too. Yachts ahead to windward were soon to leeward and in our wake. In the Force 3-4 winds we saw, the Arcona 435 sat happily at 28° to the apparent wind, making 6.0-6.9 knots, but ease off to a fetch and the log was soon threatening 8 knots (in 13 knots apparent). With the asymmetric hoisted, this rose to over 10 knots.

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There are comfortable options for helming as well, whether you prefer to sit forward, astride or abaft the wheel. Although the seating is a little low on the side deck, the further forward you sit, the easier the access to the Harken 46ST mainsheet winch.

The test boat had the option of electric mainsheet winches although, as it is, with a German mainsheet system it would be possible to just have one electric winch and get the same benefits. Abaft the helm the cockpit was open. There is the option for a semi-open design with stowage boxes aft of the helm and there are designs for a bathing platform too.

The test boat had upgraded North 3Di sails. The genoa is handled by Harken 60ST winches, there are in-haul tweakers which, like all the lines from the mast, are led under the deck and recessed sprayhood stowage to the cockpit. The furling line for the through-deck furler is also led below the deck to emerge abeam of the cockpit.

The Arcona 435 offers addictive performance under kite

The control lines for the track cars are led into the coaming to reappear in the rope locker beneath the winch. Only the tack line from the asymmetric is the odd one out as instead of going under the foredeck it crosses it at ankle height.

It’s rare to find an abundance of rope stowage around the cockpit. Usually it’s an afterthought and barely satisfied by canvas bags screwed in place. On the Arcona 435, though, there are top-accessed rope bins in the forward end of the coaming, front-accessed stowage in the aft of the coaming and more space to stick errant lines under the helm seat. These prevent lines from being eaten away by UV and keep the cockpit tidy.

Deck stowage in the lazarette is also commendable. It is hull-depth, has a large locker lid and an internal light. There is also a large, deep deck locker abaft the anchor locker. These may be small, insignificant details on their own, but added together they make sailing and cruising the Arcona 435 a real joy.

There are six built-in rope bins situated around the cockpit

When sailing the Arcona, you know you’re sailing a good-looking boat; she sails as good as she looks and vice versa. She sits low on the water, with a sharp bowsprit, plumb bow, low, sleek coachroof, and – unusually for Arcona – long coachroof windows.

Minimal visual distractions break up her lines and even the long, thin hull windows are neatly incorporated into the cove line. The cockpit is long and was designed with twin wheels from the off, whereas her predecessor, the 430, had a large single wheel with twin wheels a later option. The aft sections of the Arcona 435’s hull are wider to accommodate the extra space needed for the wheels, which has made the cockpit more spacious.

In turn this has increased accommodation in the two aft cabins. The underwater aft sections of the hull are also flatter than previously, and she has a noticeable soft, rounded chine.

Object of envy

The downside of owning a boat like the Arcona 435 is she won’t make you popular with other boat owners. As you pass by in something this elegant and quick, like an expensive car on a motorway, they will prickle with envy. There will be few on the water who, if they are being honest, wouldn’t trade places in a heartbeat.

Arcona 435 owners should expect envious glances

The exterior might be sleek and sharp, but the interior is typically traditional Scandinavian; floor to deck Khaya mahogany interspersed with white hull-side panels and thick, laminated mahogany sculpted fiddles. It has the same practicality as the cockpit, and works well in port and at sea.

Moving forward from companionway to saloon is easy thanks to the high fiddles on the galley and L-shaped chart table opposite, excellent handholds running at deck level, as well as some suede-covered stainless steel handles too.

The 430 had a handy place for a chartplotter/MFD; at eye level when sitting, but this did confine the chart table and close off the saloon, so on the Arcona 435, it’s gone. It makes the yacht feel more open.

There is not a great deal of stowage outboard of the saloon seating or in the cupboards forward in the saloon, but the beam in the saloon has to come from somewhere. There’s C-shaped seating to port while to starboard is a long, straight seat.

The central table has a fixed leaf to port and a decent sized bottle drawer in its column. There is the option to have both leaves of the table folding. While this would make accessing the bilge pump and port side easier, the table does work well as it is.

