BoatsBalance 451

Balance 451

Catamaran, twin daggerboards · Frac. Sloop (Rotating Spar) · First built 2016

A high-performance catamaran featuring a rotating fractional rig and twin daggerboards for exceptional upwind speed

Designed by Roger Hill & Phillip Berman.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Catamaran Twin Dbrd.

See her sail

The Balance 451, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from All About Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

Shoal draftDraws 0.80 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LightHeavy

109 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 109
EasygoingPowered-up

22.0 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 22.0
  • Draws more than ~82% of boats her size on file

Compared with 269 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Balance 451, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Balance 451 is a 13.6-meter fractional sloop catamaran with a rotating spar, designed by Roger Hill and Phillip Berman and built by Balance Catamarans since 2016. It features a twin daggerboard hull and displaces 8391 kg. The catamaran has an underwing clearance of 0.775m lightship and 0.705m at full load, with a maximum payload capacity of 1,557 kg. Its sail plan includes a 65.63m2 mainsail, a 24.22m2 self-tending jib, a 66.1m2 screecher, and a 127m2 spinnaker. Balance Catamarans, the South African builder of the 451, is an independent entity in a performance catamaran market that includes brands like HH and Outremer.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Frac. Sloop (Rotating Spar)
Ratios
SA / displacement
22.0
Displacement / length
109.0
Hull
Hull type
Catamaran Twin Dbrd.
Construction
FG/pre-preg foam core w/carbon
Production
Years built
First built 2016
Designer
Roger Hill, Phillip Berman
Builder
Balance Catamarans

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

ST Francis 4413.45 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA shallow-draft 13.45-metre catamaran with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, updated from the 43-foot model
Solo Sailing to Luperon21:17from Sam Holmes Sailing
Helia 4413.30 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Berret-Racoupeau designed catamaran featuring a rotating spar and shallow draft, offered in Maestro or Quatuor layouts
Sail Life - The most satisfying coat of antifouling ever0:03from Sail Life
Voyage Yachts 44013.30 mSame hull family0.3 m shorter
Becoming a Captain is hard work [Ep. 100]11:40from Sailing Supernova
Antares Yachts 4413.41 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Ted Clements-designed catamaran with a shallow 1.22m draft, evolved from the PDQ 42 for offshore cruising
⛵️ Thermoforming thick acrylic windows for our hurricane-damaged catamaran, part 1. Ep 6682:39from Sail Life
Aventura 4513.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2025-launched catamaran with a 24.34 sail area-to-displacement ratio, balancing modern performance with a 1.4-metre draft
Sailing Malta Gozo Pantelleria Tunisia to Spain.26:36from sailing vessel reality
Excess 1413.97 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA VPLP-designed catamaran with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, built for performance-oriented cruising
We are Boatless… NOW WHAT?! | Sailing Sunday Vlog 30114:55from Sailing Sunday

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Balance 526A 16-metre performance cruiser featuring a rotating fractional rig and a high 30.26 sail area-to-displacement ratioBalance 580A 17.78-metre performance catamaran with a 28.41 sail area-to-displacement ratio designed for rapid, long-range cruisingBalance 464 CCA 2026 center-cockpit catamaran designed for high-speed cruising with an impressive 23.84 sail area-to-displacement ratioBalance 482Fractional Sloop · 14.71 mBalance 442A high-performance catamaran by Du Toit featuring twin daggerboards and a powerful sail area-to-displacement ratioBalance 502A 15.25-metre performance catamaran offering VersaDrive hybrid propulsion and a versatile sail plan for varied conditions

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