Flexi bulkhead

[Topspin]

Hi all,
for a planned circumnav (starting in the med in early 2022) I am considering a Bavaria cruiser 51, from charter with no VAT paid,
looking for the newer model (twin rudders). I have two questions:

1. Since when does Bavaria offer flexi-bulkhead ? I want to create a big forward cabin without destructive woodwork (assuming, that I will get the usual 5-cabin version).  Has anybody here used that system and can post some practical experiences?

2. The rotary motor used as the autopilot is a bit unusual. May that be replaced with a linear drive as a backup?

3. Any problems to rig a cutter stay for a solent rig configuration? 

Regards,

 -Richard (from Australia)


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Hallo zusammen,
bin für eine geplante Weltumsegelung (ab Mittelmeer) auf der Suche nach einer Bavaria Cruiser 51, ggf. aus Charter ohne MWSt, für Frühjahr 2022 (Baujahr angepeilt 2012 bis 2016) und hätte da gern mal ein paar Fragen:

1. Ab wann bietet Bavaria flexi-bulkhead für die Bugkabine an? Ich würde gerne die Trennwand herausnehmen um eine große Bugkabine zu gestalten, ohne zur Säge greifen zu müssen. Hat das mal jemand gemacht und kann hier Erfahrungen posten ?

2. Der bei neueren Modellen verbaute Autopilot ist ein einfacher Rotationsmotor. Wie kritisch ist selbiger und kann man ggf. eine normale Schubstange als Backup anbauen?

3. Irgendwelche Probleme ein Kutterstag nachzurüsten ?

Seglerische Grüße,

 -Richard (Australien)

[Symphony]

Welcome to the forum Richard.

Pretty sure that the bulkhead dividing the forecabin into 2 is non structural. I seem to remember Nigel, who started this forum, removing it on his similar 49 to make one larger cabin. Are you looking to buy a boat in Greece or Croatia? If so there are many people in both countries who are very familiar with the construction of Bavarias and who could undertake the work.

I assume for the autopilot you are talking about the Lewmar drive at the bottom of the pedestal. This is quite common and is generally reliable, although if you do a search on here you will find that there have been some problems with clutches. Not sure why you would want a back up with another electronic pilot - more normal to fit a wind vane such as a Hydrovane as an alternative. One of the reasons for using the Lewmar drive over a linear drive is the difficulty of providing a strong and secure mounting for the fixed end of the drive.

By a cutter stay I assume you mean a second stay just behind and parallel to the forestay. This is quite feasible - the factors to consider are keeping within the guidance from Selden that the mounting point on the mast should be no more than 6% below the height of the existing forestay to avoid the need for running backstays and then providing a secure location for the foot of the stay. Selden sell a kit for the mast fitting and it is worth contacting them or one of their dealers for more definitive advice.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your boat search - not a great time to buying a boat but lets hope it gets better soon.

[Topspin]

Hello Symphony,
thanks for the quick reply. It seems that bavaria provides the flexi-bulkhead since around 2014. This means, the bulkhead is not structural and can be removed easily because it is not glued in. I am not sure, when they changed the model to provide this feature.
The autopilot seems to come from Jefa: https://www.jefa.com/News/bavaria_37_41/bavaria_46.htm
I am not sure whether this one is compatible to the Lewmar. it seems to me the Lewmar is attached to a chain while the Jefa is attached to a pulley which drives the steering wire.
Your comment about the second forestay is important as I really do not want to care about running backstays.

Thanks a lot,

 -Richard

P.S.: I intend to buy early 2022 or late 2021 in Croatia or Greece, I hope newer models will be available with at a reasonable price tag.

[Symphony]

OK. My comments about autopilot and the bulkhead were really related to older J&J designed boats rather than the newer Farr designs such as the ones you are looking at. I am not sure about the bulkhead issue as the newer designs are of very different construction. They make much more use of interior bulkheads as structural members so I think you really need to talk to either the factory or a good dealer about the actual construction details of the model you are looking at. With regard to the autopilot, my comments about the Lewmar drives are irrelevant as the Jefa system is totally different.

Fitting an inner forestay is straightforward if you follow the Selden guidelines, although it is more common to make the stay removable and use it for a storm jib. In this case the deck mounting is further aft where it is possible to create a strong point around a structural bulkhead, usually aft of the anchor locker. Not sure a cutter rig with a solent type jib is the way to go with the type of rig the 51 has. This is more appropriate with older type rigs where the main power came from a large (130%+) overlapping genoa and small mainsail. Rigs like this perform poorly if the genoa is reefed down in heavier winds so there is value in having an inner forestay to take a smaller non overlapping jib that does not need reefing and use the genoa in lighter airs or off wind. The trend now is for more mainsail driven rigs with smaller jibs, typically just overlapping at around 105% and then use offwind sails flown in front of the forestay, often on a torque rope furler. I have a 2015 33 which has essentially the same type of rig and have an assymetric on a furler which can be used in the range 80-150 degrees and up to 15 knots. I also had the original jib recut to improve shape when furled without needing luff padding. There are many more options depending on the type of sailing you intend doing and worthwhile talking to sailmakers about these options. We are lucky in the UK as we have several sailmakers who are very experienced at making sails for long distance sailing, but no doubt you can find the same in Australia.