The test boat had the three double cabin layout, but a two cabin option is available. The cabin hull sides have a white tongue and groove effect that gives a pleasant, light and classic feel. Slim hull portlights add natural light, but don’t expect grand vistas.

The interior is a cocoon of warming Khaya mahogany

The forward owner’s cabin has a wide berth with access from either side at the aft end. There’s good stowage with top-hinged lockers, drawers under the bed and a hanging locker at the entrance. The ensuite heads features a shower, albeit one with a wraparound curtain rather than a separate shower compartment.

The extra width for the twin wheels in the cockpit pays off below decks with 1.58m/5ft 2in wide berths in both aft cabins. The cockpit table stores neatly between the two aft cabins affording their occupants a little more privacy.

Craftsmanship

The quality of the joinery throughout was good and the feel of the wood around the boat was lovely; the one-piece fiddles that surround the chart table and most of the galley are a work of art.

The one-piece fiddle in the large J-shaped galley is a work of art

The J-shaped galley is large and secure, there is enough of a return to give good bracing and also a decent amount of workspace in the centre of the boat, accessible while cooks work their magic at the three-burner stove (a two-burner stove is standard). The top-opening fridge is a little small for cruising with a full complement of crew. A second drawer fridge, under the return of the J, is an option that would be well worth considering.

Arcona has increased the ventilation by way of opening portlights above the galley and in the aft heads compartment. The traditional line of opening hatches are an option, or there’s the style seen on the test boat with slightly recessed one-piece glass windows.

Our verdict

Time spent on the wheel of the Arcona 435 is time you’ll value. You’ll soon become a helm hog – you’ll get up for your watch early to see if there’s any chance of getting a few minutes more. Try it, if you think I’m exaggerating.

Down below is refined, comfortable, and safe, both in design and use. I wish Arcona could have injected a bit of the style from the exterior to the interior, but if you’re after a Scandinavian boat it may be you may want the mahogany interiors they are renowned for.

The forward ensuite cabin also has a useful seat to starboard

Given its versatility for owners sailing shorthanded or fully crewed, the Arcona 435 really can provide something for almost everyone – looks, speed, handling and build quality all in one.

There is no denying the 435 is a lovely boat; few yachts give such a sense of pride while sailing. The competition in the European Yacht of the Year was (as ever) tough this year, but the Arcona 435 is a worthy winner.

Specification

LOA: 13.80m (45ft 3in) LWL: 12.20m (40ft 0in) Beam (Max): 3.98m (13ft 1in) Draught: 2.30m (7ft 7in) Disp (lightships): 8,900kg (19,621lb) Ballast: 3,400kg (7,495lb Sail area: 111m 2 (1,195ft 2 ) Berths: 8 Engine: 45hp Saildrive Water capacity: 300lt (66gal) Fuel capacity: 180lt (40gal) Sail Area/Displacement ratio: 26.3 Displacement/LWL ratio: 135.8 Price from: €360,000 (ex VAT) Price as tested: £366,666 (ex VAT) Designer: Stefan Qviberg

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• Sailboat Guide

Arcona 380 is a 37 ′ 0 ″ / 11.3 m monohull sailboat designed by Stefan Qviberg and built by Arcona Yachts (Boo Marine) starting in 2012.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Draft Shallow:1.9m/6.23’ Std.:2.10m/6.89’ Deep: 2.40m/7.87 Hot water 25l/6.6 gal. Holding 80l/21 gal. SA Main 47.50m2/511 sq.ft. Furling genoa (107%): 38.9m2/418.7 sq.ft. Self tacking 29m2/312 sq.ft. Spinnaker 138m2/1845 sq.ft. Gennaker 146m2/1571 sq.ft.

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Arcona 385 review – evolution not revolution

• Theo Stocker
• August 24, 2022

Theo Stocker takes to the water in the new Arcona 385 to see if she lives up the reputation of her much-loved predecessor

Product Overview

• Sails beautifully, especially upwind
• Understated style with top notch finish
• Seaworthy and practical design throughout
• A fairly hefty price tag
• Limited headroom forward
• Not a boat for beginners

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:.

Plenty has changed in the last 10 years. We’ve come through Brexit, Covid and TikTok dance crazes. Some things haven’t changed much though. Swedish yard Arcona has just launched its new Arcona 385, effectively a Mark II of its highly successful Arcona 380 from 2013.

