bavaria sailing yachts

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New and used Bavaria boats for sale

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Netherlands
• Taiwan, Province of China
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Virgin Islands, British
• Bavaria 25 Sport
• Bavaria 27 Sport
• Bavaria 28 Sport
• Bavaria 29 DC
• Bavaria 29 Sport
• Bavaria 30 Cruiser
• Bavaria 30 Sport
• Bavaria 31 Cruiser
• Bavaria 31 Sport
• Bavaria 32 Cruiser
• Bavaria 32 Holiday
• Bavaria 32 Sport
• Bavaria 33 Cruiser
• Bavaria 33 Sport
• Bavaria 33 Sport Klima Top Gepflegt
• Bavaria 330
• Bavaria 34 Cruiser
• Bavaria 34 Sport
• Bavaria 35 Cruiser
• Bavaria 35 HT
• Bavaria 35 Match
• Bavaria 35 Sport
• Bavaria 350 Sportline
• Bavaria 36 Cruiser
• Bavaria 36 Holiday
• Bavaria 36 Sport
• Bavaria 37 Cruiser
• Bavaria 37 Hard Top
• Bavaria 37 HT Sport
• Bavaria 37 Sport
• Bavaria 37 Sport Top Gepflegt
• Bavaria 373
• Bavaria 38 Cruiser
• Bavaria 38 Exclusive
• Bavaria 38 Holiday
• Bavaria 38 Match
• Bavaria 38 Ocean
• Bavaria 38 Sport
• Bavaria 380 Sport
• Bavaria 39 Cruiser
• Bavaria 39 Hard Top
• Bavaria 39 Lagoon
• Bavaria 390 Caribic
• Bavaria 390 Lagoon
• Bavaria 40 Cruiser
• Bavaria 40 Ocean
• Bavaria 40 Sport
• Bavaria 40 Vision
• Bavaria 40.3
• Bavaria 40S
• Bavaria 41 Cruiser
• Bavaria 41 Holiday
• Bavaria 41S
• Bavaria 42 Cruiser
• Bavaria 42 Exclusive
• Bavaria 42 Hard Top
• Bavaria 42 Match
• Bavaria 42 Sport
• Bavaria 42 Virtess
• Bavaria 42/3 Cruiser
• Bavaria 420 Fly
• Bavaria 420 Fly IPS 600
• Bavaria 430 Caribic
• Bavaria 44 Holiday
• Bavaria 44 Vision
• Bavaria 45 Cruiser
• Bavaria 45 Sport
• Bavaria 450 HT
• Bavaria 46 Cruiser
• Bavaria 46 Holiday
• Bavaria 47 Ocean
• Bavaria 50 Cruiser
• Bavaria 50 Vision
• Bavaria 51 Cruiser
• Bavaria 55 Cruiser
• Bavaria 56 Cruiser
• Bavaria BMB 29 Day Cruiser
• Bavaria C38
• Bavaria C42
• Bavaria C45
• Bavaria C45 Style
• Bavaria C46
• Bavaria C48
• Bavaria C50
• Bavaria C57
• Bavaria Cruiser 46
• Bavaria Cruiser 56
• Bavaria E40
• Bavaria E40 Sedan
• Bavaria Easy 9.70
• Bavaria R40
• Bavaria R40 Coupe
• Bavaria R40 Fly
• Bavaria R55 Fly
• Bavaria S 39 Open
• Bavaria S29
• Bavaria S29 Open
• Bavaria S29 Sport
• Bavaria S30
• Bavaria S33
• Bavaria S33 HT
• Bavaria S35
• Bavaria S36
• Bavaria S36 HT
• Bavaria S40 Coupe
• Bavaria S40 HT
• Bavaria S40 Open
• Bavaria S43 HT
• Bavaria S45
• Bavaria Sport 400 Coupe
• Bavaria SR33
• Bavaria SR33 HT
• Bavaria SR33 Open
• Bavaria SR36
• Bavaria SR36 HT
• Bavaria SR41
• Bavaria Vida 33
• Bavaria Vida 33 - 2X 300 PS
• Bavaria Vida 33 Hard Top
• Bavaria Vision 42
• Bavaria Vision 42 Blue Edition
• Bavaria Vision 46

Search for a Bavaria on TheYachtMarket today. We have Bavaria brokers and sellers from around the world at great prices.

