Design and Construction
The hull form was not arrived at by eye. Cape Horn Engineering ran CFD studies on more than 15 different hull shapes, and the outcome was a hull with half a metre more beam than first projected, which owners report brought a significantly increased righting moment and was expected to be nearly a whole day quicker on a transoceanic passage. A telescopic keel from the Italian specialists APM lets the boat offer deep-draught performance — the draught range runs from 13 feet to just over 20 feet — without stealing interior volume. A single rudder was chosen for minimal weight, and the forward-facing retractable propulsion system, eight months in planning and engineering alongside the keel aperture, makes the hull markedly slipperier when withdrawn for sailing; its leg rotates 160 degrees each way, removing any need for a stern thruster. Weight saving runs through the structure: carbon cable trays, Nomex-cored furniture, and titanium deck fittings and stanchions appear throughout, and an extremely high-pressure 350-bar hydraulic package was specified — reportedly only the second such installation on a superyacht.
Rig and Handling
Above the deck, Liara carries a large North Sails wardrobe developed with the UK loft of Jeremy Elliot, headed by a powerful square-top main. Code and asymmetric sails fly from fixed or soft stays with halyard locks, while two furling staysails set on rams — a feature owners describe as practical and drawn from current offshore race boat thinking — add flexibility. Five dedicated sail bins below the foredeck let the crew raise and lower canvas safely without cluttering the working deck. The retractable drive and deep keel give her the kind of hull that, in the owner's account, sails in anything over 8 knots of breeze and during a transatlantic crossing sat consistently in the low to mid 20 knots, touching 25 knots under an A5 and second reef in mid-20s winds while averaging better than 300-mile days out of the Canaries.
Accommodations
Adam Lay's interior makes deliberate use of pale, bleached and stained oak with distinct textures and vibrant colour, and the owner's brief for natural light is met by a 9-square-metre sunroof set into the bimini and wide curved glass companionway doors that slide open at a hidden button. The master cabin lies forward, while two guest cabins sit abaft the saloon so occupants have a berth choice on passage. The guest cockpit can be sealed off in bad weather thanks to a boltrope groove around the bimini, turning an open lounging space into a sheltered one without permanent structure.
Deck and Refit Considerations
A solid bimini built from high-modulus prepregs and Nomex weighs just 480 kilograms and is removable for racing to shed mass and open the deck. Baltic built a full-size 1:1 mock-up of the deck so the owner could read the ergonomics before commitment — a sign of how bespoke the platform is. The 115 kW battery bank supports silent ship mode for up to eight hours with hotel services running, and a generator hung on the main engine's rear lets the boat cruise quietly at night, though the full extent of that installation was not detailed in the source account.
The Verdict
The Custom 112 is a one-off superyacht where computational design, aggressive weight saving, and a retractable drive converge into a 112-footer that sails like a much smaller boat yet carries an owner-configured interior of real refinement. She is uncompromising in engineering and demands a crew or owner comfortable with bespoke systems.
Pros
- CFD-developed hull with added beam and righting moment for passage speed
- Telescopic keel and retractable propulsion preserve interior space and reduce drag
- Extensive weight saving via carbon, Nomex, and titanium throughout
- High-performance sail plan with practical furling staysails and dedicated stowage
- Silent running from large battery bank and night-cruise generator
Cons
- Bespoke 350-bar hydraulics and RPS are specialist, high-complexity systems
- Removable bimini and racing setup imply a dual-purpose brief not all cruisers want
- Single known example means no production fleet experience to draw on
