Recently, the AD-Boats shipyard and the Salona Yachts brand have remained rather quiet. The brand has continued to show its presence with only sporadic trade fair appearances, and new boats have also been built continuously at the production facility in Solin near Split. However, the last new development, the Salona 380, was almost five years ago. With new management and fresh, committed plans, the yacht builders in Solin near Split now want to get off to a flying start. The Salona 460, which will replace the Salona 44 (tested in YACHT 3/2010) as the flagship of the range, marks the start of a comprehensive programme renewal. And: Marin Donadini, the new CEO of Salona Yacht and AD-Boats, has already announced further smaller models for 2021 and 2022 to the YACHT editorial team.
As usual with Salona, the design plans for the new flagship come from the Jakopin brothers' J&J Design studio in Slovenia. The 460 largely adopts the proven concept of its predecessor, the Salona 44, but features a much more modern hull shape with a wide and flat stern, a steep stem and a fixed bowsprit. In addition, deeper and sportier hull appendages are built underneath the 13.50 metre long performance cruiser. The keel is now T-shaped with a torpedo bomb. Another new feature is the option of a folding bathing platform to close off the cockpit at the stern.
The cockpit retains the tried-and-tested layout for sporty boats of this size. This means: primary and secondary winches for the genoa and mainsheet on the coaming, plus the halyards and trim lines over the cockpit roof on two stopper batteries to the side of the companionway. With external shrouds, the foresail area is limited to a maximum overlap of 110 per cent. The comparatively high rig (aluminium standard) still has an impressive sail area of 109.0 square metres. The sail load factor is an upscale 4.9, which indicates a lot of performance potential.
The AD-Boats shipyard builds the hulls and decks of its yachts as robust sandwich constructions with a foam core using a vacuum infusion process and vinylester resin. For better load distribution, the hull is also braced with an extended, galvanised steel frame to which the keel and, in extension, the shrouds are directly connected.
Two variants with three or four double cabins and two toilet rooms, each with shower compartments, are planned for the interior below deck. Unfortunately, Salona is not yet able to provide any detailed information on the interior fittings in terms of wood, materials and colours. It is probably still too early in the development process for this. The new moulds for the hull and deck are currently being created. But the yacht builders in Croatia want to be able to present the new flagship at the autumn boat shows. And the first price has already been announced: Salona's new flagship will cost 308,210 euros, including 19 per cent VAT.
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Michael Good
Editor Test & Technology
