Are Bavaria Yachts Any Good for Cruising?
I'm looking at buying a secondhand sailing yacht in the 36 to 40-foot range for family cruising around the Med. Bavarias always pop up and seem incredibly cheap for the amount of space you get. Are they actually built well, or are they just flimsy caravans on the water?
Answer
Bavaria Yachts are mass production boats offering vast living space and value for money, built to a price point for coastal cruising rather than heavy offshore abuse. If you want a comfortable family cruiser or Mediterranean liveaboard, a well maintained Bavaria from the early 2000s or the Farr designed era after 2010 is a practical choice.
The Design Eras
To understand a Bavaria, look at the build year and the designer. Boats from the late 1990s and early 2000s, drawn by J&J Design, feature hand laid fibreglass hulls beneath the waterline and mahogany interiors. Models like the Bavaria 36 and 42 from this period (roughly 1998 to 2004) carry plenty of ballast and endure typical cruising use exceptionally well.
Between 2005 and 2009, Bavaria ramped up automated production. These boats feature lighter layups and vast interior volume, but the joinery switched to thin veneers prone to chipping. In 2010, Farr Yacht Design took over the hull shapes for the Cruiser line, introducing models like the 33, 37 and 46. These newer boats carry massive beam all the way aft, featuring twin rudders on larger models and huge drop down bathing platforms. Cossutti Yacht Design later refined the C Line, adding chines and a V bow for extra interior space and better upwind tracking.
Build Quality and Weak Points
Built to a strict budget, Bavarias use structural grids glued and glassed into the hull to save time on the factory floor. This suits normal use, but hard groundings can cause the grid to delaminate from the hull. When inspecting a model built after 2004, always lift the saloon sole boards and check the matrix around the keel bolts for stress cracks or separation.
Other common areas to watch include:
- Interior Veneers: On boats built after 2005, the Alpi wood veneers on bulkheads and doors are thin. Water leaks from stanchion bases or portlights quickly cause the veneer to blister and peel.
- Keel Issues (Match Series): The Bavaria Match 38 and 42 from 2004 to 2005 had well documented keel attachment issues. Most were recalled and heavily reinforced, but always demand a survey to confirm this work was done properly.
- Electrical Panels: The standard Würth or Philippi switch panels are reliable. However, the wiring behind them is tightly bundled and lacks tinning, leading to black wire corrosion in damp environments.