Arcadia's A85 Flagship Is Italian Styling With Eco-Friendly Power: A Flawless Experience

Folks, Arcadia Yachts is a rather new name on the yachting scene, but since its arrival in 2010, this shipyard has grown to be recognized as a force to be reckoned with. Considering this industry is dominated by teams with over 100 years of history and know-how, this is no small feat.

As for how Arcadia rose to power, I've decided to shed light on their "first and iconic Arcadia yacht," the A85, their flagship. Why? Simply because it incorporates and displays all that Arcadia is about and, in the process, has won numerous awards and recognitions.

Considering each A85 is built out of composite materials, offers the cleanest and finest decor with a touch of opulence, and even processes the power of the sun to operate, how could it not be recognized as this shipyard's flagship? It's time to explore what around €4M ($4.3M at current exchange rates) can get you.

I mentioned that the A85 starts off with nothing more than a composite hull where fiberglass is king. The result is a semi-displacement vessel with a lighter weight than the average ship this size, allowing it to achieve higher speeds and demand less energy consumption from its two MAN I6 engines. Did I mention that they spit out a total of 1,600 hp?

However, some of the energy the A85 needs to operate is drawn from our favorite renewable resource, the sun. If you've explored the images in the gallery, you may have noticed all those black squares tattered all over the A85's exterior. Well, these are sun-processing cells, and with over 40 sq m (439 sq ft) of the stuff, up to 4.5 kW of juice can be generated. Other sections of the builder's website state that up to 5.5 kW are possible - maybe it's a typo - leading me to believe that your needs are customizable, as things should be at over $4M.

Now, one aspect of the A85's design really stood out against the sea of other ships measuring up to 26 m (83 m): its elongated, widened, and short stature. Within it, just two decks are crafted: the lower deck and the main deck. Yes, it's only a two-level ship, and funny enough, it does have room for a toy and tender garage, too; we'll get to that shortly.

Starting with the upper-most level, I particularly enjoyed how Arcadia created a vessel that offers just the right amount of interior and exterior living; half of this deck is occupied by an interior lounge, dining hall, and the wheelhouse, while the rest is all about soaking up the sunlight or just having a drink with a cool breeze flowing through your hair. Why not hang out on the forward-facing sunbed seen at the bow of the ship?

I also want to point out a neat little trick that these two spaces have up their sleeve. At any moment, weather permitting, the outdoor lounge and interior space can be molded into one continuous space, letting guests roam freely about the deck, which is made possible by sliding glass walls. Sure, the proverb states that you shouldn't build glass homes, but it says nothing about multi-million-dollar floating havens; good luck finding a rock to throw in the middle of the sea.

Once guests have had their fill of lounging, dining, and socializing on this flawless deck, it's time to retire to the lowest and final deck the A85 has in its designs. After we make our way down, let's start with the beam-to-beam master bedroom.

This space is found mid-ship and invites its owners with carpet flooring, perfect wooden furnishings, and granite and marble-filled bathrooms. Semiprecious metals, fine fabrics, and natural and artificial lighting work together to create what some might call harmony. I call it a ticket to some serious rocking of this boat!

VIP and other guest staterooms aren't any less lacking in luxury either, but a major difference is that they're smaller than the master bedroom, as is normal. After all, somebody has to feel the sting of not making millions. Still, I wouldn't complain one bit about being cooped up in one of these rooms.

Regarding any other spaces and features the A85 may be hiding, it all depends on what each owner adds to their own future vessel, but as standard, a toy garage is available at the rear of the lower deck, but you'll need to buy your own tender and gear, clearly. There are no freebies here, maybe just a complimentary bottle of bubbly to smash against the hull upon your A85's christening.

Now, I recently received word from our friends over at Northrop & Johnson that the freshest A85 (Motek), built in 2022, just sold to some lucky owner for €4.4M, and this included a tender. The differences lie in the interior styling, as they are as unique as each individual owner.

Still, the resemblance between what Arcadia offers and what they deliver is impressive, and in my so-called opinion, if I had the cash for a ship like this, the A85 would definitely be on my list of considerations.