Experiences of Bavaria 390

[quakerfin]

Hey!

There is surprisingly less conversation about Bavaria sailboats from "era before mass-production".

We are buying new sailtraining boat for sea scouts. (Caribic -model with 4 cabins) Would be interesting to hear your own experiences about Bava's! That are the pros and cons? It big, heavy... but how does it sail? What are the main problems beside "dropping keels"? Thanks a lot for your answers!

Br. Mikko

 

[Bobc]

I think you are unlikely to get any sensible replies from Bavaria owners by starting your thread with a suggestion that the keels fall off.

 

[duncan99210]

I’m a Bavaria owner who fully understands the need of some to make jokes about falling keels.....
I’d suggest that you visit the Bavaria Yacht Help forum here Bavaria Yacht Info - Index. It free to join and there folks on there that own boats of the age you’re interested in.
I think that the boat you’re thinking of would likely be ideal. My wife and as both did our training on a 390 of that age and it was a near ideal boat for the purpose. One aft cabin for the instructors, 3 cabins for students. Nice solid boat and it sails well. Still doing the same job in Corfu some 11 years later.

 

[pvb]

Welcome to the forums!

I wouldn't say that the 390 is from the "era before mass-production". Streamlined automated production facilities have been the secret of Bavaria's success over the years.

As long as the boat hasn't been damaged or grounded, the keel will stay firmly attached.

The 4-cabin layout of the Carabic version should be ideal for your needs. The boats are solidly constructed, but not especially heavy (the hull weight of the 390 is about the same as that of similar-sized present-day Bavarias.

When new, the 390 was usually fitted with a Volvo Penta 2003T engine. If the boat you're buying still has the 2003T engine, there are 2 things you must check. Firstly, examine the oil cooler carefully for corrosion (it's hidden under the heat exchanger). Secondly, also check for corrosion of the external steel high pressure oil pipe which feeds the turbocharger. A leak from either of these can dump the entire contents of the sump into the bilge and the first you'll know is when the engine suddenly stops.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

AFAIK .... Bavarias from that era are built like brick outhouses and much sought after if you can find a good one.

Keel issues were confined to the Match 42 ... I doubt a Caribic will have any such issues.

 

[Laysula]

We have a Bavaria 350 built in 1993. I would recommend it to anyone. She sails really comfortably in all conditions has a reasonable turn of speed and is very comfortable in port. We have been out in some pretty atrocious conditions at times and we never had a doubt about her.

 

[quakerfin]

I think you are unlikely to get any sensible replies from Bavaria owners by starting your thread with a suggestion that the keels fall off.

Hey Bob!

I could not resist writing about the keel. Allways, all the threads I have found about Bavaria 390 - someone is always telling how big problem that is. Why? Because 1 of those 390s lost its keel a long time ago. So... I decided to use it as an icebreaker. Sorry! I hope the conversation will be polite and appropriate from now on. ;-)

 

[quakerfin]

Welcome to the forums!

...

When new, the 390 was usually fitted with a Volvo Penta 2003T engine. If the boat you're buying still has the 2003T engine, there are 2 things you must check. Firstly, examine the oil cooler carefully for corrosion (it's hidden under the heat exchanger). Secondly, also check for corrosion of the external steel high pressure oil pipe which feeds the turbocharger. A leak from either of these can dump the entire contents of the sump into the bilge and the first you'll know is when the engine suddenly stops.

Hey pvb!

Thanks for the advice. The boat we are looking for has an original VP 2003T engine with approx. 2000 hours so far. By quick look, it looks nice, but we have not yet made any deeper inspections.

I guess most likely problems with the boat would be
- original engine
- original teak deck (not in perfect fit anymore)
- possible damages in the keel area

If you guys have some other tips to check in main inspection let me know!

 

[pvb]

I could not resist writing about the keel. Allways, all the threads I have found about Bavaria 390 - someone is always telling how big problem that is. Why? Because 1 of those 390s lost its keel a long time ago.

The Bavaria 390 Lagoon "Petra" lost its keel in mid-Atlantic in 2012. The boat was built in 1990. It was reported to be in good order cosmetically, but of course the keel or its supporting structure could have been damaged at some time. It's certainly not a common occurence. The Danish crew apparently reported that the keel had become loose some days before they were rescued.

There was a long thread about it here, which is worth reading, if you can ignore the hysteria and prejudice. See Bavaria lost keel again

Lots and lots of different boats lose their keels. There's almost always an explanation, if the remaining hull can be salvaged.

 

[quakerfin]

Heh, yes, I just meaned that I already know that case. And no need to talk about it here. ?

Thanks for your experiences! If there are more - it would be great to hear! Thanks. ??

 

[pvb]

I guess most likely problems with the boat would be
- original teak deck (not in perfect fit anymore)

Be wary, teak decks cost a fortune to replace. If the deck is worn out, you can remove the whole lot and paint with non-slip, but it's still a huge amount of work.

 

[mjcoon]

This will be of no help to OP, but the story may amuse. Back in mid-1980s the flotilla company Island Sailing had an "Island 390" (which may have been a Bavaria, guessing from the number) called "Jacaranda" pictured on the front of their brochure.

In 1988 we went on a flotilla with them and were offered an upgrade from our booked boat, with declared caveat. Which was that it had an infestation with cockroaches. They would supply the traps etc which we were to deploy around the calorifier, where the roaches gathered. This yacht turned out to be "Jacaranda", rather come down in the world since being a brochure pin-up! Not being squeamish, we accepted the challenge...

Mike.