Remember those early sailing superyachts... high-chested, heavy, aluminium and sometimes even welded steel hulls? Yet not many years later the fact that Southern Wind's latest 108-footer is an all-carbon, all-high tech oceanic beauty, one that also screams high performance is almost to state the obvious...

At the Southern Wind Shipyard in Cape Town the first of a new generation of yachts is now taking shape. It’s a case of evolution not revolution, in keeping with the brand’s carefully calibrated and distinctive core DNA. But while the visible differences between the Southern Wind 108 and its predecessors might seem subtle at first, this is a significant milestone for the shipyard. It’s their first model conceived and engineered from the outset as a diesel-electric hybrid.

‘A core feature of Southern Wind’s new generation of smart custom yachts is the versatility to have several configurations of propulsion systems, keels and sailplans,’ Farr Yacht Design’s Jim Schmicker explains. ‘The biggest challenge for us as the naval architects was to design a hull that would perform well at any selected displacement in the anticipated range.’

Depending on the rig, keel and drivetrain options selected by an owner, the design weight can vary by almost six and a half tonnes – and that’s before you start to consider differences in the weight of the hull itself, the interior fit-out and the payload of systems, equipment, tankage and so on, all of which can also be quite considerable.

‘The platform is the starting point for discussions with the owner’s team,’ says Andrea Micheli, chief commercial officer at Southern Wind. ‘Tried and tested solutions are always on the plate but when an owner wants something truly unique we have the capability to customise extensively.’

Southern Wind’s “Smart Custom” approach offers a lot more scope for customisation than most semi-custom builders can allow, so the highly versatile platform created by Farr for the 108 adds a huge amount of potential value. ‘The desired versatility in the hull shape is achieved with a bit more slope in the underbody at the ends, slightly lifting the turn of the bilge aft and making the section shape through the waterline straighter,’ Schmicker says. ‘The SW108 presents as less angular than her immediate predecessors, the SW105 and SW96.’

Below: SW108 #1 is a full carbon build in which more than a ton of weight saving has been achieved in the hull, deck and rig combined

At the start of the design process for the 108’s platform, the range of displacement was clearly defined and several configurations were developed in parallel, Schmicker explains. ‘For the naval architecture the version with the largest sailplan and the greatest righting moment is the important “end stop.” This version sits deepest in the water and the shaping of the waterline endings are made finer to produce clean and efficient flow with immersion at its deepest. Lighter flotations were anticipated and to ensure that those versions also have efficient waterline endings the volume immediately inboard of those waterline endings is increased.’

Drawing experience from the recent design loop of SW96-04 Nyumba, which has a similar BAE HybriGen propulsion system, Southern Wind optimised the position of the 108’s internal structure to suit the hybrid drive layout, as Yann Dabbadie, the shipyard’s technical manager, explains: ‘This allowed us to integrate the high-voltage batteries lower down in the bilge and rationalise a more central high-voltage distribution board, cabling and cooling system,’ he says. ‘All this makes for a more compact system, easier to access and with a lower centre of gravity.’

The options available to owners include ways to boost the sustainability of the build, along with many other parameters. ‘‘Changing the outer skin of the hull to glass/Aramid is possible and would keep the seaworthiness of the yacht but will add some weight with a very negligible impact on performance and some tangible saving on the carbon footprint of the composite construction,’ says Marco Alberti, chief executive at Southern Wind. ‘We advise our clients by presenting various options which show a cost and weight assessment but also consider the implications of righting moment and comfort. Our aim is always to assist the client in his choices and build the yacht to his expectations. During this process we check bulb weight, displacement and righting moment, and we do an optimisation loop with Farr Yacht Design. After which we inform the client and discuss what variations and effects each of his or her choices would have.’

The owners of SW108-01 took things very close to Schmicker’s end stop, which gave the shipyard, Farr and Nauta a great opportunity to flex their skills. ‘It was a pleasure taking them through the design process and evaluating the many configurations available,’ Schmicker says. ‘They were keen on the hybrid propulsion system which adds weight and some propeller installation drag. Through several design loops the sail area and keel weight were fine-tuned to the owners’ goals for performance and also for stability and sail carrying power. To achieve the desired light wind performance, sail area was increased by seven per cent as well as righting moment by 18 per cent through fitting a larger bulb on the lifting keel compared to a SW108 with a standard propulsion system. In light winds, 12kts boatspeed can be achieved. Reaching and downwind in a breeze, 20kts is expected.’