History of Bavaria

Bavaria Yachtbau was founded in 1978 by Winfried Herrman and Josef Meltl in Giebelstadt, Germany. The company initially focused on producing affordable sailing yachts that combined quality craftsmanship with modern, innovative design. By leveraging advanced manufacturing techniques and a highly skilled workforce, Bavaria quickly established itself as a prominent name in the boating industry.Over the decades, Bavaria Yachtbau expanded its portfolio to include both sailing and motor yachts, catering to a wide range of maritime enthusiasts. The company became known for its robust construction, spacious interiors, and excellent sailing performance. Their commitment to quality and innovation helped Bavaria grow, and their yachts became popular across Europe and beyond.Today, Bavaria Yachtbau remains headquartered in Giebelstadt, where their state-of-the-art shipyard continues to produce some of the finest yachts on the market. While the company has faced challenges over the years, including changes in ownership and market dynamics, Bavaria has maintained its reputation for delivering high-quality yachts that combine practicality with elegance.

Which models do Bavaria produce?

Bavaria produce a range of boats including the Bavaria 37 Cruiser , Bavaria 46 Cruiser , Bavaria 50 Cruiser , Bavaria 51 Cruiser and Bavaria C42 . For the full list of Bavaria models currently listed on TheYachtMarket.com, see the model list in the search options on this page.

What types of boats do Bavaria build?

Bavaria manufactures a range of different types of boats. The ones listed on TheYachtMarket include Sloop , Cruiser , Cruiser , Motoryacht and Express cruiser / sports cruiser .

How much does a boat from Bavaria cost?

Used boats from Bavaria on TheYachtMarket.com range in price from £12,600 GBP to £733,000 GBP with an average price of £155,000 GBP . A wide range of factors can affect the price of used boats from Bavaria, for example the model, age and condition.

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Bavaria C42 review: The Ford Model T of 40ft yachts

• Toby Hodges
• February 11, 2021

The Bavaria C42 needs to offer bang for your buck if it is to stand out in a crowded field of 40ft cruisers. Toby Hodges takes the new offering for a gusty autumn sail to see what she's made of.

Product Overview

Manufacturer:, price as reviewed:.

What constitutes ‘good value’? What you get for your money in any market segment often comes down to size – be that square feet of real estate area or gigabytes of memory. But is bigger necessarily better value?

Sailors with the means and desire to buy new understandably seek as much value for money as they can get for that size. What we’ve seen over the last decade is a marked increase in the volume to length ratio of new yachts, and more recently in the way contemporary hull shapes can further boost internal volumes at each end. 

For a production yard to stay competitive though, it needs to offer more than just bang for your buck. It needs to be shrewd in its design and innovative enough to lure you away from the competition, to make you think its yachts are roomier, brighter and better. It needs to make boats that the crew want to spend time aboard, and are practical to manage or give the helmsman an enjoyable hands-on experience; preferably both. Value should include some emotive quality too – the hard to quantify satisfaction you get from using it.

This is a tall order. But as we surged down yet another wave face on our test sail I came to the conclusion that this new Bavaria offers that extra value. It was a fleeting taster of powered-up offwind sailing, but in a year of abnormality, a particularly memorable one. And in such a competitive marketplace, that extra something is what’s needed to stand out from the crowd.

Ups ‘n’ downs

The production yacht world doesn’t get any more competitive than in the 40ft sector, a size that remains so appealing for both private family cruising and charter. And I’m going to keep referring to the C42 as 40ft, because that’s the hull length without the optional bowsprit.

Before we consider Bavaria’s answer to the 40 footer question, let’s remember this company has been through its share of challenges recently. In 2018 it was flying high with a new C-line from 45-65ft. Yet by September that year, rather than celebrating its 40th anniversary, it was filing for insolvency.

Tall deck-stepped mast and the most sail area in its class help give the Bavaria notable performance. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

This C42 is the first model developed under Bavaria’s new management. It caused a stir when it was unveiled last January, with crowds queuing for an hour to view it at the Düsseldorf Boat Show . But then followed the global pandemic, when “order intake collapsed almost completely,” explains CEO Michael Müller. He points out that work has only been running at full capacity again since October. Bavaria’s financials must read like a heart rate monitor. 

All of which makes the C42 a crucial new model for a yard on the rebound. This is Maurizio Cossutti’s fourth Bavaria design and he opted for a clever and powerful shape, the first Bavaria with hard chines and a rounded ‘V-bow’. As I was to discover, these features make a crucial difference, both down below and on the water.