So confident is the yard in the Stefan Qviberg-drawn hull that they’ve left it almost entirely as it was, with nothing but the faintest nod to chasing the latest trends.

No hard hull chines, full bow sections or double rudders to see here. Yes, she has square hull windows now, but her twin wheels are original and she’s just as fine-bowed and low-topsided as she was before.

Other changes on the Arcona 385 include larger coachroof windows, additional instrument mounting space and an open transom doing away with the aft helm seats to increase space on deck and lazarette stowage as well as getting rid of weight in the stern.

The cockpit is open and uncluttered, but bracing points and rope stowage make it comfy and secure under way and when heeled. Photo: Richard Langdon

Below decks, light fittings have been moved and that’s about it.

I’m not surprised this was Arcona’s approach, given the 380’s reception at the time. When YM first reviewed the 380, Chris Beeson said that in 30 years on the water, he had never sailed a boat that felt better; the experience was one of ‘pure driving pleasure’.

When Arcona got in touch to say they had a new Arcona 385 ready to sail in the UK, I jumped at the chance to find out if she was not only as good as the yard – and my predecessor – said she was, but also to see if they had managed to improve on the design.

Foot chocks add security to the helm, while MFDs put all the boat’s data and systems at your fingertips. Credit: Richard Langdon

When you hear the words ‘performance-cruiser’ you might think of either a racing boat with few creature comforts, or a cruising boat with pretensions of performance. While the Arcona 385 has race-winning performance (proven over the last decade) this side of the boat is really aimed at making a better cruising boat. It might sound obvious, but she is built around sailing and the accommodation, as lovely as it is, fits within those constraints, rather than vice versa.

Her lightweight hull is built with reassuringly expensive multiaxial fibreglass with Vinylester resin vacuum infused over a Divinycell 20mm foam core, with solid laminate used for the rudder, keel attachment, engine bed and all through-hull fittings. Bulkheads are bonded to the hull and deck to add to stiffness.

The helm is light and engaging, making the boat easy to get in the groove upwind. Credit: Richard Langdon

The heart of the boat’s strength, though, lies in the galvanised steel cradle which handles the dynamic loads of the keel, mast and rig, and is bolted and bonded into the hull, bulkheads and fibreglass beams. The keel is a lead bulb on a cast iron fin, sheathed in GRP.

The single rudder, laminated over an aluminium stock, is almost as deep as the keel, with twin carbon wheels on a Jefa steering system. The twin-spreader Selden mast is 7/8ths fractionally rigged, with a 48:1 cascade backstay and deck gear is from Harken.

Sails are owner-specified, and the test boat was fitted with a suit of One Sails’ 4T Forte recyclable laminate sails. In other words, all the trappings of a proper sailing machine.

Powering up the Arcona 385

We were greeted at Hamble Point by a calm early summer morning, with the promise of breeze building through the day. Motoring down the river, the powered starboard coachroof winch (Harken 40ST) got the main up with ease.

Sheeting in the jib, we came up on the wind, and settled into our first beat in 10 knots of breeze. Heeling to around 15º the boat started to come alive. Feather-light on the helm, I could steer with one finger.

A 48:1 cascade backstay makes controlling the rig’s power something you can do with one hand. Credit: Richard Langdon

Towable jib cars and inhaulers allowed us to get the slot to the main just right, and then take in a little on the inhaulers to bring us higher on the wind. A touch of backstay and we were fully powered up, making 6.5 knots upwind at 25-27º to the apparent wind (about 40º to true) with around 20º of heel. That’s good for any boat, let alone a beautifully fitted-out cruiser.

As the breeze built, the helm loaded up slightly. From the wheel, I reached down and pulled on a handful of backstay, balancing the boat immediately. A little later, as a chop started to get up, the helm felt a little sluggish. The main was backwinding slightly so we eased the inhauler, opening the slot, and the helm came alive again.

All lines are led aft from the mast via channels in the coachroof. Credit: Richard Langdon

If you’re not a ‘tweaker’, this may not be your cup of tea, in which case reefing down from about 14 knots true would settle her down very happily. But having a boat ‘talk’ to you like this, with the controls to hand to settle her back into the groove, was immensely enjoyable.

