Review of Bavaria Cruiser 40S

Bavaria Cruiser 40S anno 2013.

Basic specs.

The Bavaria Cruiser 40S also known as Bavaria 40 S Cruiser or Bavaria Cruiser 40 Sport is a large sailboat designed by the American maritime architect bureau Farr Yacht Design, Ltd. in the late 2000. The Bavaria Cruiser 40S is built by the German yard Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH.

S = Sport

Looking for a new boat? Find a Bavaria Cruiser 40S or similar boat for sale

Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. A hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Interior

Interior of Bavaria Cruiser 40S anno 2013.

The boat is equipped with 6 berths and 210 liters (55 US gallons, 46 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity.

The headroom is above average

Cockpit

Cockpit of Bavaria Cruiser 40S anno 2013.

Rig

The Bavaria Cruiser 40S is built with a fractional rig. The sail area for the mailsail + jib is 78.1 m² (840.8 ft²). A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Keel

The Bavaria Cruiser 40S has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel with bulb

One option is a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel. The advantage of the bulb is that it lowers the center of gravity which resists heeling and reduces the draft.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.65 - 1.75 meter (5.41 - 5.71 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Fin keel with bulb

Another option is a fin keel.

Bavaria Cruiser 40S can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.35 - 2.45 meter (7.71 - 8.01 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Engine

The fuel tank has a capacity of 210 liters (55 US gallons, 46 imperial gallons).

The Bavaria Cruiser 40S has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta D2-40 diesel engine at 39 hp (29 kW).

The transmission is a saildrive.

Alternative 2:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta D1-30 diesel engine at 28 hp (20 kW).

The transmission is a saildrive.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

EU classification

Bavaria Cruiser 40S holds a CE certification:

The boat is by European Union certified as Class A. OCEAN:

Designed for extended voyages where conditions may exceed wind force 8 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights of 4 m and above but excluding abnormal conditions, and vessels largely self-sufficient.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.9 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Bavaria Cruiser 40S is about 283 kg/cm, alternatively 1588 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 283 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1588 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Bavaria Cruiser 40S is 3.03.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 76% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 45m² (484 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	40.8 m	(133.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	40.8 m	(133.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	40.8 m	(133.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet	12.0 m	(39.3 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet	12.0 m	(39.3 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet	30.0 m	(98.3 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	26.4 m	(86.5 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Cunningham	5.7 m	(18.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap	11.3 m	(37.1 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul	11.3 m	(37.1 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Bavaria Cruiser 40S it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.