Review of Bavaria C42

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

The hull is a sandwich construction which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.

The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 6 berths, a galley and 460 liters (121 US gallons, 101 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity.

The headroom is above average

The Bavaria C42 is built with a fractional rig. The sail area for the mailsail + jib is 90.5 m² (974.1 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.

The Bavaria C42 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Unknown keel type

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.10 - 2.20 meter (6.89 - 7.19 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Unknown keel type

This keel is also made of iron.

Bavaria C42 can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.70 - 1.80 meter (5.58 - 5.88 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

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

The Bavaria C42 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 4JH7 diesel engine at 57 hp (42 kW). Calculated max speed is about 7.5 knots

Alternative 2:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 4JH40 diesel engine at 40 hp (29 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.3 knots

The transmission is a saildrive.

Alternative 3:

Bavaria C42 may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar diesel engine at 57 hp (42 kW). Calculated max speed is about 7.5 knots

The transmission is a saildrive.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Bavaria C42 is 2.03, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Bavaria C42 holds three CE certifications:

If less than 10 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class A. OCEAN:
If less than 12 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class B. OFFSHORE:
If less than 14 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class C. INSHORE:

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.2 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.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Bavaria C42 is about 331 kg/cm, alternatively 1853 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 331 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1853 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Bavaria C42 is 25.2.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 31% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Bavaria C42 is 2.79.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 90% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Bavaria C42 is 28%.

This ballast ratio is higher than 7% of all similar sailboat designs. Since the ballast ratio and the righting moment (i.e. better ability to resist heeling) is strongly correlated, a ballast ratio significantly below average indicates a very low ability to resist heeling.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Bavaria C42 is 178 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

82% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Bavaria C42 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 20.1, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 23.5.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 76% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

The Bavaria C42 has more rig than 99% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 55m² (592 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.

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.

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.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Bavaria C42 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.

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