Below: The sleek, low profile coachroof has been subtly customised on behalf of SW108 #1’s owners, working from Massimo Gino’s original GT design

To achieve the opposing goals of maximising performance while also having the option of hybrid propulsion (which is heavier mainly due to the generous energy storage), weight savings had to be found. ‘The boat makes ample use of titanium not just on stanchions and mooring cleats but also all the way up the mast and down to the underwater anchor mechanism,’ Dabbadie explains. ‘This will also be the first yacht to feature the new Harken 9T Air captive winch. Together with a full carbon construction and high-modulus carbon mast, the weight saving is close to a ton. And in their quest for the optimum setup the owners have chosen a deep lifting keel that lowers the centre of gravity by 40cm whilst keeping control on the overall weight.’

The mast is taller than standard with a lightweight rack boom. ‘The jib and staysail are both with structured luffs for better performance and weight saving,’ Dabbadie says. ‘Versatility was also in the original brief so the cruising configuration of pinhead mainsail, fixed backstay and checkstays can be changed for racing to a square top main with runners and deflectors, controlled by the aft winches.’

Below: The choice of a deep lifting keel lowers the yacht’s centre of gravity by 40cm

A key requirement in the design brief was to optimise SW108-01 for long-range ocean passages with the owners on board. ‘Under sail the yacht will be able to regenerate sufficient electrical power for the comfort of everyone on board with minimal fossil fuel consumption,’ project manager Christophe Harvey explains. ‘The HybriGen system allows very brief battery charging sessions so it’s possible for most of the time sailing or at anchor to be in full silence with no emissions.’ Ultra-efficient refrigeration and AC systems have been fitted, with built-in redundancy and the ability to operate worldwide, in tropical water temperatures above 30°C and also near 0°C in high latitudes.

The deck plan and interior layout, both by Nauta Design, are also fully optimised for ocean cruising, Harvey says. ‘The deck, while showing a sleek line is very protective with its lower guest cockpit that will welcome owners, guests and children in a very well sheltered and safe space behind the coachroof and dodger. The foredeck was also a focus of the designers’ attention with four winches at the mast step to safely handle all manoeuvres and a huge deck locker designed by the yard.’

‘Our deck design achieves a balance in offering big, comfortable and safe spaces,’ says Massimo Gino, founding partner of Nauta Design. ‘Spaces that can be transformed from 20 people eating in comfort around the cockpit tables into 16sqm sunbeds, or into a twin cockpit for a big cocktail party. The manoeuvring areas are clearly separated from the cockpit and are designed for a cruising-racing crew with safety as a main priority.’

Below: The owners have set Nauta Design an ambitious brief for the interior details

The owners of SW108-01 chose the GT Series deck and transom designs, which Nauta has evolved from those of SW105 Taniwha and SW96 Nyumba, and then worked with Gino’s team to customise them. ‘The colour and material scheme decisions drove several finetunings of the geometry to emphasise the design and the character of the deck,’ Gino says. ‘With Southern Wind we developed several transom/beach club and garage solutions. When the yacht is at anchor, the twin-fold transom concept gives guests on board a direct connection with the sea. By opening the aft portion of the deck together with the transom door, the swim platform doubles its surface area.’ The garage is designed to fit a 5.05m diesel jet tender.

Below: The 108’s hull is designed for performance across a wide range of payloads

As the hull takes shape in Cape Town, at Nauta’s design studio in Milan a great deal of work is now focused on the fine details of the yacht’s interior design. ‘We collected a very clear brief from the owners,’ Gino says. ‘Listening closely, as per our experience, is the first exercise in every design process. Immediately after this kick-off meeting, we penciled down some key points. I think that this was the first of several moments in which we and the owners shared a common view of the interior style. Thousands of details that must live together in a clean and simple way.’

‘Ambitions are very high,’ he explains. ‘But allow us to say that the common view of style solutions is making this interaction flow easily with reciprocal satisfaction. Lighting, finally, has an important role on the interior design, with the natural light coming from generous hull windows and skylights and a conscious use of artificial lights allows to create the desired ambience for every occasion on board.’

