Baltic

See all ‘Baltic’ yachts

Baltic Yachts made its reputation building high-tech, semi-custom sailing yachts, but in recent years, it has launched a fleet of custom superyachts by noted designers.

History

In 1973, five young yacht builders defected from the well-known Finnish shipyard Nautor and formed their own company, Baltic Yachts, in the Bosund region of western Finland. Their goal was to become a niche builder of high-quality, high-tech sailing yachts for performance-oriented racing and cruising sailors. To staff their shipyard, they drew from local talent in the region; a shipbuilding centre since the 16th century. The founders’ goal was to build sailing yachts that were “faster, stronger and lighter” than the competition utilising exotic construction materials including carbon fibre and high-tech yacht-building method.

After launching the Baltic 46 and 33 production sailing yacht series, Baltic Yachts delivered its first custom yacht in 1975. Two years later, the shipyard was acquired by Finnish shipbuilder Hollming Ltd., enabling it to expand its marketing efforts worldwide. In 1991, ownership of Baltic Yachts passed back into the hands of key staff members. Today, the shipyard offers semi-custom and custom sailing yachts up to 60+ metres in length.

Notable Yachts

In 2011, Baltic Yachts launched its largest superyacht to date, the 66.7-metre (including bowsprit) Hetairos. Featuring high-tech carbon construction, Hetairos was co-designed by Dykstra & Partners Naval Architects and Reichel Pugh Yacht Design.

Yacht designer German Frers designed the light and lithe, 32.64-metre sloop Inukshuk, which Baltic Yachts delivered in 2013. Inukshuk has a telescoping keel that lowers from 3.35 metres to 4.85 metres and an exceptional power-to-weight ratio.

Specialisations

Baltic Yachts operates yards in Jakobstad and Bosund, Finland, where it builds new luxury sailing yachts. It also has a facility in Palma de Mallorca that provides “lifecycle services” including yacht maintenance and refit work.