Design and Construction
What distinguishes the Arcona 50 structurally is not merely its size but the way Arcona has reworked its longstanding construction logic for a larger, heavier platform. The hull, deck, and internal structure are vacuum-infused Divinycell-cored GRP with carbon reinforcement in strategic areas, while bulkheads are themselves in Divinycell foam sandwich — a first for the marque in cored furniture, with honeycomb or foam also coring doors, floors, and lockers to shed weight normally carried by plywood. The builder argues that weight saved is put into lead in the keel, which helps translate to high stability and pointing, and a taller rig for more performance; the savings are quantified by the yard at 60kg over typical plywood for bulkheads, doors, and lockers, and another 30kg in the plywood honeycomb companionway steps. Vacuum-infused composite watertight bulkheads both forward and aft separate the accommodation from the bow sail locker and the dinghy garage, aiding peace of mind.
Beneath that, the keel remains anchored to a galvanised steel frame bolted to solid GRP stringers — a backbone technique longstanding at Arcona. On the 50, the keel is a fin of Swedish cast iron with a lead bulb, bolted straight into the hull's galvanised steel matrix itself bolted to frames and stringers, making it far stiffer than a GRP matrix; the keel root sits in a recess for a more watertight bond, the lead bulb is formed around and bolted through a steel H-beam, and the fin tapers downward while its edges curve convexly to midpoint. A wide, full stern balanced by full bow sections, pronounced hull chines, an inverse knuckle halfway up the bow, and a flatter run aft than usual for the displacement all speak to a deliberate modern hull form. The rudders are twin — a first for Arcona — on separate quadrants with independent Jefa steering connections so one can be lost and the other still used.
Rig and Handling
The Arcona 50 was designed to be easily handled by two people, and the equipment list bears that out: a three-spreader mast with discontinuous rod rigging, twin hydraulic backstay cylinders with a central pumpstation, powered winches aft, and a recessed central single mainsheet block below the cockpit floor. The optional electrically operated mainsheet traveller track, also recessed, can be shifted across the boat in eight seconds by captive Harken winches. A carbon mast and furling carbon boom is available, as is an optional inner forestay for a furling heavy-weather jib and a moulded carbon bowsprit set below deck height to lengthen Code Zero and gennaker luff. Test sailors found her fast to find its groove and boasting plenty of grip, albeit for a very neutral feel on the helm; upwind in 10–12 knots she clocked late 7s to early 8s knots and tacked through 80°, and once heeled onto her soft aft chine she stops leaning and accelerates at a consistent angle. Under Code 0 in 14 knots true she averaged 10 knots, and under gennaker in 13–17 knots held over 10 at 70–80° to apparent, touching 11.7.
Accommodations
Below, the Arcona 50 is the yard's widest ever boat at 4.60m, and the volume is spent generously. The interior is Khaya Mahogany as standard, upgradeable to Scandinavian Light Oak, with cored woodwork for weight-saving. The saloon has C-shaped seating to port, a starboard straight settee that serves as a sea berth, a movable locked seat at the table, and a forward bulkhead given to book shelving and recessed TV. A full-sized chart table faces outboard with a swing-out stool, optional forward-facing. The galley to port at the companionway carries a gimballed cooker with oven, generously-sized sink and fridge, a 90L top-opener (120L noted elsewhere, with front-opening or third-fridge options), a Nespresso locker, and a separate dishcloth sink; a second layout closes galley access from the companionway and links it to the saloon. The owners' cabin forward has a midships kingsize bed, over 190cm headroom, en-suite with separate shower, and gas-strut lift revealing two bins. Two aft cabins have double berths convertible to twins; a separate guest heads with shower sits opposite the galley. Large hull windows, flush hatches, and dimmable LEDs keep it bright.
Known Issues
The sources are largely laudatory, but a few practical gaps appear. The coamings are shallow and the coachroof flat, giving very little cockpit protection unless the sprayhood is raised from its recessed well, and there is currently no option to close off the transom. The aft heads door is noted as tight to close once entered, with the yard likely to change it to open outwards. The test boat appeared bow-down in footage, the wide stem pushing a bow wave, though no causative claim is made. Otherwise, documented structure — watertight bulkheads, independent rudder quadrants, concealed fuel breathers, midships tanks low and central — reads as considered rather than flawed.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership ergonomics lean on push-button control: retractable bow and stern thrusters, 80hp Yanmar saildrive standard (100hp optional with common rail and optional generator), folding prop, and an optional 10kW generator in the service locker between aft cabins with 640Ah lithium at 24V. The dinghy garage revealed by an electrically lowered bathing platform houses an inflated 2.7m (up to 2.8m RIB) tender. Refit paths are mostly factory options — carbon rig, furling boom, extra fridges, washing machine in place of wet locker, handrail on headlining — rather than corrective work, suggesting a new-build rather than aged-platform ownership profile.
The Verdict
The Arcona 50 is a thoroughly modern flagship that earns its luxury-performance label through structural reinvention and genuine short-handed capability, not trim alone. It is a first of many kinds for Arcona and wears them coherently.
Pros
- First Arcona with twin rudders, tender garage, L-shaped cockpit benches, and twin tables
- Vacuum-infused cored structure with galvanised steel keel matrix and watertight forward/aft bulkheads
- Two-person handling via powered winches, hydraulic backstay, recessed traveller, and thrusters
- Strong measured performance upwind and reaching with neutral helm and chine-limited heel
- Bright, large three-cabin interior with convertible aft berths and practical galley options
Cons
- Shallow coamings and flat coachroof give little cockpit protection; no transom closure option
- Aft heads door tight as delivered (yard likely to revise)
- Test footage suggested bow-down balance with stem wave, unresolved in sources