We kept full canvas up, even as the wind nudged Force 5, hitting 7 knots boat speed. It might not be how you’d sail her cruising, but even with all that power, the boat remained totally composed. I bore away with the sails sheeted in hard to try and find her limit.

Water gurgled at the stern and the helm loaded up as we heeled to 45º, but the rudder refused to let go.

In the cockpit

The cockpit and helm is well-laid out for this kind of sailing. The transom is open, but with high guard-wires and a solid stanchion midships, it didn’t feel vulnerable. Standing to leeward, I still had a 360º view, and sitting down at the windward helm, I could still keep a lookout under the main.

Foot blocks on the deck are well positioned to brace in a variety of positions, with a decent seat outboard where the coamings are lowered to a comfortable height while still keeping your backside dry. The pedestal instrument pods house a B&G Zeus 12in chartplotter on each side, putting all the data where you need it.

The companionway has a high lip and neat washboard stowage. Credit: Richard Langdon

The boom-end mainsheet runs on a full-width traveller just forward of the wheels, and a German mainsheet brings the sheet back to winches just forward of the wheels and was easily adjusted from the helm, as was the traveller. The genoa winch is further forward, and would need use of the quadrant-mounted autopilot if sailing solo, but it’s a good layout if sailing two-up.

The cockpit is too wide to brace against the opposite bench seat easily when heeling. Instead, the base for the removable table provides a foot brace amidships, which gives more space in the cockpit.

Rope bins are built into the forward end of the cockpit coamings. Credit: Richard Langdon

Coamings are comfortable to lean against and house rope bins for the coachroof lines as well as side-access stowage for on-deck cruising clobber. There are no cockpit bench lockers, but generous lazarettes abaft the helms use the full beam for stowage and access to the steering quadrants.

There’s a transom shower at the stern to starboard, and single-bottle gas locker to port, with an option for extra gas stowage in the bow locker.

Bearing away towards Osborne Bay as white caps began showing, the boat accelerated to just under 8 knots under white sails at 60º to the true wind. Later, we topped speeds of 8.5 knots.

Inhaulers make it easy to adjust the job slot. Credit: Richard Langdon

Sadly, the spinnaker hadn’t arrived from the sailmakers in time for the test, so we couldn’t see what she’d really do off the wind, but the polars suggest she’ll do 10.5 knots in 20 knots true with an asymmetric kite flown off the fixed bowsprit.

On a run the apparent wind dropped and she sailed at 6.2-6.4 knots in under 10 knots of apparent, and this is where sailing the angles and extra sail area would really help. It’s worth noting that for taller crew members, the boom will be at head height and the mainsheet falls do pass through the cockpit with the boom-end mainsheet, requiring careful gybing.

A baffle keeps the anchor chain clear of the rest of the deep locker. Credit: Richard Langdon

It wasn’t long until we were west of Bramble Bank and we began beating back into the now Force 5 breeze. The boat was standing up well to full canvas, nudging over 7 knots, and I was enjoying myself.

The cockpit remained dry, and there was no sign of slamming. All too soon, Calshot loomed up and it was time to stick the engine back on.

While electric propulsion is now an option on all Arconas, this boat had the optional 40 horsepower Yanmar engine (30hp is standard), with a saildrive and two-bladed Flexofold prop, a gentle 2,000rpm gave us 6.5 knots. Revving up to full chat at 3,000rpm we got to 8 knots, so we backed off to 2,500rpm and ploughed along at 7.4 knots, giving me a chance to have a better look around the deck.

On the deck of the Arcona 385

Stepping out of the teak-decked cockpit, the deck felt grippy and secure under foot thanks to textured grey gelcoat, which is laid up into the mould at the start of the build rather than painted on afterwards – a classy touch.

Side decks were wide and unobstructed, with deck hardware well inboard and shrouds taken to the gunwales where they are bolted into the boat’s steel cradle. Fitted along the gunwales were also some folding padeyes to provide securing points for spinnaker guy blocks and tweakers, and outboard sheeting points for running under genoa.

The cockpit is open and uncluttered, but bracing points and rope stowage make it comfy and secure under way and when heeled. Credit: Richard Langdon

I would have liked coachroof handholds further aft, as it felt slightly exposed stepping out of cockpit. Handholds on the sprayhood frame are an option I would take.

