Arcadia A96 first look: The Italian custom yacht designed to be a floating sanctuary

The newest member of Arcadia’s A line, the Arcadia A96 is a custom yacht not just in terms of its style, features, equipment and fit-out but also in terms of its contemporary approach.

Spurred by changing appetites in a post-Covid world, Arcadia has put peace of mind and mental wellbeing at the very core of its A96 design.

In essence, this superyacht has been conceived as a restorative sanctuary that enables you to get yourself back in shape and the layout very much reflects that.

Sliding glass panels on the main and upper decks enable you to open up the side and aft bulkheads, creating vast open-air spaces and inviting in the sounds and smells of the sea.

Interior design by Igor Lobanov uses natural eco-friendly materials and there’s even a quiet meditation zone covering more than 500ft² on the forward part of the upper deck.

Elsewhere, a pair of spacious stern terraces, plus additional fold-down bulwarks amidships, enable the A96’s side decks, cockpit and aft beach club to provide nearly 1,000ft² of outdoor entertaining space.

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And yet, the new Arcadia A96 also does a good job of retaining the class-leading interior volume and service levels for which the existing A range is renowned. There are four large ensuite cabins on the lower deck plus plenty of space in the bow for up to five crew in three cabins.

From here, the crew can make their way unseen from the lower deck accommodation to the main deck galley and up again to the top deck pantry and bridge, without ever having to inconvenience the guests. And there’s also a 400ft² superyacht-style owner’s cabin with private balcony in the forward part of the main deck.

Impressive though all of that is, it’s great to see that the performance actually looks more like an Arcadia Sherpa explorer than an A line superyacht. By exercising careful control over the weight and limiting the full-load displacement to around 130 tonnes, the A96 is in fact the fastest boat in the Arcadia fleet.

With four Volvo Penta IPS 1,000hp engines, it will scoot right up to 24 knots and yet it still returns a reported 5 litres per nautical mile at 10 knots for a range of around 2,000nm.

Stylish, voluminous, dynamic and rigorously modern, the A96 looks like a conspicuous sweet spot in the Arcadia range and a very attractive way to sample the superyacht experience without pushing beyond the 100ft mark.

Update: The Arcadia A96 is due to go on display at the 2023 Cannes Yachting Festival.

Arcadia A96 specifications

LOA: 96ft 3in (29.34m)
Beam: 25ft 9in (7.87m)
Engines: 4 x Volvo Penta IPS 1200-1350s
Top speed: 24 knots
Price: Available on application