BoatsBalaton Boats 16

Balaton Boats 16

Masthead Sloop · Fin w/transom Hung Rudder · First built 1975

A Gunnar Cardell-designed masthead sloop from 1975, offering a nimble 4.88-metre hull for coastal day sailing

Designed by Gunnar Cardell, built by Hungarian Shipyards.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/transom Hung Rudder

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.99 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 400 kg of hull, so roughly 1,000 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 400 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.60 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 8 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 8
CoastalBluewater

At 2.73 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.73
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 131
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 18.8
TenderStiff

30% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 30%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~83% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~82% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 133 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
30.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.8
Displacement / length
130.8
Comfort ratio
7.5
Capsize screening
2.73
Hull speed
5.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
337
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/transom hung rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Iron
Production
Years built
First built 1975
Designer
Gunnar Cardell
Builder
Hungarian Shipyards, Crane Factory, Balaton Boats

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

Birdyfish S4.20 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA 4.2-metre foiling monohull with a 100kg displacement and a high-performance Marconi cat rig
Can a Normal Sailor Actually Buy a Foiling Dinghy Now?2:23from Practical Sailor
Marieholm Boats S-206.00 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA short-run 1970s fractional sloop with a fin keel and transom-hung rudder, designed for coastal agility
Bay Cruiser 21 – Sensibility with charmfrom SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Balaton Boats 21A 6.5-metre masthead sloop from 1977, featuring a fin keel and transom-hung rudder for balanced coastal cruisingBalboa 16A lightweight masthead sloop by W. Shad Turner designed for easy handling with a high sail area to displacement ratio

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Balaton Boats 16

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