The foredeck is completely clear, giving a large working area, and the teak toe rails gave good, though not excessive, bracing. There’s teak around the foot of the mast for grip, though the coachroof does not have any anti-slip.

A snug engine bay for the optional Yanmar 40 hp is well laid out with services easy to access. Note yellow anti-syphoon drip collector. Credit: Richard Langdon

A folding mast step helps reach the mainsail head when putting the covers on. A nice touch in the deep anchor locker was that the chain stowed behind a baffle, leaving the forward part of the locker free for stowage – we fitted the mooring lines and eight fenders in there, even with the below-decks headsail furler in there too.

An integral bow roller sits in the 75cm bowsprit, which is flat to make stepping on and off through the split pulpit easy when moored bows to, and has securing points for two offwind sails.

Below decks

Heading below, the companionway hatch panels stow in a neat holder below the hatch – the lip is 36cm (1ft 2in) high, so no water should get below, and there are clipping-on points either side of the companionway.

Four bevelled steps lead down to the beautifully finished accommodation – on this boat in Khaya mahogany – though Scandinavian light oak is an option.

Laid out to work well at sea, and finished in mahogany to a high standard, the saloon feels refined and comfortable without being showy. Credit: Richard Langdon

I’m a fan of sensible layouts below when on passage, and having the galley at the bottom of the companionway to port and the heads to starboard, with the chart table just forward of it, all helps avoid traipsing through in wet-weather gear.

Solid laminated handholds around the worktop and chart table edges, and running full length below the coachroof windows, also makes moving around in a seaway easier. The J-shaped galley offers a generous amount of work surface.

A two-burner ENO gas stove and oven is protected with a crash bar, with pan stowage below, drawers to the left, and a large fridge with split access from above to the right.

Decent stowage surrounds the oven and there’s a large split-top fridge next to the sink. A small return provides bracing at sea. Credit: Richard Langdon

There’s also a double sink (a splash-back was missing on the test boat and isn’t standard, but will be fitted to all UK boats), and the small return is just large enough to offer useful bracing when using the galley at sea on port tack.

There’s a neat solution for the forward-facing chart table, which has a proper seat when under way and is large enough to use Admiralty leisure folio charts. Slide the table aft and add the infill, however, and you have a berth that is nigh on 7ft long (2.10m).

Big enough for leisure folios, the chart table slides aft when not in use. Credit: Richard Langdon

There’s C-shaped saloon seating to port, which, with the table folded out, will let you host eight at a squeeze, with stowage for bottles and glasses in the base. The only downside is that this sits over the keel bolts and the sole boards would need unscrewing to inspect these.

Reading lights have been adjusted so they don’t interfere with where you sit, and now also offer USB ports for phone charging in all cabins.

Accommodation of six berths is shared between three cabins (there’s also a two-cabin layout offering more stowage and separate heads and shower compartments).

Light has been increased in the port aft cabin with larger windows, and there’s a good amount of locker space. Credit: Richard Langdon

The single heads compartment includes a shower with a curtain to keep the compartment dry, and a wet locker outboard of the sink.

Which one the owner’s cabin would be is a toss up between the forward cabin, with a V-berth (2m long by 2m wide at the shoulders and 70cm at the feet), a seat and hanging and shelved locker space but with headroom restricted to 174cm, or an aft cabin, which has 190cm standing headroom but less natural light and stowage space.

Maintenance access is straightforward and well thought through.

The wiring is some of the neatest I’ve seen, and engine access is excellent from the front, with good access to water and fuel filters, and even a collection bottle for any drips that escape from the anti-syphon loop to keep the bilge completely dry.

Test verdict on the Arcona 385

A lot may have changed in 10 years, but the fundamentals of what makes a good sailing boat have not. Windward ability, an easily driven hull and a beautifully balanced helm are all as important as they ever were.

The Arcona 385 is a younger, fresher version of the 380 but with just the same delightful sailing experience as her predecessor. There is very little to find fault with on board.

Fine bow sections help the Arcona 385 go well to windward. Credit: Richard Langdon

The low coachroof and limited headroom forward might put some off. She doesn’t have the stowage of a bluewater cruiser, and she won’t like being overloaded, though she is more than capable of crossing oceans.