Click here for more information on Southern Wind »

With its combination of Italian flair, love of technology, precision tooling and exquisite levels of finish, Persico Marine’s contribution to the world of electric-powered motorboats was never going to be anything other than eye-catching. Especially when the legendary heritage and style that accompanies the ‘Zagato’ name is attached for good measure...

This beautiful and impressively engineered electric runabout is born from a partnership between Persico Marine and Zagato Atelier – two iconic and proudly Italian brands, both world leaders in their respective fields.

Unlike most of the other famous Italian coachbuilders that have made (and continue to make) car design history, the background of Zagato Atelier is not in the traditional industry of building horsedrawn carriages, but at the cutting edge of early aviation. Ugo Zagato founded his company in 1919 after working in the design office of a biplane manufacturer. His aim was to transfer the sophisticated construction techniques that he had developed in his previous job – combining light weight with strength – from aircraft to automobiles. Part of this heritage can be found today, more than a century later, in the electric runabout project.

Just under 7.9m long with a maximum beam of 2.45m, the Persico Zagato 100.2 Limited Launch Edition will be trailable and thus easy for its owners to transport between lakes and sea. Built with state-ofthe- art composite materials, the PZ 100.2 will have a total displacement of just 2,500kg including the lithium batteries that power the DeepSpeed electric jet propulsion system developed by Sealence.

Top speed is estimated at 40kts and cruising speed at 26kts, so the PZ 100.2 is expected to be right at the top of the emerging class of 100 per cent electric runabouts. Designed for day cruising and commuting in all types of coastal and inshore waters, it is an ideal boat for use on lakes, many of which have already banned combustion engines. The PZ 100.2’s typical range is estimated at 28 nautical miles, which is ample given that a day cruise on a lake will usually cover about 15 miles. Its range can be doubled with the option of an oversized 83kW battery pack, which will however increase the boat’s displacement by about 500kg.

LinkedOut was one of two Persicobuilt boats that won their class in the recent Route du Rhum

A winning season

There have been lots of reasons for Persico Marine to celebrate this year, with many sailing yachts they built or fitted out winning major races during the 2022 season.

Let’s start with the recent Route du Rhum where Thomas Ruyant’s LinkedOut won the ultra-competitive Imoca 60 class with a record-breaking time of 11d 17h 36m and 25 sec while Erwan Le Roux’s Koesio was the first Ocean Fifty across the finish line. The winning trimaran in the Ultim Class, Gitana XVII, was fitted with some Persico-made components as was Sodebo, on the third step of the podium. LinkedOut in particular achieved a remarkably long line of podium performances: second place in the Défi Azimut and third in the Vendée Arctique, not to mention victory at the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2021, a year in which it also took third in the Ocean Race Europe and the Défi Azimut.

Persico Marine's boats also did well in inshore racing: the TP52 Phoenix finished second in the 52 Super Series, while at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo Vesper dominated the MiniMaxi 1 division, followed by Proteus. At the Rolex Swan Cup, Pigi Loro Piana's new ClubSwan 80 took the third step of the podium in Class A.

‘Persico Marine would like to thank all the protagonists,’ says CEO Marcello Persico, ‘and congratulate the owners, skippers and crews for the great results they achieved.

True to Zagato's supercar heritage, the PZ 100.2 Limited Launch Edition is destined for just a few enthusiasts. Only nine will be produced and owners will be able to personalise them in a unique, exclusive way. The colours and finishes chosen by each owner at the time of ordering will not be repeatable by others. The path taken by Persico and Zagato is based on three essential qualities of technology, design and performance – and far from any sort of flamboyance or ostentation.

With this 'little big' open motor launch, Zagato and Persico have distilled their respective skills and know-how – as a designer and stylist on one hand, and as a a yacht builder with a unique level of construction finesse in carbon lamination on the other – into a winning combination that takes full advantage of aerospace technology.

‘With the Persico Zagato 100.2 we want to show what the future might hold, while following the path of our great heritage,’ says Marcello Persico, CEO of Persico Marine. ‘This boat takes up the tradition of the “canot automobile” of the early 20th century and brings it into the future, thanks to the expertise of all the parties involved, whom I thank most sincerely and who are – I like to stress this aspect – all Italian. At Persico Marine we have proved that we know how to build limited-series sailing boats and now this is our debut in the motorised small-series category with our own brand.’

