There are “loud” brands on the yachting market which are making a big fuzz about their products (and they do good so because marketing is a natural part of our economic system) and there are quiet brands. Very quiet brands actually seem to do what they are doing in a very diffident way. Baltic Yachts of Finland is a fine example of such a brand: You almost hear nothing about them. Well, that might be the case because yachts made by Baltic don´t really need any marketing at all – in short: Baltic Yachts are legend and second to none.
Baltic Yachts is making their fine boats in the Finnish City of Jakobstad, a place where boatbuilding has a long standing tradition: A medieval document mentions the Jakobstad boatbuilders first in the year 1529 officially. Baltic Yachts has been founded back in 1973 and has since then specialized in custom boatbuilding on the highest level one can imagine. “Lighter, stiffer, together” is their claim and their yachts – entirely made of carbon fibre – are regularly at the top in superyacht regattas. I´ve spoke to Marcus Jungell, Sales Director of Baltic Yachts, because there is a new boat coming up. One that I find particularly interesting.
“Maintaining a competitive edge.”
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: “Marcus, please introduce yourself, your position at Baltic and when, why and how you came to work for one of the most exclusive yacht brands.”
Marculs Jungell | Baltic Yachts: “I have been a passionate sailor since early childhood when I joined the Sea Scout movement at the age of seven. I always admired the big and stunning sailing yachts they were building in this area of the world and I have always been interested in the local handcraft and skills that exist in this part of Finland. I joined Baltic Yachts in 2017 and I am currently Sales Director. Before joining Baltic Yachts I have worked more than 10 years in the yachting industry.”
NFS.com: “What is the principle concept of Baltic Yachts? What are the brand´s core values and where is the evidence of these in your yachts?”
Marcus Jungell: “Baltic Yachts was founded in the early Seventies to create boats that incorporate the very latest thinking in yacht design and new technology. In short, we deliver technically advanced, high quality, performance yachts, which are faster, stiffer and lighter. In most cases we use advanced carbon composites to achieve this. Each custom-built yacht combines these values to produce a unique design turning the client’s dream into reality.”
NFS.com: ”What makes Baltic Yachts so special compared to other high-quality brands like Nautor´s Swan? Why is a yacht built by Baltic meant to be ahead and in front of others out on the water?”
Marcus Jungell: “Well, I think that is because in each and every project, in each individual yacht we make we always and no matter what stick to our values. We strongly believe Baltic Yachts is unmatched in its planning and execution of modern yacht building. We use our own engineers and designers employing the latest methods to produce the finest yachts. Every element is checked down to the last detail – multiple times. We also work closely with outside experts when necessary to help us reaching the best solutions. Very few companies can replicate this formula. We have great respect for our friends and neighbours at Nautor´s – they actually help us maintain a competitive edge.”
“Every boat we do is big in it´s own way.”
NFS.com: ”There is an exciting new boat in the making, actually a “small” one compared to Baltic Yacht´s usual sizes. How is work on the Baltic 67 PC progressing?”
Marcus Jungell: ”First, let me point out that there are no “small” Baltic yachts: As every single ship built by us represents a big yacht for her respective owner! Talking of the new 67 I can say that we have developed the Baltic 67 Performance Cruiser for two reasons. One, to react to the market conditions and the sustained popularity of long distance, blue water cruising in larger yachts and two, to capitalise on our long history of building high quality production yachts by introducing new clients to the Baltic Yachts brand with its unique values in custom and semi-custom building.”
NFS.com: ”What can you tell me about the Baltic 67 in terms of positioning within the range of boats your yard is producing, and which kind of owners are your trying to attract with this yacht?”
Marcus Jungell: ”We developed the Baltic 67 Performance Cruiser using the same expertise we employ in the custom yacht segment to provide clients with a yacht providing a great sailing experience, easy family sailing and fast, safe passage-making. By offering a shorter build time at an attractive price we are confident we will appeal to clients looking for a performance edge in this exciting market segment.”
“The Baltic 67 PC will offer unmatched performance for blue water cruising.”
NFS.com: ”The Baltic 67 PC – like other boats in your range – has been designed by German naval architects at Judel/Vrolijk & Co in Bremerhaven. Why did your yard choose this studio as principal naval architects? What makes Judel/Vrolijk special in your eyes and better than other well-known architects?”
Marcus Jungell:”We have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Judel/Vrolijk which has designed some excellent semi-custom yachts for Baltic in the past. We are currently working with several other well-known, equally capable naval architects such as Farr Yacht Design, Bill Dixon, Malcolm McKeon or Reichel/Pugh and we will always consider working with other designers.”
NFS.com: ”How did you develop the brief for Judel/Vrolijk when you started work on the Baltic 67? What will be the key features of this new yacht in terms of sailing ability, range, comfort and so on?”
Marcus Jungell: “The key was to create a fast, comfortable, easy-to-handle, performance blue-water family cruising yacht capable of performing in moderate to light conditions, particularly downwind. Clients don’t want to motor sail around the world! The design team has deep experience coming up with hull shapes, calculating weight distribution and fine-tuning rig, keel and rudder combinations to achieve this. In addition, it was important to provide sufficient internal volume and to be able to offer clients optional interior configurations. Judel/Vrolijk has met these challenges with bravery.”
“Cutting Edge Carbon Fibre Technologies.”
NFS.com: “Baltic Yachts is well known for utilizing carbon fibre and advanced composites. Can you explain the advantages over GRP and aluminium? Why did your yard choose carbon fibre as its preferred yacht building material?”
Marcus Jungell: ”Using carbon fibre make us reach our goal of creating faster, stiffer and lighter high performance yachts. Carbon and the many advanced composites we use are lighter, stronger, stiffer and more maintenance friendly than other materials. In fact, our company has gained unmatched expertise in manufacturing hulls, decks and many other components using those fibres. We have 45 years of experience working with different kinds of composite materials and construction techniques. For example, the use of advanced composites often involves applying higher temperatures to complete the chemical reactions required …”
NFS.com: “… that´s baking of the hulls?”
Marcus Jungell: ”If you say so, yes.”
“67 Feet is as small as one can build semi-custom yachts.”
NFS.com: “The new Baltic 67 will be unveiled at the upcoming Cannes Yachting Festival and will thus be the smallest of your range: How has the market changed over the past years from your perspective? I noticed a trend towards bigger boats in the large production companies – like “60 is the new 40” – how does the Baltic 67 fit to this trend?”
Marcus Jungell: “The Cannes Boat Show is aimed directly at this size of yacht. You see, each boat we build reflects the owner’s dream and we find the +65 feet-segment very attractive for many of the reasons given in my previous answers. 67 feet is getting closer to the lower end of what you might call “superyachting” and of course this is also significant for us as a yacht builder. We believe 67 feet is currently as small as one can build using a semi-custom platform that leverages our experience and ability in building custom yachts.”
NFS.com: “Marcus, what are the future plans for Baltic Yachts and yachting in a greater sense? What’s worth watching in terms of technological development in future yachts?”
Marcus Jungell: “Our ambition is to continue to remain the world’s leading boat builder for advanced high-performance yachts. We constantly innovate to improve the product and recent examples include utilising a DSS foil for increased sailing performance and comfort, electrical and retracting propulsion systems, improved steering and safer sail handling devices. We are always open to new challenges and ready to go the extra mile – I would recommend that you watch this space!”
And this I will for sure! Thanks Marcus for this teaser-like insight into Baltic Yachts. I will try to be present at the presentation of the all-new Baltic 67 PC at the upcoming Cannes Yachting Festival to which I am so much looking forward to.
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