You can race her if you want to, and will have a lot of fun doing so, but you don’t need to push her to enjoy sailing her. What she will do is eat up the miles whatever point of sail you’re on, and you’ll arrive feeling fresher because she is so easy to sail well.

Would the Arcona 385 suit you and your crew?

This probably isn’t a beginners’ boat. There’s a lot of power in the rig that rewards nuanced handling, and care will be needed when gybing, but you’ll also want some experience of other boats to appreciate how nice a boat this is to sail.

She might be a boat you can tweak, but I also found her to be a forgiving boat to sail; she gets into the groove easily upwind and wants to stay there.

A moment or two of inattention won’t see the boat stall or fall off the wind. Overpower her, and she won’t punish you with a broach – I couldn’t find the limit of her grip on the water.

In many ways, the Arcona 385 might just be the ideal cruising boat.

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A lot may have changed in 10 years, but the fundamentals of what makes a good sailing boat have not. Windward ability, an easily driven hull and a beautifully balanced helm are all as important as they ever were. The Arcona 385 is a younger, fresher version of the 380 but with just the same delightful sailing experience as her predecessor. There is very little to find fault with on board. The low coachroof and limited headroom forward might put some off. She doesn’t have the stowage of a bluewater cruiser, and she won’t like being overloaded, though she is more than capable of crossing oceans. You can race her if you want to, and will have a lot of fun doing so, but you don’t need to push her to enjoy sailing her. What she will do is eat up the miles whatever point of sail you’re on, and you’ll arrive feeling fresher because she is so easy to sail well.

Arcona 465 Carbon

Gloriously responsive.

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“This is a sailor’s boat. A pure dynamo generating sailing excitement. She is simply a beautifully balanced, gloriously responsive cruiser’s dream.” – Sailing Today 2017

Built wholly in carbon, the Arcona 465 is a masterpiece. Designed for sailors to enjoy both cruising and racing. She has a handcrafted wood interior with all the comfort of a cruiser, yet she has logged speeds over 24kts. The Arcona 465 is a true performance cruiser, a world class yacht.

The carbon makes her extraordinary successful on the race course and light enough to give initial allowance for the extra gear you would need for your dream of blue water cruising.

Like all boats in the Arcona range, the 465 reflects the quality expected from the Swedish boat builders using the best materials and techniques and hand – picked suppliers; Infusion technology for hull and deck, Bulkheads laminated to the hull for the greatest possible strength.

“I loved this boat. She looks designed to do exactly what you’d want a boat to do, and do it with ease. She handles exceedingly well, so light in the water she seems to skim across the surface, with speeds to match. But she doesn’t fight you hard, even in a blow. The interior is relatively simple by today’s standards, but still well equipped. You could add more mod-cons if you wanted to, as well as bluewater kit. She would make a very comfortable base for four people, or for two, and can accommodate more as well.” – Sam Fortescue, Sailing Today, February 2017

“I can immediately see the Arcona 465 jostling for position on the start line of any race track and holding its own; it responds favourably to active trimming and on our relatively light wind day I did feel there was a lot more power to unlock. However the cruising face of the 465 is equally authentic. It is luxurious, comfortable and well thought out; living aboard this boat would be a pleasure. In its unladen state, the handling can be calmed down with some sensible sail trim. It is worth bearing in mind that the boat was designed to take on board about a tonne of cruising kit. Load the 465 with all of your gear and you can expect the performance of an unladen glassfibre yacht of the same size. If this works, it is genius. Arcona may have uncovered the secret to building proper hybrid cruiser-racers.” – Pip Hare, Yachting World, January 2017

“I like pretty much everything about this boat. The target was a high-performance racer/cruiser optimized for both comfort and performance. To my eye it looks like the company has hit the bullseye.” – Robert H. Perry, Sailing Magazine, April 2017

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Magazine Tests

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Sailing today – online Sailing today – article

BLUR SAILING TEAM TEST (ENGLISH) – article

BLUR SAILING TEAM TEST (SWEDISH) – article

Hamnen.se – video test Hamnen.se – video – The Virgin Sail   Yachting WOrld – video

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