Design and Construction
The Kraken 50 departs from modern cruiser convention at a glance: no plumb stem, no broad transom, no twin rudders, and no bolt-on fin. Instead she shows a raked stem, a moderately proportioned stern, and an integral keel with a single rudder on a full-length skeg. That keel is an integral part of the hull structure with no bolts, and its ballast bulb is incorporated within the keel itself, making it what the designer terms the Zero keel for its negligible chance of parting from the hull. The longer-than-modern-fin profile distributes loads over a greater area and steadies her on course.
Below the waterline the hull is solid laminate; above it, a foam core sits in the topsides. The layup is unusually heavy, with a minimum of 20 layers of engineered composite fibres including aramids, and the stem and keel leading edge embed Kevlar for collision protection. Six full-length stringers and multiple frames form a comprehensive stiffening matrix, all bonded in by hand rather than a vulnerable after-bonded grid. Forward, a watertight anchor-well bulkhead, a watertight bulkhead abaft the bow locker, and a foam-filled crash box beneath the anchor well close off the bow.
Rig and Handling
The Kraken 50 carries a keel-stepped Solent rig of high-fractional configuration, with three sets of swept spreaders, a bifurcated backstay, and an inner forestay taken to the watertight anchor-well bulkhead. The dual-headsail arrangement supports easy handling across wind strengths, and the large rudder — a NACA airfoil section with its skeg — held good grip even when bearing away with sheets pinned in. Steering gearing of over two turns lock-to-lock keeps the wheel manageable, and weather helm stayed modest with the main de-powered.
In motion she proved quick and easily driven in light airs, logging up to 8 knots under a full-cut genoa and an easy 8.5 knots on a fetch under a large lightweight genoa. Upwind with the Solent jib, speeds ran around 5.2 knots, and in 25 knots over the deck she stayed dry and comfortable under jib and full main. A centre cockpit raises the gooseneck about six feet above deck, with the stowed main's head near ten feet, and a Harken switch T-track can lower the sail stack slightly.
Accommodations
Buyers choose among 4, 5, and 6 berth layouts, with the galley and a walk-in engine room as constants. The saloon has a raised chart table to starboard for a clear view out, and joinery comes in cherry, teak, or light oak with all-wood drawers and inch-thick honeycomb-cored sole boards that lock in without rattle. On the test boat a forward guest cabin held an en-suite heads, stowage, and a fold-down desk. The cockpit itself is not enormous and uses a fixed table.
Safety and Systems
A fully protected skeg-hung rudder carries three independent bearings that can be serviced afloat or on passage. Deck safety runs to a deep concave moulded bulwark with a solid foothold and 80cm stanchions with triple wire safety lines. Fuel is carried in three aluminium tanks totaling 187 gallons; water sits in two stainless tanks of 147 gallons, and all tanks are reachable, cleanable, and removable. A tank-to-tank polishing system with a further polisher before the engine keeps contaminants out. A 5,000-litre-per-hour bilge pump with sensor guards against ingress, and all seacocks are accessible.
The Verdict
The Kraken 50 is a deliberately old-school blue-water hull wrapped in modern systems: an integral Zero keel, aramid-heavy collision laminate, and a sea-serviceable rudder answer the serious voyager's worries, while a Solent rig and electric winches keep short-handed passage work sane. She is no lightweight dock queen, but her numbers and test behavior show a boat that goes where she is pointed and stays dry doing it.
Pros
- Integral bolt-free keel with internal ballast bulb and heavy aramid layup for collision protection
- Fully protected skeg rudder with three bearings serviceable at sea
- Solent rig with twin headsails and manageable steering for short-handed ocean work
- Triple fuel polishing across three tanks; all tanks and seacocks accessible
Cons
- Modest cockpit with fixed table limits social space
- Raised centre cockpit pushes gooseneck high, complicating main handling
- Traditional proportions sacrifice the volume of a broad modern stern
