First Baltic 80 Café Racer takes shape ahead of 2027 delivery

Finnish shipyard Baltic Yachts has revealed new details of the first hull in its Baltic 80 Café Racer series, including interior renderings, construction updates and performance targets as the 23.9-metre model moves towards a scheduled summer 2027 delivery. 

The project marks the next evolution of the yard's successful Baltic 68 Café Racer concept, scaling the daysailer-inspired platform to maxi-yacht proportions while remaining below the 24-metre threshold. Developed by Surge Projects and naval architect Javier Jaudenes, the yacht has been designed to balance ease of ownership with competitive sailing performance.

According to Baltic Yachts, the new model draws heavily on feedback from owners of the Baltic 68 Café Racer fleet, refining the concept around three core principles: safety, simplicity and exhilarating sailing performance. Owners will be able to choose between two rig configurations, allowing the yacht to be optimised either for relaxed cruising with family and friends or more competitive racing programmes.

New renderings reveal a highly customisable interior by Design Unlimited, with the first hull featuring an open-plan, loft-style arrangement that combines the galley, dining and lounge spaces into a single social hub.

Alternative layouts offer varying degrees of separation, including semi-enclosed and fully enclosed galley configurations, while owners can choose between lounge armchairs or an extended sofa arrangement in the saloon.

"The first yacht sets out a clear direction, but the concept is intentionally adaptable," explained Design Unlimited's Mark Tucker. "It shows just how confident and expressive this concept can be and invites the next owner to take it somewhere completely their own."

The interior has been conceived around what Baltic describes as a "pared-back, purposeful" aesthetic, with natural materials, soft textures and a relaxed atmosphere intended to blur the line between performance yacht and luxury cruiser.

Construction is already progressing at Baltic's Finland facility, with the first hull being built using a carbon-fibre female mould – a technique refined during the construction of the 34-metre foil-assisted sailing yacht Raven.

The use of prepreg carbon construction is expected to keep lightship displacement to approximately 29 tonnes, supporting the performance ambitions of the design. Lamination is scheduled to begin in August following the Finnish summer holidays.

Extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and testing using North Sails' Virtual Wind Tunnel formed part of the development process, with 21 hull configurations reportedly evaluated before the final design was selected.

The resulting yacht features a generous J dimension to support a larger genoa and improve reaching performance, while the hull form has been optimised for low resistance in lighter conditions and increased stability as wind speeds build.

Baltic expects the yacht to compete at the upper end of Maxi Class 3, with a projected IRC rating of 1.480.