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One of the first and most striking things to note about sailing the C42 is the direct feel of the helm, which engages you immediately. This design may be in keeping with today’s breed of production cruiser, with its full bow sections and generous beam carried aft, but it’s unusual not to marry that shape with twin rudders. Bavaria says its owners want the close-quarters manoeuvrability that prop wash over a single rudder helps to provide. The C42 proved easy in reverse too, without the tendency of twin rudders to slam to one side once they catch.

Sailors will feel the benefit under canvas immediately. The Jefa steering linkage from the twin wheels to the single, easily accessible quadrant in-between is kept to a minimum, giving the best chance for direct feel.

Autumnal shakedown

With the in-mast mainsail and self-tacking jib fully unfurled (Elvstrom Sporttech laminate), we punched out into the Solent to meet photographer Rick Tomlinson. It was typical easterly conditions, with big variance in the strong gusts as we dialled down from a beam to a deep broad reach, endeavouring to keep speed up and apparent wind down.

The coachroof line is brought right aft, which draws out the lines and creates protective coamings for the cockpit. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

I particularly enjoyed the feel provided by the modestly sized single spade rudder as we surged down waves, making 7-9+ knots SOG against the tide, with gusts now up to the high 20s. (Note, we had no log installed, but the polars confirm that in anything over 20 knots the C42 is capable of hitting double figures reaching, and over 9 knots in 16 true.)

The chine and beam were doing what they should and buying form stability, while the bulbous stem kept trim bow-up. This powerful hull shape is allied with a 20m mast that sets around 100m2 of upwind sail area. That is a whopping 30% more than the Oceanis 40.1 and makes for a potent sail area to displacement ratio. 

It points to a yacht that you can keep sailing in light winds – indeed my fellow European Yacht of the Year judges confirmed the C42 performs handsomely in sub 10-knot breeze – and one that should be able to maintain respectable passagemaking speeds even while reefed.

With power comes the need to treat it with respect. Thankfully, the rudder did what it should do and let me know when we were pressed and provided the chance to let off more sheet. Again, this is a marked difference from the majority of today’s cruising yachts with deep twin rudders, which tend to maintain grip at all angles and make you question what the fuse will be when you do push the boat.

The C42 features hard chines and a full bow, both of which help buy internal volume. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

A German mainsheet system is only an option on the Bavaria, and not one chosen for the test boat. Instead, and unusually nowadays, the main was sheeted to one of the companionway winches. So although you get the polite notification to ease from the rudder, you need to communicate this to a crewmember by the winch. Therefore, were I buying this boat for short-handed easy cruising – as is suggested by the self-tacking jib and in-mast mainsail set-up – I’d opt for the extra set of winches aft for the mainsheet.

The pedestals are mounted as close to the transom as possible to maximise the length of the cockpit benches. So it’s a little cramped in the quarters, particularly by the split backstay, but it doesn’t feel unsafe and the pay-off in cockpit size is worthwhile.

The mainsheet bridle set-up is a common system, which keeps the mainsheet out of the cockpit. But there’s no traveller option and it’s mounted more than half way forward along the boom, which puts a lot of load on the midboom section and places a reliance on the vang for mainsail shape. However, this arrangement does allow for a large companionway entrance.

The helms are right aft in the quarters. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

The winch layout spreads out the sheets and running rigging, so it’s not all piling up in one place. But there is no provision for the tail ends as standard, so bags or clips would need to be fitted to prevent a snake pit at the base of the companionway.

Sailing deep was manageable in the Force 6 gusting 7, with active crewmembers manning winches, but with the wind against tide conditions producing 1.5-2m overfalls to head back into, we needed to shorten sail to turn upwind.

With a couple of metres taken out of the foot of the main and three rolls in the genoa, the Bavaria felt comfortable as we beat upwind at 35-40° to the apparent breeze (7-8 knots SOG with tide). Given the conditions, the motion was not uncomfortable. The boat seemed relatively stiff without launching off waves or slamming. 

However, after a couple of tacks the rig called time and the shrouds went alarmingly slack. Without rigging tools on board to tighten up the bottlescrews properly, we had to furl sails and accept a long motor home. 

We tested the Bavaria on the Solent, UK in easterly winds of 18-29 knots. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Disappointing as it was, this was a new boat, sailing in strong breeze and waves for the first time. I would estimate that the standing rigging had only been loosely tightened and the wire shrouds had not had any chance to settle, stretch and be adjusted accordingly . Indeed the dealer, Clipper Marine, commented later: “the rig hadn’t been bedded in, nor had the riggers had a chance to do the pre-delivery inspection because of COVID restrictions – when we would have re-tuned the rig before handover.”

