Design and Construction
The Baltic 50’s profile looks racy but carries more cabintrunk than a typical racing boat, giving the deckhouse a presence absent from stripped-out competitors for this visual distinction. The hull follows an IMS-friendly shape, paired with deep, high-aspect-ratio keel and rudder blades suited to sustained reaching and tight windward angles.
The yacht measures 50 feet overall, with a 43-foot-7-inch waterline, a beam quoted as 14" in the source record, and a 9.9-foot draft. Displacement is 21,069 pounds, including 9,000 pounds of ballast. Her displacement-to-length ratio of 113 places her at the longer, lighter end of the spectrum.
A generous cockpit opens directly to the transom. Bun-cheek chamfers in the coaming give the helmsman a comfortable place to sit when the boat is heeled.
Rig and Handling
The sail plan is built for drive. The Baltic 50 carries 1,316 square feet of sail and has a sail area-to-displacement ratio of 27.6, giving her a powerful rig for her weight. The mainsail roach overlaps the backstay, increasing the working area aloft without a conventionally obstructed hoist from the backstay.
The deep blade keel and matching rudder provide the directional bite and low drag associated with high-aspect foils. A low D/L of 113 helps keep the boat moving in modest breeze.
Auxiliary power comes from a 51-horsepower Yanmar diesel. Tankage comprises 34.32 gallons of fuel and 66 gallons of water.
Accommodations
Baltic offered three interior layouts spanning the range from cruising to racing. Layout No. 1 is the most cruising-oriented, with a forward shower and a wrap-around dinette intended to make living aboard easier in the cruising layout.
At the other end of the range, Layout No. 3 is the raciest. It uses straight settee-berths, while the starboard quarter cabin becomes a pipe-berth crew area for shorthanded sailing or race-crew use. The middle option falls between these two approaches. The extra cabintrunk noted in the yacht’s profile supplies the volume that makes the cruising layouts plausible rather than cramped.
Verdict
The Baltic 50 Custom is a thoughtful execution of the dual-purpose brief: a long, light hull with high-aspect foils and a powerful rig, paired with an interior program flexible enough to suit both a cruising couple and a race crew. The Tripp office hull and R&J Design interior give the yacht a coherent identity rather than the feel of a compromised mash-up.
Pros
- IMS-friendly hull shape, with a D/L of 113 and an SA/D of 27.6, for light, fast performance
- Deep, high-aspect keel and rudder for race-bred handling
- Three layouts, ranging from a cruising-oriented wrap-around dinette to a pipe-berth race layout
- Cockpit opens to the transom, with chamfered coamings for helmsman comfort when heeled
Cons
- 9.9-foot draft limits access to shallow anchorages
- 66-gallon water capacity is modest for extended cruising
