Kraken Yachts has confirmed the Kraken 44 is heading into production, after holding the boat back until its own shipyard in Gdynia, Poland, was open and operating. Three boats have already been sold, with the first delivery pencilled in for spring 2028, later than the late 2025 production and early 2026 delivery Kraken originally planned.
The 44 has been designed for couples and short-handed crews, built around a single helm and centre cockpit, though Kraken says it can accommodate four on ocean passages. It carries what designer Kevin Dibley calls the DNA of her bigger sisters, sharing the same Zero Keel and Alpha Rudder as the larger yachts. Its rudder bearings can be changed with the boat still afloat, useful given how limited haulout access can be in parts of the Pacific and Indonesia.
A Solent rig keeps two furling headsails ready to go, cutting foredeck work, and fuel runs through a triple polishing system that reduces the risk of contaminated diesel stopping the engine mid-passage. Kraken’s specification also includes a hybrid drive system, pairing the diesel with an electric motor that regenerates under sail. Kraken says this removes the need for a generator, although how the system performs aboard a finished Kraken 44 remains to be seen.
Dibley’s connection to the boat goes back twelve years, to a Queenstown meeting with Kraken founder Dick Beaumont. Beaumont, who had sailed more than 100,000 nautical miles, had clear ideas about the ideal ocean-crossing yacht, and Dibley, whose credits range from small racing trailer yachts to a 170-foot schooner, could draw it. The Kraken 50 had already been designed by then, but their 2014 conversation expanded into plans for the 44, 58 and 66. “Dick knew exactly what he wanted and I knew how to bring it to life,” Dibley recalls.
There will be one standard interior layout, with limited choices within it, while buyers can still select their own timber, upholstery and colours. Beaumont is clear the 44 isn’t intended to be a showboat.
Full specifications are available through Kraken Yachts.
