The news that Salona Yachts is probably working on a new 38-foot model has been circulating on social media for some time. However, no confirmation from the shipyard or concrete information about the boat was available until now. But now it is official: the new Salona 380 is already under construction and is expected to leave the AD Boats shipyard in Solin near Split this spring. The first tests are then scheduled for March 2016.
With the development of the new ship, Salona Yachts has also changed its design partner. Previously, the designers at J&J Design worked for the Croatian company. Now the plans and outline drawings come from Italy, from Maurizio Cossutti (Cossutti Yacht Design). The ORCi and IRC specialist has already drawn for Italia Yachts, among others, and has also supplied the plans for some very successful one-off regatta yachts.
The new 380 has a completely new look for Salona. Compared to its predecessor, the Salona 38 (tested in YACHT 3/2012), the stern and bow stem are now almost vertical. The hull has become 10 centimetres wider with the same length, and the freeboard appears significantly higher. And for his design, Cossutti - like an increasing number of other designers - has dispensed with the previously fashionable chines. The almost aggressive lines for the design of the superstructure windows are also striking. The look is probably intended to polarise and characterise the new line. The long, narrow hull windows are also new to Salona.
The folding bathing platform is also a first for the shipyard. Salona had previously only fitted this on the very large models 60 & 67. For the 380s, Salona customers will be able to order the tailgate as an option for the first time. However, the cockpit layout remains conservative. This means that halyards and trim lines are led via the coachroof to the winches at the companionway, while the sheets for the genoa and main (German Cupper Sheeting) run on primary and secondary sheet winches on the cockpit coaming - a standard arrangement for medium-sized performance boats. No option in the form of a tiller is planned for the double steering wheels for the time being.
The short genoa with 106 per cent overlap can be trimmed using the line-adjustable hoist points on the coachroof. The boat can also be fitted with a gennaker, spinnaker and/or a code zero, and the shipyard can also install a fixed bowsprit on request.
The hull and deck of the Salona 380 are built as a GRP sandwich construction using a vacuum infusion process with a foam core and vinyl ester resins. The 2.10 metre deep cast iron keel is optionally available in an L or T shape with ballast bomb, depending on measurement preferences (ORCi or IRC).
Conventional and standard class layouts with two or three cabins and a wet room are available for the interior. This corresponds to the usual class standard. On the previous Salona 38 model, the shipyard offered an additional bathroom in the forward cabin as an option. However, this meant that the space available in the foredeck was severely restricted and, strangely enough, the cabin was only accessible from the saloon (see YACHT-tv article below). Salona has abandoned this solution for the new boat. There is still a toilet room aft in all the layout variants.
Salona Yachts has decided not to take part in the boot trade fair in Düsseldorf, but has instead announced a public presentation of the new boat for March 2016 at the shipyard in Split. This is certainly something to look forward to and make a note of the date. The Croatians have also already announced a price: the Salona 380 will cost 166,600 euros, including 19 per cent VAT.
The Salona 380 image section with all renderings, including the interior fittings:
The Salona 38 tested by YACHT-TV
