Author Topic: Buy a Bavaria? (Read 21014 times)

vikinglish · « **on:** September 02 2011, 21:34 »

Here's a forum in which an experienced, owners point of view can be gained on these 'affordable' yachts. They generate a great deal of discussion in yachting circles but those qualified to give their opinion are Bavaria owners. So, as a Bavaria owner the question is... Would you buy one again?

nornie lees · « **Reply #1 on:** October 09 2011, 11:00 »

Hi All, my first yacht was a 50% share in a Bavaria 42, after 2 years i sold out and bought a 30 cruiser for myself, so yes i did buy another. The main reason was value for money, and a forward facing chart table, all the other makes/types of this size had rear facing.

Would i buy a third, i don't think so, only because i would like something different, i would recommend Bavaria.

Skip

(I SPENT 3MONTHS LOOKING FOR ANOTHER YACHT AND I BOUGHT MY 33333333333RD Bavaria, a 37 great yacht, had it almost a year now no problems apart from maintenance).

malcolm · « **Reply #2 on:** October 21 2011, 12:51 »

We owned a 1991 320 sportline for around 5 years a good boat , and having just sold it are looking at the Cruiser 38 owners version 2008-its got a more comfortable forward cabin. We are also considering a1997 Moody 36 cc. So yes woudl buy another and probably ahead of a Jenneau and a Benneteau

tony from dorset · « **Reply #3 on:** January 31 2012, 20:03 »

i have owned my 36 from new 2004 model looks like new. would buy another not so sure on the new interiors but all good value for money and good resale value. And my lead keel is still intact

haydude · « **Reply #4 on:** February 05 2012, 19:15 »

I would buy a Cruiser again, but not a new model. Unfortunately new interiors are ugly and 100% laminate. At least in older models one had wood.

GeorgeH · « **Reply #5 on:** February 18 2012, 10:48 »

I have a 2007 Bavaria30, bought new, which I sail with my wife. We have been very pleased. It has been almost faultless and looks nearly new. We plan to sell later this year and replace it with a new B32. Like most others, we consider the new interior to be awful but value for money makes it a natural replacement. This is unless another manufacturer can compete.

singlefish · « **Reply #6 on:** November 07 2012, 13:40 »

I spent a year looking for replacement for my jeanneau sunrise , looked at bigger jeanneaus , benneteaus, sigmas 38/41 , Grand soleil , all for money were getting pretty old ,osmosis , dying engines etc , well used and all severely overpriced , ended up buying 2003 Bavaria 38 no brainer !!!!!! just hadn't found one I could get , at least 10 yrs younger and same price, GS was approaching 30yrs old .

Sailed boat every weekend from begin April to end October plus 6 weeks over holidays .

It has excelled in all respects , won races , fast passages , very comfortable family cruising ,great for socialising on , bad weather good weather , you name it , can even loose two bicycles and a canoe inside !! just wish we'd got it sooner

whitcd · « **Reply #7 on:** December 14 2012, 22:52 »

I bought my Bavaria 36 new in 2002 and have been extremely pleased with her. She sails well and is very comfortable. I am toying with the idea of upgrading to a 40 footer and I'm afraid it won't be a Bavaria as I hate the current interiors - Ikea at its worst. In my view Bavaria have lost their way and the current range look "cheap" rather than "value" as in the past. A great shame as I've always been a great fan of the brand.

Dek · « **Reply #8 on:** December 17 2012, 09:05 »

I have had a 2006 Bavaria 30 for 3 years, excellent boat, sails beautifully, a lot of boat for its size. This year it sailed from UK to Lanzarote without any issues, where it now lives. I am looking for a Bavaria 32 to give me little more internal room as we are spending more and more time living aboard. We have spent a lot of money on equipment upgrades which makes seeking a value for money replacement difficult. What's more relevant is I don't want one of the newer versions, we find the interior very poor in comparison. It looks unwelcoming and cheap against the earlier models. An opinion shared by many Bavaria owners it seems!

IslandAlchemy · « **Reply #9 on:** February 26 2013, 14:15 »

Had mine for 10 years now. It's had a hard life (8 years on charter), but I think she's not faired too badly.

I hate the new ones (the interior quality and layout, the lack of deck hardware, and the less moderate hull shape), but were I replacing now, I would seek out a 47 Ocean.

DaveR · « **Reply #10 on:** September 30 2013, 21:34 »

We are considering a 2005 Bavaria 38 Cruiser. However there are not many Bavaria boats in my area - Great Lakes in USA. I've have seen a concern expressed on the internet that Bavaria boats have keel attachment problems. In fact, this boat had to have it's keel reattached. I do not know the history of this boat as it is a repossessed boat. What about construction and in particular keel attachment problems with Bavaria boats?

livefats · « **Reply #11 on:** October 17 2013, 04:33 »

We bought Freebird of Largs, 2006 Bav 30, this April. She's our first "big" boat, although at Largs Marina she's now known as "the wee Bavaria"! Previously we've owned (for many happy cruising years around Oban) a Seamaster Sailer (19ft sailing cruiser) and have sailed a lot in Westerleys of various types, as well as Mirage 28 and Cobra 27.

We have (as you do) spent rather more than we expected sorting her out this season, and there is still work to do. However, we've really enjoyed our sailing around the Firth of Clyde. She feels a safe boat, and her sailing performance is better than the other boasts we've enjoyed.

