Design and Construction
The 380 shows a modern European profile with minimal sheer and a plumb bow and stern, and its keel structure is built around a bulb attached to a galvanized steel beam running lengthwise down the hull, glassed in place to absorb dynamic loads anchor. The surrounding structure is serious: the whole area up to the chainplates is strengthened with unidirectional glass, most of the remaining hull is cored with Divinycell, and bulkheads are laminated directly to deck and hull rather than set into a liner. The later 385 carries the same philosophy forward with a galvanized steel cradle at its heart taking all rig, mast, and keel loads, ensuring the boat is strong, stiff, and responsive anchor, and its lay-up uses a 20mm Divinycell foam core with vacuum infusion. Arcona's choice to keep weight central rather than pushing tankage and stowage to the ends reflects a performance-first brief.
Rig and Handling
On the 380, shrouds sit outboard on the rail with short genoa tracks well inboard, yielding tacking angles as narrow as 32 degrees to the wind anchor. Primary winches for the genoa and secondaries for the spinnaker are mounted on the cockpit coaming, while two cabintop winches handle halyards and sail controls. A cockpit traveller governs the mainsheet, and testers noted the falls can catch the unwary during a gybe. Yachting Monthly's test sailors found the 380 positively flies upwind, and that her structural stiffness and ballast distribution let her carry full canvas when others are reefing anchor, off the wind she glided regally, accelerating under total helmsman control. The magazine called her the benchmark among performance cruisers for those who genuinely enjoy sailing, though she is not a boat for beginners given the readily available power.
Accommodations
The 380's standard layout places a V-berth forward, twin aft cabins, and a saloon with a two-leaf dining table seating six with built-in bottle storage; the chart table folds back to convert the starboard settee into a 6-foot 6-inch berth, and maximum headroom runs 6 feet 3 inches. A two-cabin version swaps the second aft cabin for an enclosed shower and delivers markedly more stowage. The 385 standardizes three cabins with an optional two-cabin separate-shower arrangement, and takes in the full 3.8m beam in a generous saloon meant for entertaining, with wide side decks and a spacious cockpit. Testers praised the 380's L-shaped galley as a fine example with good stowage and ventilation, though they flagged limited stowage confined to outboard lockers and the slender space below the sole, and noted the aft cabins are a bit tight. The 385's larger hull and coachroof windows bring increased natural light below, and its open transom admits more cabin light while giving accessible lazarette stowage.
Equipment and Cockpit
Both models favor twin wheels — carbon on the 385, mounted on angled pedestals on the 380 with a chartplotter display at each station — and the 385 adds a larger instrument panel above the companionway for bigger helm instruments. The 380's dodger folds down into a cabintop coaming curving around the hatch, and a simple walk-through leads to a bathing step with ladder; the 380's transom center is open and steps down to a swimstep, a feature standardized as an open transom on the 385. A windlass and bow roller are options on the 380, and propane is stowed forward in the anchor locker.
Known Considerations
The dominant theme from period reviews is temperament: the 380 is a beautifully engineered, refined sports tourer with plenty of power that is easily controlled by those who know the boat but may scare newer sailors, and the mainsheet traveller geometry demands awareness during gybes. Stowage is the recurring practical caveat — limited in the standard three-cabin 380 and only resolved by ordering the two-cabin version.
The Verdict
The Arcona 380 and 385 are serious performance cruisers from a Swedish builder with a clear design voice: central-weight structure, stiff glassed-in steel backbone, and a helm that rewards an active sailor. They are fastest and most composed in the hands of a couple or crew who already sail, and the accommodation trade-offs lean toward light and speed over volume.
Pros
- Stiff, responsive hull with glassed-in steel keel beam and Divinycell-cored structure
- Narrow tacking angles and excellent upwind pace for a 37-footer
- Generous natural light and open-transom practicality on the 385
- Strong performance-cruiser pedigree from Stefan Qviberg
Cons
- Limited stowage in standard three-cabin layout
- Not forgiving for novice owners given the available power
- Mainsheet traveller falls can catch the unwary on a gybe