The aft helms leave room for a very generous cockpit table and long benches, which have proper coamings to give backrest support and some protection. Locker space is conservative in two shallow bench lockers, a port quarter locker and a sail locker. The latter has only a small hatch, which will limit the size of sail (or fenders) that it can accommodate.

The berth in forward cabin is particularly large. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Outer and inner space

The coachroof is a clever design, which starts far forward to maximise headroom below. It is kept low and flat-topped, which allows good visibility forward from the helms and means the roof itself can accommodate sunbathing cushions.

Bavaria has incorporated an extra-long companionway roof, to allow for maximum light to enter the interior and for a gently angled descent. First impressions and a sense of space when going below is crucial, as it helps create that feeling of getting a lot of boat for your money.

Hanse was early onto this with the development of its loft-style interiors, which began over a decade ago. And latterly Groupe Beneteau has found a new way of increasing living space by adding volume to the bows in conjunction with increased beam aft. Bavaria seems to have combined the best of both ideas, so you really do keep asking yourself if this boat is really only 40ft. 

The darker walnut veneer of the test boat. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Inviting the considerable amount of natural light in through hatches, portholes and coachroof windows helps. The space is also used smartly, apportioning it most where it’s typically needed – in the saloon and cabins. The L-shaped galley is practical enough and there is a navstation of sorts, which shares the forward end of the port saloon berth.

The berth in the forward cabin looks particularly large as it is taken right out to the hull sides (1.80×2.07m). The fact that there is room to mount the headboard forward and to house the extra (optional) 250lt water tank below the berth points to the sheer volume in the bows. 

Fine Detailing

The forward end of the port sofa forms the chart table seat. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

You can tell Bavaria has paid close attention to detail, in particular with the wood and veneer work, the lighting and home comforts. Personally I prefer the lighter Alpi veneer rather than the darker walnut of the test boat and find the use of dark grey panels on the bulkheads and heads area a little cold. I’d also choose a second heads if having a three-cabin boat. 

The saloon feels especially roomy, a perception aided by the deck-stepped mast. Credit to the yard for including a table that can seat so many in its open format yet can fold over to halve in size and give walkthrough access. 

However, I did take issue with the square edges and sharp corners this leaves on the saloon table (and chart table). Bavaria’s product manager, Pascal Kuhn, has assured me these will be modified, and you can see in the main saloon picture how the corner is now angled, but the edges remain an area of concern.

The table doubles over to join the port sofa. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

An extra couple of grab handles around this space between the galley, heads and saloon table would also be useful, but the galley surfaces are all fiddled and there is a sturdy support post by the curved companionway steps.

The joinery feels solid. The sole panels in particular were noticeably quiet underfoot. Although Bavaria’s method of screwing these down is not so practical for accessing the bilge in a hurry, there are numerous panels to allow access to all areas.

All five companionway steps lift to get at the forward end of the engine and there are good side panels in each aft cabin. 

Look beneath the scenes and you begin to notice a few scrappier details. I don’t like seeing electronics mounted in non-watertight lockers, for example, and the use of bare ply and veneered bulkheads here are unlikely to prove durable. I also think it a backward step that Bavaria has returned to using hand lay-up for manufacture instead of vacuum infusion.

The Bavaria C42 is designed to hit that broadest of markets, the Ford Model T of 40ft production cruisers, yet it shows that mass market does not have to mean boring. Take the wheel of this powerful design in a breeze and you’ll soon find you can have your new voluminous family cruiser and still actively enjoy the sailing. The Bavaria is not without its flaws, but wherever you look you seem to discover added value. There is maximum space where you want it, in the accommodation, saloon and cockpit, all fitted into a clever hull shape that offers stability and performance. Every industry needs models that set the standard in their range. The C42 sets a new bar in the 40ft sector and, therefore, potentially what should be deemed ‘good value’ today.

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It all starts with a good design

All our BAVARIA yachts are developed as a close collaboration between our product managers, our boat builders and our design team. Their knowledge of decades of experience, countless races and customer feedback are incorporated into the overall design of each BAVARIA yacht. They are supported by Design Unlimited, who are responsible for the design above and below deck, as well as the construction. It is through their combined efforts that the unique design, the comfort and the performance of the BAVARIA yachts are created.

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Nautitech Catamarans

Excellent sailing characteristics, a generous space concept where cockpit and saloon merge into one living space, cabin layouts created for owners and their guests, and a perfect design - that's what NAUTITECH CATAMARANS stands for.

The shipyard in Rochefort, directly near the Atlantic Ocean, has been part of the Bavaria Yachtbau Holding GmbH since 2014.