THANK YOU for the replies - greatly appreciated and helpful.
The last sailboat I owned was a 1981 S&S designed Stevens 47. That boat was a tank. Very long story made stupid short but sailing the Stevens to Wilmington NC form St. Thomas direct, 9 days out we got caught by a massive northeaster when we were about 400 miles off Cape Canaveral. We diverted to Jacksonville but not before the storm hit. Consistent 45kts with gusts to 60 out of the northeast when crossing the gulfstream. Seas were 15'-18' and ugly. Fuel tanks intake clogged - no power. We sailed into Jacksonville at night in huge winds and no engine with driving rain preventing any visibililty - GPS was key. Anyway - through it all the boat did not care and gave zero issues. Would the Bavaria have done as well? I don't know. I also DO know that I hope to NEVER be in that situation again!
Some questions about how these Bavarias are built: (relative to Bavaria 49 or 50 from 1999 to 2007)
- Are the through hulls and seacocks bronze or brass or plastic?
- Are the opening ports and portlights plastic or metal?
- Is the rudder stock stainless steel, aluminium or GRP?
- How is the rudder bearing designed and constructed?
- How is the hull to deck joint constructed? (I did see a youtube video from Bavaria that showed it glued and then screwed - bolts would seem better)
- How robust is the hull where the keel is bolted on?
- Is the deck hardware and sailing gear sized well?
How can you tell if the keel is lead or cast iron?
Did construction quality and gear change over different production years? Would a 1999 Bavaria 50 be considered better or worse construction than say a 2007?
Here are several boats I am interested in. I hope to see the first 2 within the next week.
1. 2003 Bavaria 49. Asking $149,900
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2003/bavaria-owners-tri-cabin-3536638/?refSource=standard%20listing2. 1999 Bavaria 50. Asking $174,999
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1999/bavaria-50-3211384/?refSource=standard%20listing3. 2007 Bavaria Cruisers 50. Asking $125,000
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2007/bavaria-bavaria-50-3500621/?refSource=standard%20listingThe '03 has a generator. The '99 has a watermaker and upgrades. The 2007 seems fairly basic in gear but is newer - but is also in Martinique which presents logistical issues.
Anyway - educated opinions are greatly appreciated. Trying to learn about these boats is difficult. So many sailing or cruising forums are crazy negative about any production boat and Bavaria in particular sure seems to get bashed often. Yet the company has stayed around and made tens of thousands of boats. I cannot find reports of hundreds of them mysteriously sinking so they cannot be as bad as most forums posts would suggest.
Is a 1999 perhaps a better built boat than a 2007?
Thanks!!!!
Terry