Thus the Persico Zagato 100.2 is the result of a collaboration between two companies that are recognised around the world for their excellence and have a great history behind them. The 100.2 model name originated at Zagato and marked the start of the Milanese studio’s second century in business, still true to its founder’s original mission to “dress cars and planes with customised bodywork”. The PZ 100.2 project is a partnership that leverages the full extent of the two companies’ abilities; it is not merely a brand extension.

‘The project started from a shared concept: the idea that the boat should be a collection piece,’ says Andrea Zagato, CEO of ZED Milano. ‘The latest and most innovative technologies currently available will make the boat sustainable and destined to leave its distinctive mark, as is the case with the most highly regarded car models designed for uncommon customers, the ones always looking for excellence and innovation in any field.’

The underwater shape of the Persico Zagato 100.2 is a classic fast planing hull configuration developed by Davide Leone, founder and chief naval architect of the Leading Edge design team. The design has been optimised so that the boat’s centres of gravity and buoyancy are positioned to ensure peak efficiency not just in long-distance mode to achieve the maximum cruising range but also in full planing mode to reach maximum boatspeed. This is the key trade-off for an electric boat: to maximise efficiency for both range and speed, which is something that takes the new PZ to the top of its category. ‘This was the crucial challenge at the basis of the naval architecture of this project,’ Leone explains. ‘The Persico Zagato 100.2 is a true electric boat – conceived as an electric boat from the start – and this makes it special and better than all the so-called “electric” boats derived from traditional fossil fuel-driven models.’

Below: The Persico Zagato 100.2 is an open runabout in the classic Italian style

Zagato developed the design of the PZ 100.2 in collaboration with Micheletti + Partners. The style is characterised by a contemporary yet completely functional look, with nothing superfluous. ‘Building an electric boat powered by an aviation-type turbine engine means bringing to life all the inspirations of those who will be free to play with the power in silence, listening only to the wind and the water,’ says Lucio Micheletti.

Some of the boat’s aesthetic details recall key features of Zagato's signature styling. The aerodynamic chine on its topsides echoes the distinctive shape of the Aston Martin DBS GTZ, a car created to celebrate Zagato's first 100 years of history. Produced in a series of only 19 units, it was sold exclusively in pairs with a reissue of the legendary DB4 GTZ.

Another fundamental and innovative element of this next-generation motor launch is its engine, developed and supplied by Sealence, an Italian start-up founded by the entrepreneur William Gobbo. The revolutionary 205 kW DeepSpeed is an electric jet-pod marine engine derived from the reaction engines used in aerospace applications.

‘The strength of DeepSpeed lies in its greater efficiency compared with traditional propellers or hydro-jet systems, which become increasingly inefficient at higher speeds,’ Gobbo explains. ‘Thanks to the use of electric jet propulsion to generate the thrust as the boat accelerates, the DeepSpeed jets become more and more efficient.

‘Traditional waterjets work by drawing water through an inlet in the hull and moving it towards the stern. DeepSpeed on the other hand is configured as an outboard jet with a dynamic inlet exactly like those found under the wings of aeroplanes and this choice proves to be a winning one because water enters naturally, as it does in aircraft engines, avoiding energy loss.

‘A thrust reverser is not needed during manoeuvres because the turbines can rotate in either direction, allowing for great manoeuvrability in all conditions.’

In an exclusive interview with Seahorse, Persico Marine’s CEO Marcello Persico shared some personal thoughts on the PZ100.2 and explained the strategic thinking that drives the company forward.

SH: For the PZ 100.2 Persico Marine is working in partnership with several style and design icons. Are these collaborations deliberate strategic choices?

MP: We started out as carbon specialists. I would dare say that today we have turned into innovation specialists. Over time we have managed to create unique projects, thanks to the combination of innovative technologies from our side and the design and style of big names on the other. We are now working with Zagato; in the recent past we have collaborated with Pininfarina, Wally, Nautor’s Swan and Hermès. I like to think that this is a combination of excellence that further enhances the qualities of the unique products we build.

SH: What technological and engineering challenges did you face with the PZ 100.2? Did the use of DeepSpeed require any special arrangements?

