Design and Construction
Qviberg’s objectives for the Arcona line produced a 36-foot-4-inch hull on a 33-foot-5-inch waterline, carrying 13,669 pounds of displacement with a 4,850-pound lead bulb keel and a beam of nearly 11 feet 10 inches. The structure is serious: a galvanised steel box section runs along the centreline with transverse girders tying the hull, bulkheads, chainplate anchors and keel fastenings together so that rig and keel loads are spread evenly anchor. That internal galvanised steel frame is bolted to the stringers and main bulkhead, stiffening the hull and accepting the loads from rig and keel, while the keel itself is bolted through the frame. Arcona eschews interior liners; surveyors note that all bulkheads, structural floors and fixed furniture are hand laminated to the hull skin, and the hull-to-deck joint is over laminated. The hull and deck are infused resin over a Divinycell closed-cell foam core that tapers to solid laminate in the lower underwater body around the keel, through-hulls and rudder tube. Mahogany joinery, which the reviewer noted stands up to abuse better than most timbers, is used below, with no interior mouldings except in the heads.
Rig, Helm and Handling
At the helm the Arcona 370 keeps a single wheel rather than the twin wheels common on modern equivalents, and the cockpit has a cut-out in the sole with a transom only moderately wide by today’s standards, letting the helm be comfortably reached. The steering itself drew praise from the tester for its light yet positive feel and high gearing that gives a single turn from lock to lock. With a fractional sloop rig on a 60.7-foot mast and 718 square feet of sail area, the 370 sits at a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of about 20, a number consistent with a cruiser-racer that can cover miles but is not overcanvased.
Accommodations
Below, the 370 follows the proven offshore layout with the galley to port and the chart table to starboard by the companionway. Locker units run each side of the saloon up to the deckhead, and a door abaft the heads opens into the aft locker for practical stowage. A pair of cowl vents abaft the mast aids air circulation below decks. Stainless steel fuel and water tanks are fitted, which the reviewer observed would not require a chainsaw to remove if service became necessary. The bonded bulkheads and directly laminated berth fronts speak to a structure meant to stay quiet at sea.
Known Issues
The galvanised steel frame that gives the 370 her stiffness is not invulnerable: even galvanised steel frames can rust. One surveyor found that a broken shower drain let waste water sit in the bilge, the main bulkhead began to decay, and the frame rusted from inside as water entered the holes cut to allow the zinc to flow. The same surveyor has found cracks on Arcona hulls around the keel as the flexible fibreglass hull distorted around the rigid frame. The lead keel is a great shock absorber but gives only very subtle clues of past groundings; one 370 struck a rock in the Stockholm archipelago at 8.5 knots, with the owner airlifted and the boat back afloat a couple of days later after a minor hull repair abaft the keel.
Ownership Notes
For an owner, the 370’s lack of interior liners and directly bonded structure mean repairs are straightforward but must respect the steel frame’s vulnerability to trapped water. The stainless tanks and mahogany joinery are serviceable, and the single-wheel cockpit simplifies steering gear. Around 80 boats exist, so spares and class knowledge are reasonably traceable within the Arcona community.
The Verdict
The Arcona 370 is a thoughtfully engineered Scandinavian cruiser-racer whose infused foam-core hull, centreline steel frame and bonded bulkheads produce a stiff, quiet offshore hull. Her lead keel and balanced helm make her a dependable passagemaker, while the conventional companionway layout keeps the sea-going essentials close at hand. Buyers should respect the frame’s rust risk and inspect for hidden water ingress.
Pros
- Stiff, load-sharing galvanised steel frame bolted through keel and bulkheads
- Divinycell foam core with solid lower laminate and over-laminated deck joint
- Single-wheel helm with light, positive steering and quick lock-to-lock gearing
- Conventional offshore galley-port / chart-table-starboard layout with good stowage
Cons
- Galvanised frame can rust internally if bilge water is left standing
- Cracks may appear around the keel where hull flex meets the rigid frame
- Lead keel masks grounding damage, demanding careful survey
