Rolf Magnusson, a native of Karlstadt in Sweden, began his career by designing a boat in 1965 for the Koster Class Association competition. A Koster is a large, traditionally-styled type of sailboat common in Norway and the west coast of Sweden, and used for commercial fishing. They were wide in relation to their length, very seaworthy, with low freeboard; they were originally built of oak, about 40' in length. Only one example of his Koster design, named Tummelduns, was built; it never went into full production. The Allegro 27, designed by Lars Olof Norlin, was the winner of the Competition.

The Joker was designed for the Half-ton Cup in 1968. It was modified somewhat in 1971 and renamed the Albin Ballad. Other designs include the Albin 79 and Albin 57, Kakadu (a One-off boat), Mamba 34, Gambler 35, and the Contrast boats. In addition to designing boats, Rolf has personally built many of the sails for his boats in his own sail loft.