Design and Construction
The 400 was the first Arcona to use a hot-dip galvanized steel chassis bolted to the main bulkheads. This marked a structural departure from earlier models, whose reinforced fiberglass grids absorbed the dynamic loads from the keel and rig.
Boo Marine (Boo Marin AB) built the boat in Sweden. The fiberglass hull is hand-laminated as a sandwich with a high-density Divinycell core, multiaxial rovings, and ISO-polyester resin, with solid fiberglass deck and hull skins. and there are no interior liners; structural bulkheads and berth fronts are laminated directly to the shell.
The Arcona 400 measures 39.3 feet overall with a 12.5-foot beam, giving a length-to-beam ratio of 3.14. Its 5,952 pounds of lead ballast and 15,432-pound displacement produce a ballast ratio of 41 percent, marking it as a deliberately beamy, firmly ballasted hull. The displacement-length ratio is 179, giving the boat a light-racer profile.
Its fin keel with bulb draws about 6.6 to 6.9 feet, depending on load. That draft contributes to the boat’s stiffness but limits it to major marinas.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The fractional sloop rig is unambiguously muscular. The Arcona 400 carries more rig than 86 percent of all similar sailboats—a significantly overrigged configuration. With a 135 percent genoa, its sail-area-to-displacement ratio reaches 23.1, or 19.9 using the ISO reference sail.
That power sits on a hull with about 495 square feet of wetted surface and a theoretical displacement hull speed of 7.9 knots. The calculated maximum speed under the Volvo Penta MD2040 saildrive is about 6.6 knots.
Recommended running rigging reflects the loads expected from the large sail plan. The mainsail, jib, and spinnaker halyards each run 39.7 meters and are 12 mm in diameter. The sheets and 30-meter mainsheet are 14 mm.
The boat’s capsize screening value is 1.96, while its motion comfort ratio ranges from 23.4 to 24.8. Those figures place it in credible ocean-capable territory, and the Arcona 400 holds CE Class A (Ocean) certification.
Accommodation and Cruising Capacity
Rather than using a molded interior liner, the builder laminated the berth fronts and bulkheads directly to the hull. This gives the interior a structural honesty that suits a boat certified for extended ocean use.
The boat has a 34.5-foot waterline and carries 69 gallons of water, supporting liveaboard-style cruising. A 40-gallon diesel tank supplies the single 38-horsepower Volvo Penta engine.
With an immersion rate of about 1,504 pounds per inch, the hull settles predictably under cruising load—a useful trait when provisioning for the passages its CE rating implies.
Known Issues and Practical Constraints
The Arcona 400’s known constraints are inherent in its specification rather than faults. Its 6.6-to-6.9-foot draft limits access to shallower harbors and marinas.
The saildrive transmission is efficient and clean under power, but, like all saildrives, it requires disciplined anode management and seal inspection over time.
The overrigged sail plan is a performance virtue, but it also places substantial loads on the running rigging. Aged halyards and sheets should therefore be assessed against the original 12 mm and 14 mm diameters rather than casually replaced with lighter line.
The Verdict
The Arcona 400 is the boat that earned its yard a place among serious cruiser-racer builders. It’s a Qviberg-designed, CE Class A Swedish yacht with a galvanized chassis, a genuinely overrigged fractional sloop rig, and a linerless hull built for load. It’s quick, stiff, and ocean-rated, but its draft and saildrive are two practical realities any buyer must plan around.
Pros
- Commercial and critical breakthrough for Arcona, launched in 2000
- Galvanized steel chassis and linerless laminated structure
- Significantly overrigged fractional rig
- CE Class A (Ocean) certification
- Light-racer displacement-length ratio with comfortable motion numbers
Cons
- Draft of 6.6–6.9 feet limits marina access
- Saildrive transmission requires ongoing attention to seals and anodes
- Large original rigging diameters leave little room for casual downsizing of the running gear
