Bavaria 42 Cruiser RCD Category

[dewent]

I am considering buying a used bavaria 42. Its my first boat so want to make sure that as I build my experience my boat will be suitable for more adventurous use.

How would I find out what the RCD category is for this boat? Is it only suitable for inshore use or could I use it in offshore or ocean conditions?

 

[Kwik Decision]

Most modern yachts over about 32 ft are RCD cat A, so I'm sure a Bav 42, if built recently, will be. When you go and view her, there should be a plate, usually mounted at the back of the cockpit, that gives chaper and verse on RCD cat for the vessel.

A couple of points:

Just because some EU bureacrats say a boat is "safe" for offshore / ocean sailing does not necessarily mean that experienced sailors will agree.

Providing you are talking about buying and running a private yacht, there are no rules resticting use, and therefore the RCD class can be viewed as advisory. There is nothing to stop you buying a Cat B boat, and sailing her across the Atlantic, or even getting a Wayfarer and sailing to Greenland!

 

[minkysailing]

Dear Dewent,

First congratulation on a potential new purchase and your first boat. Putting my independent impartial hat on, I would suggest very strongly that you be guided by owner feedback and reviews and going out on a similar boat and having a go, rather that the well known very vague RCD rating of a yacht. The Bavaria will almost certainly be category A, however as many forum member will no doubt agree this means very little when you are mid Atlantic with a force 7 gusting 8 and large swell. What really matters is the design, build quality, stability (all of which are connected to one another) and how the boat is prepared and sailed.

Bavarias regrettably have a less than complimentary reputation stemming from their light design and less than impressive performance whilst under sail. The flip side is that they are good value for money.

I strongly advise you to think long and hard about what you want to do with the boat, where you want to take her, the type of sailing you want to do and the likely number of crew. 42ft is a large boat that will require skill to berth and sail and I would suggest for similar money, albeit maybe older a more robust more stable boat could be bought. Either way have a good surveyor assist you when the time comes to make the purchase and try to get out on a similar model of boat that you propose to buy (even if it means chartering one) to see what she really is like sailing and handling before you buy.

Best of luck.

 

[Tranona]

Dear Dewent,



Bavarias regrettably have a less than complimentary reputation stemming from their light design and less than impressive performance whilst under sail. The flip side is that they are good value for money.

.

I do hope we are not going to start another Bav bashing thread, but this is just a load of rubbish even if it is your opinion as it is not founded in fact. Yes a Bavaria 42 is Category A. Yes, it does not necessarily indicate it is the most suitable boat for particular types of sailing, only that its design meets the parameters set by the standard.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Have a look at the entry to the recent ARC and note the increasing number of Bavarias (and Bennys and Jennys) that are being entered. Many Bavarias have circumnavigated. They are popular with heavy usage operators such as charter companies and sailing schools - not just because of the low initial cost but because of the low cost over the 5 or 6 years hard use they get.

About the only thing you are right about is that they are not the most comfortable boats in heavy weather, but that does not mean that they break or are unsafe.

To the OP. The Bavaria 42, particularly the 1999-2004 vintage are excellent boats for general cruising. They would not be first choice if all you wanted to do was go into hostile places, but as very few people want to do that it remains a very popular choice in its class. Of course I am biased because I have its slightly smaller sister the Bavaria 37 which I have had since new in 2001 and it has had more use than most family boats have in their whole life. And no, nothing significant has broken and everything still works and looks good.

BTW YM, PBO and Sailing Today have all recently featured ex-charter Bavarias in their used boat tests. Always very complimentary about how good they are.

 

[WF36]

 

[dewent]

Thanks for the RCD info

Thanks for the advice - always impressed by the quick and helpful replies on this forum.

 

[fireball]

Dewent - almost certainly RCD A - but like Tranona says - doesn't mean its the most comfortable boat in heavy weather.

Many Bavs have undertaken big journeys - so they're good for it ... Do be aware that the original Elvestom* sails are kak (IMHO) and need to be replaced with something a bit better - bit of toilet roll should be an improvement!

If you're after a boat for repeated Ocean crossings in any weather - then don't bother with a Bav ... however, if you're after comfortable good weather cruising and the odd crossing then a Bav should be on your list to investigate further.

 

[Neil_Y]

Great boat to start with, easy to sail and drive. Can be tricky to park in a breeze though with high topside and flat bottom.

Definately capable of ocean passages if well prepared.

They are a cheap boat, engineered down to a price, so if it has had a hard life you may see some wear and tear that could need sorting before the boat is ready for a long tough passage. Get the surveyor to look closely at the rudder tube/hull area I have seen a fairly new 38 suffering hull cracks here after an atlantic crossing, I don't know the full history so it is always possible this could have been a rudder grounding. Stern to docking in the Med can mean you hit the rudder with a deep spade rudder and shallow water at the quay.

 

[Tranona]

Do be aware that the original Crusader sails are kak (IMHO) and need to be replaced with something a bit better - bit of toilet roll should be an improvement!

QUOTE]

Thought the originals were Elvestrom - mine were, but still kak (like that word, shorter and more explicit that dishcloth!). Anyway my replacement sails by DL in Athens are a vast improvement - even met with approval from the boss of my usual (well known) sailmaker here.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

If you are buying your first boat and with not a lot of experience, then it's easy to fall for the biggest size boat that falls in your budget on the basis that its a bargain. After all, other boats are smaller for the same money so they cant be as good a value.

