Bavaria match 42, any good?

contessaman

contessaman

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Poor (working on boat vs sailing boat) ratio over the last few years has got me hankereing for something a lot newer. Thought I had my heart set on a
J/109...

But, a bit of brousing around has revealed that I can get a 2004 bavaria
'match 42' for less money, its a bigger boat, seems to offer reasonable accomodation for cruising, yet still be good for racing.

I know little of this 'match' range of bavarias, although a google search tells me that an early example lost its keel due to inadiquate scantlings, a recall and modification should have therefore been carried out on any second hand boat that I would be buying.

Does anyone out there have any more info/views/experience?

do they sail well? rate well?
Is the keel recall work adequate?
What about depreciation? I would be making the most of home remortgaging time to suppliment money from the sale of current boat but in a way I would rather spend more money on a more prestigious marque that held its value longer..

Finally the J appeals to me as a boat that can genuinely be cruised with a husband and wife as well as raced hard with 6 blokes. How well does the match 42 fit this bill?

All views and opinions welcome
ta.
 
By 6 years old, the hump of the depreciation *should* be over... most charter fleets seem to see off at 5 years /6 seasons ... so a true 6 year old boat should be priced below the ex charter boats (unless a "match" makes it an apples vs oranges comparison).

mjcp
 
Well to start with, neither the J109, or the Match 42 could be raced competitively with 6. The 109's OD crew is normally 9 (it's done on weight) and I'd want 10 minimum to race the match 42. If you are really wanting to race with 6, you need to think smaller.

The match's reputation has been tarnished with that keel issue, and to be honest they've seldom had amazing race results. This could make them a bargain though....

I've never heard of a match 35 being competitive, certianly the one that occasionally comes out with us is not often seen after the start, and there's a 42 that comes out every now and again to follow the fleet around. Though with only one example of each to base it on, it's difficult to separate the boat's effect from the crew's.
Only sucess I know of was a Match 38 that we used to race against which was quite a thorn in our side and won quite a few races, but I know the owner put a lot of time and money into getting that thing going, it was not quick out of the box. Sadly it met a sticky end on Weymouth beach and hasn't been seen since.

In terms of value the 109s seem to be holding their value remarkably well, and the racing cannot currently be beaten. Competitive on IRC, and 30 boat one design fleets. Absolutley first rate support from the dealer too.
It's just a shame they have those silly Asymetrics....
 
The story I heard was that the Match 38 was the only one designed as such and the other two were scaled from it.

It was optimised for IMS but didn't suffer too badly under IRC. Double check that the remedial work to the keel was done properly and it would be something you'd get a good surveyor to look at closely.

The Match range were a great might-have-been. It is a pretty competitive hull, but the ergonomics of the deck layout were lacking. A MkII would have been a pretty serious competitor, but the lost keel in Croatia & Bavaria's reaction destroyed the market.

My biggest bugbear was that the genny winches were so far aft, apart from clashes with the main trimmer it also meant I'd have to cleat off the sheet and move forward to adjust the cars. Gggrr. And I think that was only done to make room for a sprayhood.

The keel had been moved so the boat trimmed by the stern. Look at photos and you'll see the crew unusually far forward on the rail.

Check out the furniture down below too, it was lightly veneered foam and was pretty vulnerable. I'm not sure that was standard as I can't imagine it surviving too many charters.

The boat fared best in F4 and above when racing. The 38 was raced with usually 8 or 9, but double-handed coastal cruising should be OK. One awkwardness would be gybing the main with the German system if you're not used to it, but I don't think they all had that.

I believe there were only two Match 38's in the UK. I've not seen the 35 be competitive but I was never sure if that was the boat's fault. The 42 is likely to rate so high that you'll be up against serious competitors.

The boats are bargains in one sense because you'll get a lot of boat for your money as they've depreciated a great deal, but many will be shy of them when you come to sell.
 
