#Product Trends
Baltic 142: The superyacht bringing foiling technology into cruising
Foil-assisted cruising is the latest innovation to emerge from Baltic Yachts. We talk to the team behind the Baltic 142 to find out how it works
The Baltic 142 may not be using the hydrofoils popularised by the America’s Cup, but her 29ft 6in long (9m) horizontal sliding foil employs the same principle of lift to reduce heel and boost speed.
The designers of the Dynamic Stability System (DSS) say it could improve the performance of this super-cruiser by 20 per cent, delivering a sustained 25 knots – not bad for a superyacht with a predicted lightship displacement of 140 tonnes.
This is the first time the DSS has been used in superyachting, but its benefits will be used for comfortable, fast long-distance cruising rather than gaining an edge on the racecourse. All eyes will be on the Baltic 142 when she launches later this year and sets off on her first ocean passage. If the DSS does what is predicted, it could become commonplace.
Proven technology
The idea, developed by British naval architect Hugh Welbourn and Gordon Kay of Infiniti Yachts, has certainly proved itself on a smaller scale, reducing heel, increasing speed, damping pitching and adding an unexpected degree of steering control in lively conditions.
Gordon Kay, who was at the helm of the Infiniti 46 with its DSS deployed in almost 40 knots of breeze in the 2017 Rolex Middle Sea Race, said: “The boat sat at 28 knots, arrow straight, to the point when I wondered if there was any need for me to drive.”
But can these advantages transfer to a 140-tonner for which speeds in the mid-teens, let alone the 20s, would be considered exceptional? The brains trust behind the project believes they can. These include Baltic Yachts’ head of research and development Roland Kasslin, Farr Yacht Design president Patrick Shaughnessy, BAR Technologies chief technology officer Simon Schofield, Gurit engineering’s Simon Everest, plus Welbourn and Kay. Baltic Yachts’ ability to take on complex engineering challenges and meet them with the latest in lightweight advanced composite building techniques, is well documented.
1-tonne foil
As can be seen in the diagram above, the carbon foil, weighing 1 tonne, will sit in a casing built into the bilge of the Baltic 142 just below the waterline and slightly aft of amidships. As it happens it runs directly beneath the owner’s double berth.
When not deployed the tips of the foil will be just visible, but when in use it will protrude a massive 22ft (6.5m) to leeward. It is designed to be deployed at speed at which point some 40 tonnes of lift can be generated pushing the Baltic 142 upright with a corresponding increase in speed.
Speeds of 25 knots
Gordon Kay says that a conventionally designed yacht beam reaching in 25 knots of wind would heel to just over 20 degrees, but with the foil working heel would be restricted to just 9 degrees and there’s a consequential increase in boat speed. In 25 knots of wind the Baltic 142 could reach sustained speeds of 25 knots depending on sea conditions.
In addition, any pitching motion can be reduced. So apart from speed, the increase in comfort levels is equally appealing. Because the foil is able to generate a large proportion of the Baltic 142’s righting moment, displacement and hull volume can be reduced, although this has presented it own problems.