Yes, she is built to a price - but we have shortish pockets! And our "wee Bav" happily takes the two of us, two large dogs, two folding bicycles and various toys. For a 30 footer, she is commodious inside, and well set up in terms of deck and cockpit layout. So - yes, we'd buy a Bav again - but we have no plans to upgrade. We kept Kitten !! for twenty years: let's see if we can do the same with Freebird!

Salty · « **Reply #12 on:** April 05 2014, 23:08 »

My first encounter with a Bavaria was in helping a friend sail a secondhand Bav 37 he had just bought. We took the boat from Carlingford Lough to Douglas in the Isle of Man, and the boat sailed like a dream. I was so impressed with it that I decided to sell my own boat, a Leisure 27, and to look out for Bavaria as a replacement. A charter boat in the shape of a 2002 Bavaria 36 came up and I bought it, and have been immensely pleased with my choice. I allowed the boat to continue to be chartered, but a group of people holding a stag party in 2011 hired two boats from the same charter firm and through the incompetence of both skippers, they allowed both boats to collide. Mine needed to have the bow rebuilt where damage extended back almost to the chain locker bulkhead. The other boat, a Bavaria 47, was also extensively damaged and as a result of this incident I chose to remove my boat permanently from the charter scene. Despite the damage which has since been repaired the boat has seen and stood up to two further years of use with no problems at all from the repaired area. I know about the damage that happened and I am convinced that a lesser boat would probably have sunk that day. My experience has convinced me that Bavarias, no matter what their detractors may say, are built with the lasting qualities of the proverbial outhouse. I'd buy another, and I'm only too pleased to recommend them to anyone looking to buy.

landes_h · « **Reply #13 on:** April 07 2014, 12:06 »

. . . with an unconditional YES.

Although my Bav 38 / 2004 was in Charter for almost 10 years, she is in surprisingly good working shape. One can see the use but all things are working without limation, including the engine with 3500 hours. There is work to be done, but after 10 years of heavy usage it is still worth doing it.
Now I am looking forward to retirement (in 3 years) and hope to make most use of the boat in the Adriatic and further south.

willfinch36 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 08 2014, 17:06 »

Yup, just done it! Owned a Bav 30 from 2005-2014, just bought a 2006 Bav 37.

WAArete · « **Reply #15 on:** June 29 2017, 21:02 »

Very nice feedback. Im considering a 2003 37' B .. gives me comfort that all have good feedbavk...

Kibo · « **Reply #16 on:** June 30 2017, 01:44 »

I am on my third. All bought new. 2005 Cruiser 42, 2010 Cruiser 35, 2014 Vision 46 (current boat, liveaboard in Caribbean 6 months of the year. Like all models Bavs have their pros and cons but I think the build quality is better than the Ben/Jean and design is better than Hanse/Dufour for the money.....

artemis · « **Reply #17 on:** June 30 2017, 03:56 »

I bought my bavaria 34 cr 2001 in 2007 second owner, first owner crossed the Atlantic to Saint Lucia, I love the boat love the wood Interior . The thickness of the fibreglass at the front its a inch thick. She is roomy, dry, (So far) accommodates 4 person's no problem.

Today's boats whether its Bavaria or another they are cost cutting unless you are spending serious money.

I think I will stick with my B34.

Rgds
Mike
Artemis

MarkTheBike · « **Reply #18 on:** June 30 2017, 10:43 »

I'm with Artemis on this. I have virtually the same boat and am constantly surprised by how good she is when compared with the equivalent opposition.

Salty · « **Reply #19 on:** June 30 2017, 20:23 »

Mines a 36/2002, and I'm wholeheartedly in agreement with Artemis and Mark. At a recent Boatshow I looked (out of curiosity) at a couple of new Beneteaus (a 35 and a 42), and if what I saw was definitive, then I'd say they have lost their way. Not interested, not even in a straight swap.

Atticd · « **Reply #20 on:** August 16 2017, 18:06 »

[I'm a spammer and have been banned.]

tiger79 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 16 2017, 21:39 »

Quote from: Atticd on August 16 2017, 18:06

[Removed quoted spam]

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Impavidus · « **Reply #22 on:** August 17 2017, 12:02 »

Yes. Without a doubt and I am going to buy another soon. Probably a 46 or newer 47 and we are going to start our world tour!

Ant.

sy_Anniina · « **Reply #23 on:** September 01 2017, 07:19 »

Weather we would by a Bavaria again or not is not a straightforward question to answer:
- Are we currently happy with Bavaria 40 (2001) - definitely yes
- Would we buy the same boat again with current needs - definitely yes
- If we needed a bigger and newer boat, would we consider Bavaria - maybe not... and the same would apply to many other modern production boats

We just kind of like the big and hefty rounded edges in interior design and the fact that there is not so much "free floor space". Just looking at the latest bigger Bavaria (as well as Hanse) models, I don't want to imagine myself inside while close reaching in 2m waves.

Tommi - sy Anniina

Mirror45184 · « **Reply #24 on:** September 19 2017, 13:58 »

Tommi,

Having spent several days and nights swinging from the ceiling in challenging weather I agree that many of the new cruisers on the market are a large open world of pain! Oh the initial flight would be exhilarating, just the stop at the end would take the shine off it. Though it could be used to practice flying the art of throwing oneself at the ground and missing!
Cheers

Poll

here's a forum where an indepedant view on these 'affordable' yachts can be gained. So, as a Bavaria owner, would you buy one again?

Author Topic: Buy a Bavaria? (Read 21014 times)