Below: Davide Leone’s hull design aims to optimise the boat’s hydrodynamic efficiency for both maximum cruising range and maximum boatspeed

MP: The DeepSpeed system goes very well with boats where the aim is for optimisation between energy efficiency and performance. The PZ 100.2 can reach 40kts and has an operational range of 28 miles at a cruising speed of 26kts, which is a very respectable performance and superior to what the market offers. This is thanks to the DeepSpeed system, combined with the boat's very light displacement, for which we have drawn on all our technologies to limit weight. In fact, the entire boat will be carbon fibre although we will apply wood veneer to offer the feeling of elegance that the owner expects.

SH: This is not the first motorboat with the Persico name but it is the first in a series, albeit small and limited to only nine examples. Coming from sailing at a higher level, what pushed you towards powerboats? Aren't you afraid of losing the very specific DNA that gives Persico Marine its unique character?

MP: We are not looking for production volumes in the mass market of the marine industry, which is the motorboat sector. We are only interested in the motorboat world where projects seek performance and innovation. It is no coincidence that here we have the innovative DeepSpeed electric propulsion system, while the collaboration with Zagato offers a top-ofthe- range uniqueness to the product.

Click here for more information on Persico »

Maurizio Cossutti is a world-renowned designer of some very fast racing yachts. Similarly his latest creation for the growing mid-size cruising yacht market was never going to be anything but an outstanding performer...

If you sail Bavaria yachts on charter holidays you may have noticed that over the last few years their new monohull models have become increasingly rewarding to sail. The credit for that is partly due to Maurizio Cossutti, the naval architect responsible for the CLine boats, but it’s also down to a new way of thinking that has taken root within the company when it comes to creating the concepts for new models.

So how do they do it? If you’ve imagined a complex workflow of intense discussions between senior technicians, sales directors, naval architects, purchasing managers, manufacturing engineers, interior designers, business analysts and two dozen other stakeholders, you’re not entirely wrong. All of that does happen during the development process. But the birth of the concept is deliberately kept quite simple – and more logical from a sailor’s point of view. These days it tends to start with a few key people leaving the office to go sailing together.

The concept for their latest model, the Bavaria C46, took shape last summer off the coast of Croatia. A team of five led by CEO Marc Diening spent a week cruising and living aboard a variety of yachts from the current and previous ranges, discussing key features and debating their pros and cons.

‘The requirements for a sailing yacht of around 15 metres demand much more versatility today,’ Diening says. ‘Boats can no longer be divided into classic categories such as performance cruiser or family cruiser, charter yacht or owner’s yacht. During the development of the Bavaria C46, our focus was solely on identifying the things that offer our customers real added value on board.’

Instead of developing parallel ranges of yachts that are optimised specifically and separately for charter companies and for private owners, Bavaria is now developing new models that are equally suitable for various types of use, from daysailing to long-distance cruising, with more emphasis on sailing qualities such as performance, balance and helm response than ever before.

‘Everyone loves to sail fast whether they are racing or cruising,’ says product manager Udo Erbe, who was part of the core team that created the concept for the Bavaria C46 in Croatia. ‘And it’s also about safety, being able to reach a safe harbour before a gale starts. We no longer have a mindset of “let’s develop a family cruiser or a performance cruiser”. When we ask our customers and our dealers they all value boatspeed and they are all delighted with the Bavaria C38 and C42.’

Erbe and Diening are cruising sailors at heart, but Marcus Schlichting, part of the Bavaria Yachts marketing team, is an experienced racer who brings a different, complementary set of sailing values to the core team. ‘Whether you are a racer or a cruising guy you want the handling of the boat to be as easy, as quick and as safe as possible,’ he says. ‘The same deck plan and cockpit layout must work equally well for a family who only sail short distances in good weather and for keen sailors who are going to take the boat out in testing conditions and for example sail from Cuxhaven to Helgoland in a Force 6 with the tide against.’

The new approach resulted in surprises even for the long-serving members of the core development team. ‘When looking for the right solution, detail by detail, we were able to disprove some of the compromises that were assumed to be necessary in many places,’ Diening explains. ‘And with the C46 we have found the balance that our customers expect from a sailing yacht of this size, with many well thoughtout solutions.’ The 15-metre slot in Bavaria’s monohull cruiser range is arguably its most important segment and the new Bavaria C46 will be built in parallel with two successful existing models, the Bavaria C45 and Cruiser 46, which are set to remain in production. In terms of naval architecture the C46 is a direct evolution of Cossutti’s most recent designs, the C42 (which won European Yacht Of The Year) and the C38. Many of its features however, on deck and down below, are developed from ideas and innovations on the Cruiser 46 and C45.

