Review of Bavaria C50

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 3/4/5/6 cabins, 6/8/10/12 berths, a galley, 650 liters (171 US gallons, 142 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

The Bavaria C50 is built with a fractional rig. The sail area for the mailsail + jib is 131.2 m² (1,412.2 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.

Deep keel

The Bavaria C50 is built with a deep keel. A deep keel provide a better healing moment than a shallow keel.

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 2.70 - 2.80 meter (8.86 - 9.16 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Bavaria C50 is 2.04, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Bavaria C50 holds three CE certifications:

If less than 12 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class A. OCEAN:
If less than 16 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class B. OFFSHORE:
If less than 18 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 9.3 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 C50 is about 499 kg/cm, alternatively 2794 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 499 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 2794 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Bavaria C50 is 25.6.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 18% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Bavaria C50 is 2.97.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 96% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Bavaria C50 is 135 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

86% 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 C50 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 19.9, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 23.2.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 58% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 86m² (925 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 C50 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.