Stefan Qviberg 1949-2018
Stefan Qviberg, the Swedish naval architect who designed every model of Arcona Yachts to date, died in November after a period of illness.
Qviberg’s designs range from the first Arcona 32 he drew in
1980 to the 410 that launched this autumn and is currently nominated for European Yacht of the Year. The Arcona 400, designed in 1999, was Qviberg’s most successful model.
Qviberg studied shipbuilding at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm at a time when Sweden was a leader in ship construction.
“He specialised in yachts early on,” says his longterm friend, Torgny Jansson, founder of Arcona Yachts. After graduating, Qviberg approached Jansson’s father with a design for a 32-footer that became the first Arcona. Eight were sold from the drawings.
“Stefan’s greatness was that he understood the cruiser-racer,” Jansson says. “He knew that anchor windlasses and watermakers etc were needed, so he understood that extra weight was required, yet the boats should still sail well.”
Qviberg’s designs have a reputation for being seaworthy and fast, with traditional manners.
He was a keen sailor who competed on International Folkboats in his youth before moving to offshore racing. He kept his own Arcona 400, SWE 1, Summerwine, moored on a buoy outside his house in Västervik.
“Some people really live for something,” Jansson says, “and Stefan was really living for sailing and yacht design.”