‘We made a long list of use cases before we started the sailing week,’ Erbe says. ‘Then we each evaluated all aspects of the boats, noting what is good, what is bad, how we can optimise it. And we argued a lot. The winch layout in particular required a long, intense discussion to get it right.’

They settled on a two-winch standard layout designed for the default sailplan of a large self-tacking jib and an in-mast furling mainsail. On each side of the cockpit two winches are mounted between the helm and the crew seating area, one for the jib sheet and one for the main. However, the cockpit moulding is reinforced in several other places to allow a range of different use cases. For a larger crew who sail with an overlapping genoa, code zero and gennaker, another pair of winches can be mounted on the coamings, giving three people ample space to trim the sails without getting in each other’s way. For experienced owners who cruise shorthanded with more than the standard sailplan, the two extra winches can be mounted within arm’s reach of the helm.

Below decks, the bulkheads are positioned to allow a wide variety of modular interiors to be built, offering three, four or five cabins with different layout options for each. One of these is a palatial forecabin with separate heads and shower compartments, a technical/utility room or bunk room for professional crew, and convertible double/twin aft cabins. A four-double cabin layout with three heads is likely to be a popular option. But in all cases, the interior is informed by the surprising discovery that both charterers and private owners wanted more of the interior volume devoted to standing space in the cabins – and less to the saloon.

The traditional nav station has also made a comeback. ‘People increasingly want a home office on board and the chart table is quite often used as an extension to the galley,’ Schlichting says. ‘In Croatia one evening Marc Diening, Udo and I were on an old Cruiser 56 and we realised how good its saloon layout is. You sit a bit higher at the chart table and can have a good conversation with people at the other end of the saloon. It’s also a proper place for passage planning and navigation, and it’s a good place to sit inside while sailing, so we’ve adapted that layout for the Bavaria C46.’

The C46’s tank capacity is also huge, which suits long-distance cruisers and charter customers alike. ‘From the C45 to the C57 you have about 600 litres of water but on the C46 you can have an additional 200 litres,’ Erbe says. It can all be fresh water or you can have a 200-litre grey water tank. That’s a lot for this kind of boat.’

Bavaria Yachts is also bringing in lithium batteries with the C46, which will effectively double the amp-hours available. Solar panels with a peak capacity of 350W will be neatly integrated into the bimini, giving about 20A of charging power. Full electric and hybrid propulsion options are still a little way off, however. ‘Three to five years is a realistic time span,’ Erbe says.

Another notable detail on the new generation of C-Line yachts is that while they are quite wide in the beam with plenty of form stability and lots of interior volume, they are no longer among the beamiest boats in their class. That’s because sailing ability has become a more important consideration in the design process.

To boost boatspeed in light winds and improve performance across the full range of points of sail, the hull volume has been reduced by tens of centimetres here and there – which would have been absolutely unthinkable in previous years. 'The interior spaces are still very big and we have other ways to give a good feeling of space,’ Schlichting says. ‘We put a lot of skylights and hatches in, as well as large throughhull windows. We play with the light and the finish of the wooden surfaces.’

The huge benefit of taking a few centimetres from parts the interior is that you end up with a more engaging boat to sail. ‘You can have a lot of fun upwind as well as downwind,’ Schlichting says. ‘With the self-tacking jib you can easily sail up narrow channels where you wouldn’t with an overlapping genoa. If you have a feel for good sail trim and the right angle upwind, you’ll be half a knot faster than if you don’t. And these boats sail slightly closer to the wind than most cruisers, pointing a few degrees higher and going a bit faster.'

‘With our new way of thinking, the best solution can be a compromise but it does not have to be a compromise,’ he says. ‘The key is always to find the best balance between all the solutions.’

The C46 is now in production and the first boats will be on the water in May or June this year.

