Bavaria 41 handling tips please....

[Neal]

After decades of messing around in various long keeled, gaff rigged 'real' boats, in June I'm chartering a 2003 built Bavaria 41 with some non-boaty friends.

Will I need to rethink close quarters handling strategies? Is there much prop walk? Will she steer confidently astern? Will I be able to rely on the roller furling on both mainsail and genoa? Should I pay extra for the optional spinnaker?

Any thoughts gratefully accepted.

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[tony_brighton]

Fairly sure the 41 comes with a sail drive - so dont expect any prop wash at all - the drive is way too far in front of the rudder. Being right under the boat you'll get almost no prop walk. So , when going astern, the boat will steer in a lovely straight line but you will need to get moving before you can turn in astern. Generally they are easy to handle in close quarters and are responsive but windage can be a problem - might want to think about dropping e.g. the spray hood if entering a tricky berth.

Re: spinnaker - depends how non-boaty your friends are and where you are chartering.

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[zefender]

I've a B40. As you stop and engage reverse, the stern does drift a bit to starboard but not for long. Generally, the boat spins round on its keel very easily and close quarters are pretty worry free. Agree about the windage and its generally wiser to keep speed up a little faster - in forward or reverse than you might feel comfortable with at first, just to minimise the risk of the bow blowing round. Also agree about the sprayhood, especially if mooring bows to. Raising the boom makes life a lot easier too.

You may find a cruising chute easier to handle by your crew - but it really depends where you are chartering.

It's different from what you're used to, but it's still 'real' !

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