BoatsBaltic Yachts 42 DP

Baltic Yachts 42 DP

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · 1981–1985

A Doug Peterson design with a 2.41-metre draft, available in tall mast and keel-centerboard configurations.

Designed by Doug Peterson.

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

See her sail

The Baltic Yachts 42 DP, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Northern Brees

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 25 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 25
CoastalBluewater

2.02 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.02
LightHeavy

201 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 201
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 19.4
TenderStiff

44% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 44%

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

  • Draws more than ~94% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2658 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Baltic Yachts 42 DP, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Baltic Yachts 42 DP is a 12.8-meter masthead sloop designed by Doug Peterson and built by Baltic Yachts between 1981 and 1985. It features a fin keel with a spade rudder, a 2.4-meter draft, and displaces 8346 kg. A Tall Mast version and a Keel/CB version were available, and its prototype, 'Big Shadow', was similar to the Peterson design #77, 'Lousiana Crude'/SERENDIPITY 43. Aboard *Sailing Northern Brees*, the Baltic Yachts 42 DP has sailed extensively in European waters, including the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel, and the Baltic Sea.watch The crew navigated tidal gates, heavy shipping traffic, and squalls up to 35 knots, often relying on AIS and weather models like PredictWind.18:37 They completed a 373-mile transit from St. Malo to Breskins to replace 40-year-old standing rigging, and later sourced compatible BSI turnbuckles in Finland and Estonia when original Navtec parts were unavailable.3:40 The vessel's 2.6-meter draft limited port selection in the Baltic, and the crew experienced a minor grounding in Estonia due to misinterpreting local buoyage.19:18

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.

Sailing Northern BreesErin and Marie document the technical maintenance and coastal navigation of their Baltic 42 DP while cruising through Western Europe and the Atlantic.

Seen 28 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Baltic Yachts 42 DP on video

The Hardest Decision of Our Journey Ep 54A Baltic Yachts 42 DP is hauled for winter storage in France following seasonal maintenance and repairs.Sailing Northern BreesThese Tiny Boats Are Crossing the Atlantic in Hurricane Season Ep 52A Baltic Yachts 42 DP transits the Bay of Biscay while observing Mini Transat preparations in Les Sables d'Olonne.Sailing Northern BreesWe Got It Right This Time (Finally Heading South)Successful passage through tidal gates like the Swinge requires precise timing and local knowledge of currents.Sailing Northern BreesWe Pulled Our Mast… Then the Problems StartedReplacing 43-year-old rod rigging on a Baltic Yachts 42 DP requires professional swaging and contingency for parts.Sailing Northern BreesWe Had 373 Miles to Sail… Before Our Riggers Left.A 42-foot sailboat completes a 373-mile transit to replace 40-year-old standing rigging before the riggers depart.Sailing Northern BreesWe Locked Into a Medieval Walled City After Finding a 6,000-Year-Old SecretA 2.6-meter draft requires precise tidal timing to enter the St. Malo lock system from Jersey.Sailing Northern BreesChannel Islands Sailing, The Swinge was exciting but so were Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey.Year-old tide tables put the crew into two-meter breaking waves in the Swinge off Alderney.Sailing Northern BreesEp 44. Sailing La Manche La Harve Cherbourg English Channel and our first Channel Island, AldernayNavigating the English Channel requires timing passages to leverage tidal currents and avoid wind-against-tide sea states.Sailing Northern BreesEp 43 Another day, another Port. Sailing Normandy & Seeing France by Sail. We keep going!Coastal hopping along northern France requires careful monitoring of tidal currents, commercial shipping lanes, and harbor depths.Sailing Northern BreesEp 42 Shake Down cruise to Dunkerque. Provisioning, and then we're off the dock. What breaks? HaA Baltic Yachts 42 DP completes a shakedown cruise to Dunkirk, resolving an autopilot wiring fault.Sailing Northern BreesSeason 4 begins. Where are we going this year? From Nieuwpoort Belgium and on to ? Ep 41Custom rigging tangs for a Baltic 42 DP cost six weeks of a Gibraltar-bound season after mast measurements were never taken.Sailing Northern BreesEp 40 Season 3 Challenges and Highlights- Season 4 teaserBaltic Sea beaches from Estonia to Germany are still mined, blocking anchoring along hundreds of miles of coastline.Sailing Northern Brees

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Baltic Yachts 42 DP may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
43.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
19.4
Displacement / length
201.4
Comfort ratio
24.6
Capsize screening
2.02
Hull speed
7.9 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1639
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1981–1985
Units built
30
Designer
Doug Peterson
Builder
Baltic Yachts

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.

J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/4212.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.8-metre cruiser featuring a fin keel with bulb and spade rudder, designed for offshore stability and speed
Back on land after nearly 3 years - nasty surprise?? Shipyard part 1/20:47from Eternal Sailing
Sabre Yachts 4212.73 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-run production cruiser from the late eighties, featuring a 41% ballast ratio for stability in a 12.7-metre hull
The Cape Horn of the Pacific? Point Conception and the Channel Islandsfrom Sailing Palomita
Grand Soleil 40 (Polli)12.90 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Matteo Polli-designed fractional sloop optimized for ORC competition with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio
Sailing Alone in Fog Without Losing Your Cool11:09from The Mariner
Catalina Yachts 4212.76 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-volume cruiser built on a Nelson/Marek racing hull, featuring a masthead rig and a 1.83-metre fin keel
Why the Catalina 42 Took Over the Caribbeanfrom Practical Sailor
Bavaria Yachts 4112.83 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1995 fractional sloop with a high 23.59 SA/D ratio, designed for performance-oriented cruising
WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT WE'D BE SAILING HERE AGAIN! EP-897:58from Leading the Escapade
Dufour Yachts 425 Grand Large12.90 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.9-metre fractional sloop with a 2.1-metre bulb keel, optimised for a stable 8.13-knot hull speed
Dufour 425 Grand Large Boat Tour | Our home at seafrom Sailing Blue Prince

The family

Boats like this

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

Baltic Yachts 38 DPA 38-foot performance cruiser with a deep 2.21-metre draft and a 45% ballast ratio for exceptional upwind stabilityBaltic Yachts 48 DPA Doug Peterson-designed performance cruiser featuring a high sail area-to-displacement ratio for spirited sailingBaltic Yachts 55 DPA Doug Peterson-designed masthead sloop built by Baltic, balancing high-performance sail area with a stiff, stable hullBaltic Yachts 42A 1970s masthead sloop featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, sharing its hull design with the C&C 42 CustomBaltic 43A Judel-Vrolijk performance cruiser with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio, built for speed and offshore handlingBaltic Yachts 52A Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop built by Baltic, balancing a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio with stiff performance

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