Click here for more information on Bavaria Yachts »

The Swedish Arcona yard invested heavily in design and development and have been fastidious in the execution to ensure that they enter the busy 50-footer market right at the very top

When she launches this spring, the new Arcona 50 will be the perfect flagship for the Swedish builder. The company’s quiet confidence stems from their approach to the design and build of a range of high quality, good looking cruisers that deliver far more performance than the modern yet modest looks suggest. Their style of production also sits well with the location of their yard which itself has a long-held reputation for producing some of the world’s strongest and most respected brands. But make no mistake, confident they may be, but the 50 is still a big deal for Arcona Yachts.

The 50ft market has become extremely competitive thanks in part to the ease with which large boats can be handled shorthanded with sophisticated modern hardware and systems. The scaling effect also plays a part in providing more volume to create ever more elaborate and enticing interiors. The same is true with exterior styling where boats of this size have a natural advantage and can adopt and reflect modern trends in performance hull shapes with ease.

But size alone doesn’t necessarily make these features desirable.

Arcona Yachts are as keen as the next yard to take full advantage of the benefits that modern design and technology may offer, but the company is also completely focussed on ensuring that its new models don’t stray from the characteristics that have built their strong reputation for understated performance cruisers. To this end it is frequently the aspects that don’t stand out at first glance that have helped to create and sustain the cult following among Arcona enthusiasts. And in that sense, the new 50 is expected to be a perfect fit.

Her hull shape gives the first clues. She has a plumb bow, beamy sections aft and chines, but they’re soft chines, well radiused and modest. Their position and proportions are set to match the distribution of buoyancy forwards which in turn ensures that the 50 is well balanced on the helm, especially when heeled. Additional volume both fore and aft has provided a more spacious owner’s cabin forward as well as a spacious dinghy garage accessed via the opening transom.

The option for a fixed carbon bowsprit is another example of a detail that has been carefully thought through. The benefits need little explanation when it comes to the ease of flying asymmetric spinnakers and furling code sails, as well as the convenience when it comes to anchoring. But this is an option that weighs the same as the standard and conventional stainless steel anchor roller unit. Continuing the theme, the option for a carbon mast and boom along with a variety of sheeting arrangements for the main and jib may look like features that simply emulate modern performance boat trends, but the thinking behind each of them has been considerable.

Below: The hull’s key design features include a high-volume plumb bow, a shallow underbody and powerful aft sections with subtle, well radiused soft chines

‘We’ve stopped talking about the navigation station and tend to refer to this area as the workstation,’ says designer Niels Jeppesen. ‘The Arcona 50 will be a highly versatile boat, but the common denominator and biggest fundamental factor is weight.’

But why? This is not a boat that will line up against an all-carbon TP52.

‘Performance is every bit as important to the cruising sailor as it is to the most competitive crews on the circuit. And if it isn’t, it should be,’ he says. ‘Making sure the weight is where it should be is essential in achieving a boat that is easy to manage, whether you’re sailing shorthanded or fully crewed. Most people will understand that in a strong breeze you want the centre of gravity to be low and that a heavy bulb helps to achieve this.

‘Saving weight aloft achieves the biggest gains, the options for a carbon mast and boom are there for this reason. Saving small amounts of weight high up has big benefits when it comes to adding weight in the keel.

‘We have spent a great deal of time looking closely at the sail plan options which focus primarily on conventional slab reefing or in-boom furling. They are further examples of how we are striving to keep the centre of gravity low and get the best handling as well as the best performance. We have also looked very carefully at the operation of the systems and the control line layouts. Achieving a range of gears is one thing but making sure you can switch between them easily is just as important. The link between a stiffer boat and saving weight in the accommodation is less well understood, but this is still weight that we can put in the keel.’

When building a high-quality blue water cruiser there will always be a balance to be struck between creating an elegant, practical and robust interior and saving weight, something Arcona Yachts’ CEO Urban Lagnéus is acutely aware of.

‘As we went through the design process and took a close look at weight it was clear that saving say 25kg was often possible’, he says. ‘On the other hand, when considered in isolation it is also clear that a weight saving of this size is tiny, almost insignificant on a 50ft boat. So, the next task was to look at how many times 25kg could be saved. Achieve it 10 times and the picture starts to look very different.’

But even then, the weight saving issue is still not straightforward.