The best advice when buying your first boat is to buy something that will be easy to re-sell not least because you dont really know what you are looking at yet, nor do you really know how you will use it in practice.

The Bav fits the latter requirement as do Bennies and Jeanneaus etc. But at 42ft, its a big boat and will have big boat maintenance costs and handling weights, mooring bills etc. Good advice is to buy the smallest boat you think will fit your requirements.

 

[webcraft]

.
We saw more Bav 42 cruisers the month we were in Norway than any other make/model. Several of them had been across the North Sea to Shetland more than once.

Huge boat for the money, it depends where your priorities lie.

- W

 

[fireball]

Do be aware that the original Crusader sails are kak (IMHO) and need to be replaced with something a bit better - bit of toilet roll should be an improvement!

QUOTE]

Thought the originals were Elvestrom - mine were, but still kak (like that word, shorter and more explicit that dishcloth!). Anyway my replacement sails by DL in Athens are a vast improvement - even met with approval from the boss of my usual (well known) sailmaker here.

Sorry - yes you're right - Elvestrom ... not Crusader ... my mistake! I'll go back and edit my orig post now ...

 

[photodog]

I am considering buying a used bavaria 42. Its my first boat so want to make sure that as I build my experience my boat will be suitable for more adventurous use.

How would I find out what the RCD category is for this boat? Is it only suitable for inshore use or could I use it in offshore or ocean conditions?

I think some great advice so far... yes Cat A, but some other points you need to bare in mind strongly....

This may be your first boat... but it will certainly not be your last... As a Bavaria owner of 6 years now (And very happy with the build and reliability, and yes even the original sails!) I would NOT choose it to do any real "Adventurous" sailing... (Though of course this depends on your definition of adventurous....)

You should think of this boat as a learning machine... were you will really discover what sort of sailing suits you and your family and what your real needs will be in the long term....

SO; Another piece of excellent advice that was given was to look smaller... Unless you will be regularly carrying 6 people on board, then 42 feet is a really big boat that is best tackled by someone of experience... You will be taking on board a number of handicaps right from the begining if your first boat is 42 feet long.... big loads, windage... need for crew... etc etc... will all hinder your learning experience...

I would suggest that if there are just 2 of you... then 31-33 feet would be far more suited... family of 4... then 34-38 feet tops....

This will also mean a less expensive boat so that when you come to number 2... you will have more dosh to put into the deal and more money for those essentials which right now you wont even be considering... eg; Hydrovane (£2500) Watermaker, Solar and Wind power.... etc etc...

I came across a fellow in Falmouth a couple of weeks ago... family of 4, first boat... and he had done a shedload of research and very smartly purchased as his first boat a Starlight 35...... possibly the only time that I have seen someone get it right (IMHO) at the first go!

Have Fun!

 

[Heckler]

I do hope we are not going to start another Bav bashing thread, but this is just a load of rubbish even if it is your opinion as it is not founded in fact. Yes a Bavaria 42 is Category A. Yes, it does not necessarily indicate it is the most suitable boat for particular types of sailing, only that its design meets the parameters set by the standard.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Have a look at the entry to the recent ARC and note the increasing number of Bavarias (and Bennys and Jennys) that are being entered. Many Bavarias have circumnavigated. They are popular with heavy usage operators such as charter companies and sailing schools - not just because of the low initial cost but because of the low cost over the 5 or 6 years hard use they get.

About the only thing you are right about is that they are not the most comfortable boats in heavy weather, but that does not mean that they break or are unsafe.

To the OP. The Bavaria 42, particularly the 1999-2004 vintage are excellent boats for general cruising. They would not be first choice if all you wanted to do was go into hostile places, but as very few people want to do that it remains a very popular choice in its class. Of course I am biased because I have its slightly smaller sister the Bavaria 37 which I have had since new in 2001 and it has had more use than most family boats have in their whole life. And no, nothing significant has broken and everything still works and looks good.

BTW YM, PBO and Sailing Today have all recently featured ex-charter Bavarias in their used boat tests. Always very complimentary about how good they are.

We chartered a 46 Bav 2 years ago in Greece, it was a dog! dirty, well used and bodged. HOWEVER, it sailed like a son of a bitch! Went to windward well, when all the the other flots around us were reefing, we just went faster, we out tacked a Bene 473 to windward, left him for dead!
The state of the boat was down to the charterer! A well known Greek outfit! We had a sizeable refund!
However my eyes were opened and I, a Bene 381 owner would not turn my nose up at a Bav of the early 2000s
Stu

 

[Neil_Y]

My first boat and that of a couple of friends was 40'+ Just the two of us and it was the right boat for us, a spare double cabin for guests, and another spare cabin with bunks. Two heads with showers makes life sharing very easy. We never needed to use the saloon berths. Confortable, spacious and easy to sail and motor. All we needed for liveaboard long distance sailing was an aquair 100. Huge water storage, no need for water maker and a very good autohelm no need for windvane. In one period we sailed over 10,000nm in less than a year.