That's a favorite boat, one that I would not mind to have (when I got older and the Comet 41s proves to be too much for me to handle eh! eh!), a beautiful fast boat with classic lines and a design criteria not far from the Comet with a big ballast ratio and a moderated beam. The boat was tested recently by Yachting Monthly and Chris Benson, normally very contained in his praises says wonders about the Arcona 380:
"If the 380 were a car, she would be an Aston Martin: a beautifully-engineered, luxurious and refined sports tourer, purring with power and control. ... For anyone who actively and genuinely enjoys the business of sailing, this boat is the benchmark. Drape an arm over the lifelines, check your position on the binnacle plotter, and luxuriate in a peerless helming experience, unrivalled among production boats. I defy anyone to sail this boat and not smile as she leans gently on a gust and surges forward. It's pure sailing pleasure.
She positively flies upwind. Her structural stiffness and ballast distribution allow her to carry full canvas when others will be reefing. Off the wind she glided across the water regally, accelerating with each extra knot, once again with the helmsman in total control. ...
...She's not a boat for beginners. For a start, she's got plenty of power - easily controlled if you know what you're doing but she might scare newbies. With a cockpit traveller, the falls of the mainsheet could catch the unwary during a gybe, too. Plus, if you're new to sailing, you should sail something else for a few years just so you can appreciate how good the 380 is.
If you're a dinghy-sailing couple looking for a classy, sporty cruiser then she could be right up your alley, likewise a couple with a more sedate cruising yacht looking to get a bit more excitement out of their time afloat as well as expanding their cruising range thanks to her effortless speed..."
more here:
If Arnaud is reading this he is probably thinking that this is the right boat for him and Vonnie and he would be absolutely right but this is an expensive one and very dificult to find on the used market where they have always high resale values, but then we only live once ;-)
Here the Swedish test on Hamnen (well I don't understand a thing of what they are sayng but I can read their expressions and I am quite sure they are saying nice things about the boat ;-)
It's good to be back, enjoy your reviews (and Alma's logbook).
ReplyDeleteAny news on the new Rob Humphreys-designed Azuree 40 by Sirena Marine.
I know Rob designed the new 46.
If appearance remain the same, the Elan 400 would be a close match.
Sorry for the delay but I have been on passage from Greece to Italy (260NM) and things went not as they should: Lost the engine and the autopilot and had to change course to get pieces to put all in order. It is everything alright now and i am cruising along Calabria on the way to Roma.
DeleteNo, but it is supposed to be like that. From the moment they let go out that they are making a new 40 the old 40 will not sell more and I have seen some new Azuree 40 will i sailed on Turkey.
Even if Rob Humphreys is the designer of the Elan 400 and the designer of the next Azuree 40 I don't think the design criteria would be the same: The Elan 400 is a performance cruiser and a cruiser racer designed to do well on the regatta circuit (IRC and ORC). I will bet that the new Azuree 40 will be more oriented to Offshore racing, more influenced by open solo racers (Humphreys as also an experienced class 40 and Open 60 designer). Off course, both will be performance cruisers but their strong points in what regards performance will be different and I will say that the new Azuree 40 will have a better cruising interior.
Hm, saw the Arcona here in Sweden and I did not like it very much. Too small and too high up hull windows and not possible for crew to sit out on the cockpit back rests. By the way, a strange trend. Look at old Etaps, Jeanneaus, Feelings, Gibseas and they had excellent ergonomics for this while modern even perfromance cruisers send the (often) wife and kids down into the cockpit. No wonder they do not like wind and waves!
ReplyDeleteAnders