‘There’s something about getting to 50ft that makes people want to put all kinds of items aboard their boats,’ Jeppesen continues. ‘Given the nature of their long-distance cruising it is completely understandable. Even so, the fact remains that below this size, say in a 35-footer people know that they will always be making compromises. Yet the bigger you go, the less they keep this concept in mind. So, part of the design process was keeping the weight obsession in mind while accepting that people would want to be adding dishwashers, washing machines, bicycles and so on. So, it was our job to anticipate this and look for the most weight-efficient items without compromising on quality.’

While weight was uppermost in their minds, Jeppesen along with the boat’s naval architect and designer Ariadna Pons and the Arcona Yachts team were also on a mission to make the 50 an easy boat to sail well.

‘The fixed carbon bowsprit is a good option for an asymmetric spinnaker but for those looking to sail shorthanded a code zero is a far better option in my opinion,’ says Jeppesen. ‘You can sail very deep with one, you can use it upwind in light airs and can raise or lower it easily from the deck. I’m not sure that I’d have an asymmetric kite.’

The option for a self-tacking jib is another detail that will appeal to those sailing shorthanded, but the ability to combine this with longitudinal tracks on the coachroof allows additional versatility elsewhere in the sail plan. From setting an overlapping jib and sheeting to the tracks, through to a self-tacking heavy weather jib attached to the inner forestay, the geometry of the foretriangle and the deck layout has been carefully worked out to allow as many options as possible while keeping things simple too.

Further aft, the cockpit has an option for a mainsheet traveller. The standard setup is a simple mainsheet attachment on the cockpit sole, but even then the attachment is concealed to give a neat, flush look.

Below the waterline the Arcona 50 has twin rudders, as is the modern way, but dig a little deeper and the design incorporates two independent steering systems.

‘Naturally the steering systems are connected so that the twin wheels operate in the normal way, but if one system were to fail the boat can still be handled safely with just one wheel,’ explains Lagnéus.

The cast iron fin and lead bulb keel is available in three options. Interestingly the standard is the deepest, drawing 2.95m and is also the lightest. The next option is for one that draws 2.50m which is 800kg heavier, while the shallow draught version with 2.20m is the heaviest of the three.

‘Clearly the deeper keel is going to be the most efficient when it comes to performance but for some the draught would rule this out. What doesn’t change is the stability which is the same for all three,’ says Jeppesen.

Below decks and using Arcona’s innovative online configurator to visualise the accommodation options, first impressions are of a similarly modest style and layout.

For those more focussed on performance the layout options will be the easiest one to tick off and yet even here there are some clever touches. The outboard-facing navigation station strikes a balance between the need for a chart table with the reality that few if any charts will ever be spread out on it.

Above and below: The default saloon layout has L-shaped dinette seating and an island galley. The owner’s cabin has a king size bed facing aft

‘We’ve stopped talking about the navigation station and tend to refer to this area as the workstation as that is more what it represents,’ says Jeppesen. ‘This definition certainly made it easier when it came to designing the detail such as the fold-out stool.’

The galley area provides an interesting alternative layout with an island style as opposed to the conventional U-shaped configuration.

‘The main driver here was to provide a version that addressed the accessibility of the port saloon settee. With the longitudinal galley and island configuration you don’t have to work yourself around the U-shaped seating to get there as the seating is ‘L’ shaped,’ he continues.

One typically Scandinavian feature is the option to have two armchairs to starboard. And by this stage the final spec is all about personal preferences. The same is true for the layout of the two aft cabins which can be configured with either double or twin berths.

When it comes to interior finish, Khaya mahogany joinery work is the standard option with an alternative light oak finish for those that want an even brighter space below decks. What is less obvious is the amount of joinery such as table tops and floors that have a cored construction to help keep the overall weight down, yet without compromising on the quality of finish and robustness.

So, while it may not be so obvious below decks, the original focus on We’ve stopped talking about the navigation station and tend to refer to this area as the workstation remains true.

But there is another factor that Lagnéus believes is essential despite being harder to quantify.

‘We believe that all our boats have to pass two key tests. For us to have succeeded their owners have to love to sail them and love to look at them.’

And while looks may be subjective, given the amount of work that has gone into ensuring the best possible performance and handling from a team with a long track record in this field, the performance of the new Arcona flagship looks unlikely to be up for debate.

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