Review of Arcona 38

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The hull is a sandwich construction which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.

The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany. Mahogany belongs to the hardwood species, known for being water-repellent and resistant to decay. It has an attractive wood grain and holds wood polish and varnish well.
The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 9 berths, a galley, 180.0 liter fresh water capacity, toilet facility and 55.0 liter waste water capacity.

The Arcona 38 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Fin keel

The Arcona 38 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.90 - 2.00 meter (6.23 - 6.53 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Arcona 38 may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD2030 diesel engine at 28 hp (20 kW). Calculated max speed is about 5.6 knots

The transmission is a saildrive.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 90.0 liters (23 US gallons, 19 imperial gallons).

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Arcona 38 is 1.84, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.6 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Arcona 38 is about 227 kg/cm, alternatively 1273 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 227 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1273 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Arcona 38 is 27.7.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Arcona 38 is 3.27.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Arcona 38 is 35%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Arcona 38 is 216 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 39m² (419 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Arcona 38 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.