Design and Construction
The Kraken 50 departs visibly from current cruising convention: there’s no plumb stem, broad transom, twin rudders, or bolt-on fin. Instead, it has a raked stem, a moderately proportioned stern, and a single rudder mounted on a full-length skeg.
The keel is integral to the hull structure, with no keel bolts. Its ballast bulb is incorporated within the keel itself. The designer calls this the Zero keel because of its negligible chance of parting from the hull. Longer than a modern fin, the keel distributes loads over a greater area and helps steady the boat on course.
At roughly 40,200 pounds displacement, with 14,330 pounds of lead ballast in the integral keel, the Kraken has the proportions of a serious long-distance hull. Its displacement-to-length ratio is near 198, while its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is just under 20.
Below the waterline, the hull is solid laminate; above it, a foam core sits in the topsides. The unusually heavy layup includes a minimum of 20 layers of engineered composite fibres, including aramids. Kevlar is embedded in the stem and keel leading edge for collision protection.
Six full-length stringers and multiple frames create a comprehensive stiffening matrix. These are bonded in by hand rather than installed as a potentially vulnerable after-bonded grid. Forward, the bow is closed off by a watertight anchor-well bulkhead, a watertight bulkhead abaft the bow locker, and a foam-filled crash box beneath the anchor well.
Rig, Steering, and Performance
The Kraken 50 carries a keel-stepped, high-fractional Solent rig with three sets of swept spreaders and a bifurcated backstay. Its inner forestay is taken to the watertight anchor-well bulkhead. The twin-headsail arrangement makes the sail plan easier to handle across a range of wind strengths.
The large rudder has a NACA airfoil section and is supported by its skeg. It maintained good grip even when the boat bore away with the sheets pinned in. Steering takes more than two turns from lock to lock, keeping the wheel manageable, while weather helm remained modest with the mainsail de-powered.
In light airs, the Kraken proved quick and easily driven. It logged up to 8 knots under a full-cut genoa and an easy 8.5 knots on a fetch under a large lightweight genoa. Upwind under the Solent jib, speeds were around 5.2 knots. In 25 knots over the deck, it remained dry and comfortable under jib and full main.
The centre cockpit puts the gooseneck about six feet above the deck, with the head of the stowed mainsail close to ten feet. A Harken switch T-track can lower the sail stack slightly.
Cockpit and Accommodation
Buyers can choose among 4-, 5-, and 6-berth layouts. The galley and a walk-in engine room remain constant.
In the saloon, a raised chart table to starboard gives a clear view outside. Joinery is available in cherry, teak, or light oak. The drawers are all wood, while the inch-thick, honeycomb-cored sole boards lock into place without rattling. On the test boat, the forward guest cabin included an en-suite heads, stowage, and a fold-down desk.
The cockpit itself isn’t enormous and has a fixed table.
Safety and Systems
The fully protected, skeg-hung rudder runs on three independent bearings that can be serviced afloat or on passage.
On deck, a deep, concave moulded bulwark provides a solid foothold. The boat also has 80cm stanchions and triple-wire safety lines.
Fuel is carried in three aluminium tanks with a combined capacity of 187 gallons. Two stainless-steel water tanks hold 147 gallons. All tanks are accessible, cleanable, and removable. A tank-to-tank fuel-polishing system, backed by another polisher before the engine, helps keep contaminants out.
A 5,000-litre-per-hour bilge pump with sensor guards against water ingress, and all seacocks are accessible.
The Verdict
The Kraken 50 combines a deliberately old-school blue-water hull with modern systems. Its integral Zero keel, aramid-heavy collision laminate, and sea-serviceable rudder address serious voyagers’ concerns, while the Solent rig and electric winches keep short-handed passage work manageable.
This is no lightweight dock queen. Its numbers and test performance point to a boat that goes where it’s aimed and remains dry along the way.
Pros
- Integral, bolt-free keel with an internal ballast bulb
- Heavy aramid layup and Kevlar reinforcement for collision protection
- Fully protected skeg-hung rudder with three bearings serviceable at sea
- Solent rig with twin headsails and manageable steering for short-handed ocean sailing
- Fuel polishing across three tanks, plus a further polisher before the engine
- Accessible tanks and seacocks
Cons
- Modest cockpit and fixed table limit social space
- Raised centre cockpit puts the gooseneck high, complicating mainsail handling
- Traditional proportions sacrifice the volume offered by a broad modern stern