The cost of a boat is not what you pay for it, but the difference between that and what you can sell it on for. I don't want to provoke anyone but the Match range did not really take off and they faded very fast while Js tend to be more in demand. I agree though that both these boats need a big crew who know what they are doing and without that might be a big disappointment. (this is from someone who once tried very hard to buy an X119 on the basis of the heavy depreciation, another boat with a big bendy rig and all that goes with it, lovely lovely boat but worth peanuts today, lucky escape)
 
Quandary said:
The cost of a boat is not what you pay for it, but the difference between that and what you can sell it on for. I don't want to provoke anyone but the Match range did not really take off and they faded very fast while Js tend to be more in demand.
Click to expand...

I agree with your views on cost, but I think the thing about the Match range is that they didn't take off and have depriciated dramatically already, perhaps overly so. They're not a stripped out racer that will continue to depreciate to the peanut level, but a cruiser racer that's could be used just for cruising.

To be honest unless the Match 42 has been seriously trashed, it would be a good cheap cruiser that's not that old. Racing it would require a good crew as it must be getting up to something like 1.090 to 1.100 under IRC and at that level you won't be competing against that many casual racers.

I wouldn't touch a J109 with a bargepole. They're a nice boat especially for someone who wants to do a bit of cruising and a bit of racing, but the price is set very high. I was told that you're paying to buy into the ethos of the class, but when they loose their fashionable status their price could fall pretty dramatically.

Anyway, I'd find trying to race seriously with a furling headsail and the choice of only an assymetric pretty frustrating.
 
I believe you asked for an opinion on the merits of the Bav 42 Match for cruising and a bit of racing. I am inclined to suggest first the J109 is a disaster when it comes to cruising and fun for one class racing and very over priced for that! I have sailed on a Bav 42 Match and found the boat very un-impressive and very run of the mill. The fixtures and fittings were poor and the design and finish very poor. I also if purchasing one would always have in the back of my mind the 'Keel issue'. If you want a 40ft cruising boat that can be occasionally raced there are far better boats on the market that will give you better results and hold their value. For instance a Ben 40.7, Dufour 40 to mention a couple.
 
I delivered a 35 Match and after 4 days on it - I was so glad to get off it.

I second the post where it comments on the flimsy interior etc.

The mast vibrated like a drum when she got going and TBH - that took effort as well. I was surprised that she didn't accelerate anywhere near what you'd expect.
Reefing the main was a joke - we had the standard out of factory system. Someone should've told them that it was cr*p ... !
The wheel creaked all the time and I've heard from quite a few Bav owners - this is common whether match or not. We realised it was the pedestal in the end, not the rudder post ...
Clutches and winches were poorly placed, agree that they probably sited after sorting sprayhood !
Side decks were nothing short of dangerous .. lack of toerail for significant length fwd from cockpit, making getting up on deck hazardous when heeled. The non-slip was rubbish so you need that toe-rail to stop feet going O/B. Sorry but sitting out comfort comes AFTER safety in my book.

As I say - it's the first and last Match I wish to sail on.
 
Not at all impressed by the J109s in our club - the build quality isnt what I would want at the price they are. The Benny First are good crusier racers at reasonable cost
 
minkysailing said:
I believe you asked for an opinion on the merits of the Bav 42 Match for cruising and a bit of racing. I am inclined to suggest first the J109 is a disaster when it comes to cruising and fun for one class racing and very over priced for that! I have sailed on a Bav 42 Match and found the boat very un-impressive and very run of the mill. The fixtures and fittings were poor and the design and finish very poor. I also if purchasing one would always have in the back of my mind the 'Keel issue'. If you want a 40ft cruising boat that can be occasionally raced there are far better boats on the market that will give you better results and hold their value. For instance a Ben 40.7, Dufour 40 to mention a couple.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys for all your inputs,

Just spent 3 days on the south coast looking over potential boats. J/109 had less room in it than my current boat, and less head room so for all the fun I still couldnt live with it. Was very impressed with first 40.7, but more impressive still to a less serious racer like me was the Elan 40. I think I will be starting a new thread on here to dig around on that boat.
 
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