It can be argued that the Bavaria Yachts have led the development of boat chartering industry by their sailboats that balance luxury and reliability. The company bills itself as having the most modern shipyards in the world at their two locations in Germany and their design and manufacturing philosophy centered on ingenuity and precision.
Bavaria was an early adopter of the cruiser concept. They began to add features to entice those who like to spend time on their boat in extended vacation cruises. Designed by J&J, the Bavaria 39 Cruiser, was one of early models aimed specifically at cruisers. J&J and Bavaria won many awards in the 90s and 2000. Belowdecks, the boat is furnished with generous quantities of thoughtfully designed mahogany joiner work, and above, the cockpit is sculpted more for the needs of loungers than for energetic line tailers.
The Bavaria 39 has a three-cabin layout, two aft and one forward; in a 39-foot boat, that pretty much dictates an along-the-side galley in the saloon. This boat certainly has enough beam to carry it off, and the galley is workable on either tack by virtue of the high seat back on the island settee that completes the four-sided dining area. The bonus in this arrangement is the full-size nav table and the roomy aft head.
While the two aft staterooms are basic sleeping quarters with enough standing room to permit dressing and undressing with relative ease, the master cabin forward has all kinds of space, a large berth, a dressing seat, and a private head. This is a cozy haven wherein to pass the quiet hours when in port, not a repository for damp sail bags. In the saloon, the plush upholstery beckons a crew happily weary from a day in wind and sun to sink into its padded excess.
On deck, the cruising focus is evident in the substantial double anchor rollers on the stemhead. In the cockpit, a large steering console accommodates today’s big-screen nav aids but tends to dominate the space. Access forward when boarding from the transom entryway would be difficult without the Lewmar folding-wheel option. There is no factory-installed provision for line tails tumbling from the cabin-top rope clutches, so a couple of tail bags on the bulkhead may make sense.
The solid breeze, fluctuating around 15 knots with frequent higher gusts, that prevailed throughout Cruising World’s Boat of the Year testing session last October proved to be above the range that several of the performance cruisers, the Bavaria 39 among them, could handle comfortably under full sail. As they all did when on the wind, the Bavaria rounded up strongly in gusts, even with full rudder on, until we reduced sail area considerably. This we achieved most effectively first by rolling up some jib, then by reefing the main. Thus reined in, the boat still sailed quickly and responsively.
Structurally, the Bavaria is reassuringly conservative. The hull is made from solid laminate below the waterline and an Airex-cored sandwich above, and it’s stiffened by glassed-in hat-section frames. In the bow area, Kevlar reinforcement improves impact resistance. The cast-iron ballast keel is attached to the hull with stainless-steel keelboats, double-nutted and backed up by washers.
LOA | 11.94m | LWL | 10.72m |
Beam | 3.96m | Draft | 1.85m |
Sail Area | 82.7sqm | Displacement | 8283kg |
Water Tank | 360l | Fuel Tank | 208l |
Engine | Volvo with Saildrive |
Bavaria 39 Interior
Comprising of three cabins with the capacity of sleeping up to eight passengers, the Bavaria 39 is a spacious vessel with many useful features and one of the most popular when it comes to chartering in Turkey. While two of the cabins are a bit more modest and noticeably less roomy, the master cabin is considerably more luxurious. A dressing seat and a private bathroom, along with the mahogany details and plush interiors found throughout the Bavaria 39, make it truly unique.
A comfortable dining area and relaxing saloon ensure the common areas a perfect retreat from the sea winds. The large steering console on deck is big enough to accommodate the size of modern navigational aids, although the amount of space the area takes up can make boarding difficult. Many of the Bavaria 39’s also has a folding wheel option to make this process a bit more graceful.
Capabilities of the Bavaria 39
As mentioned above, the 39-foot cruiser can fit a maximum of eight passengers. It is equipped with a moderate 29 to 55 horsepower depending on the engine fitted and has a fuel capacity of 220 liters. Below the waterline, the hull of the Bavaria 39 is made from solid laminate, while above the waterline it is built of Airex-cored sandwich reinforced by glassed-in-hat section frames. To help improve impact resistance, the bow area is reinforced with Kevlar.
Although the Bavaria 39 Cruiser hasn’t been produced after 2007, they are nevertheless one of the most sought after vessels for yacht chartering in Turkey and this is largely due to how they hold their excellent condition.
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