Review of Baltic 38 DP

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The hull is a double hull which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.
The deck is a double deck which improves the indoor climate.

The interior is like most other boats made of teak.
The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 6 berths, a galley and toilet facility.
The headroom is above average

The boat equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

The Baltic 38 DP is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.21 - 2.31 meter (7.25 - 7.55 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Baltic 38 DP is typically equipped with an inboard Yanmar 3HMF diesel engine at 30.0 hp (22 kW), which gives a max speed about 6.0 knots.

The fuel tank which is made of stainless steel has a capacity of 114 liters (30 US gallons, 25 imperial gallons).

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Baltic 38 DP is 2.03, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.5 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Baltic 38 DP is about 241 kg/cm, alternatively 1354 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 241 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1354 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Baltic 38 DP is 23.1.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 24% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Baltic 38 DP is 3.09.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 69% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Baltic 38 DP is 45%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 79% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly above average.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Baltic 38 DP is 204 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

73% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Baltic 38 DP with ISO 8666 reference sail is 20.3, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 24.2.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 82% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

The Baltic 38 DP has more rig than 50% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that this rig is spot on average!

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Baltic 38 DP is 73

The relative speed performance is 73 which means that a it is faster than 73% of all similar sailboat designs.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 43m² (462 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Dimensions of sail for masthead rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Baltic 38 DP it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.