On test/bavaria 46 cruiser

ON TEST/BAVARIA 46 CRUISERBavaria has a new selection of cruising yachts that willappeal to anyone who wants to go to sea in head-turningstyle. Simon Kent went to Palma, Majorca, for thisexclusive report in words and pictures.28 February 2005 AUSTRALIAN YACHTING

ON TEST/BAVARIA 46 CRUISERThinkbigTHE NEW BAVARIA CRUISER series leaves themodern sailor in no doubt about its intentions.Each model is big, comfortable, well fitted anddedicated to the enjoyment of life afloat. The newdesigns come in 42’, 46’ and 49’ versions.Walking through the crowded marinas that fillthe Spanish port of Palma, Majorca, it was easy tosee for myself just why this market is so popular.There was line after line of production cruisingyachts: big and small, they all appeared to payno heed to the demands of the racecourse. Rather,with their plush cabins, big galleys, multiplefreezers, air conditioning units and on-deck areas,they were screaming out to be sailed across theMediterranean with a shipload of leisure seekingholidaymakers.All clear to sea: Theold port provided amajestic backdrop forour cruise along thePalma, Majorca coast.All pictures bySimon Kent.AUSTRALIAN YACHTING February 2005 29

ON TEST/BAVARIA 46 CRUISERApproaching the new Bavaria 46Cruiser from afar, I could see where thisnew model fitted into this scenario. Thetwin wheels at the stern may initiallyappear to be a nod towards high performance,but as any charterer knows they meaneasy access from the dockside to deck. Alook skywards reveals the simplest oftwin-spreader rigs with fractional forestay,cabin-top mainsail track, minimal overlappingheadsails and standard furling gear.Looking forward the side decks andcoach roof have practical anti-slide finisheswith teak on all major seat thwarts andcockpit floor. The pulpit, pushpit andguardrail with openings on both sides areample for the largest of crew. Deck gearreflects the demands of the long termcruiser or charterer. Onboard kit includesbow fitting with anchor roller, four cleatswith fairlead (aluminium), two spring cleatsamidships (aluminium), four self-tailingworking winches, two-speed, two winchhandles, tensioners and lines led to thecockpit, self-draining anchor locker,double locker seat in the wide cockpit, anda self-draining gas cylinder container.That’s not all that comes fully standard.There’s a cockpit shower, boarding ladder,deck vent, electric bilge pump, manualbilge pump, navigation lights, deck lightand that last vital piece of kit that everycruising sailor covets, an electric anchorwindlass.All this is delivered standard from thefactory. As we motored out through thecrowded Palma marinas to the open seabeyond I asked Tony Kirby from NorthSouth Yachting in Australia the obviousquestion: how does Bavaria do it?“We have the advantage of being amanufacturer delivering to a global market,”Kirby said, “and with that comesthe possibilities of taking advantage ofthe economies of scale. Basically, big isbeautiful. The buying power that Bavariagenerates through the sheer volume ofits production means that savings canbe passed on to the buyer without compromisingquality.”I’d seen plenty of evidence myself just afew days earlier when I visited the Bavariaworks in Germany. Innovation, modernmanufacturingmethods, computer-aidedmanufacturing processes and highly skilledcraftsmen all combined at the Giebelstadtfactory in a seamless 24/7 operation.Every year approximately 2,500 yachtsbetween 32 and 50-feet leave the yard,which employs more than 600 people. It isone of the most modern series productionfacilities for sailing yachts in the world.Bavaria’s worldwide network of competentsales partners guarantees professionaldelivery and high quality service with“The buying power that Bavaria generatesthrough the sheer volume of its productionmeans that savings can be passed on tothe buyer without compromising quality.”30 February 2005 AUSTRALIAN YACHTINGFeature FocusABOVE: Twin wheels are fast becoming a favourite of the cruising crowd.ABOVE: The navigation area has everythingthe long distance cruiser would desire.ABOVE: The main saloon has a big headand shower cabin to port.dealers in direct and close contact withthe owners of the yachts.Design work is left in the capable handsof the J&J Design team that has been busyre-working all the models in the BavariaYachts range. Over the past year it hashelped oversee the expansion of the racingMatch series and now it’s turning attentionto the Cruiser series. To my mind theBavaria Cruiser 46 is the ultimate exampleof their philosophy.Below decksStepping below decks the finish was firstclass. Tony Kirby explained that you facealmost unlimited choices in setting up theCruiser 46 with the most popular expres-

ON TEST/BAVARIA 46 CRUISERsion being four cabins with eight berthsplus saloon. If that doesn’t appeal then gofor the three cabins with six berths plussaloon. The latter comes with comfortablesettee as standard along with a luxuriouslystyled saloon table, sideboards with stowagespace and lockers.Headroom is ample. I measured atleast 6-ft plus in the old scale, carried fromthe main saloon through to all cabinsand heads.The chart table has a large compartmentfor nautical charts and navigationinstruments with more stowage underneaththe seat.Now, any yacht that’s being pitched atthe cruising market must have a workablegalley. Even though during daylight hoursthe topsides are the focus for passengers,on the mooring or in the marina pen it’simperative that there is space to store andprepare food.The 46 has a marinised cooker andoven. There is an insulated cooling boxwith electrical refrigeration and a 12Vrefrigerator within easy reach. The sink isstainless steel, complemented by stowagein drawers with drop doors and simplepush locks. There are two marine headswith easy-care synthetic surfaces, twopump toilets with holding tank aft (disposalvia seacock) and electric shower,water-disposal pump and pump filter toensure no blockages. Four fire extinguishersare strategically placed in the maincabins and galley area.A critical requirement demanded byForward of the mast there’s nothing butdeck space and plenty of it.Australian cruisers is good ventilation. Be itin the tropics or anywhere else on the coast,the extremes of our local weather meanswe need plenty of air circulating below tokeep things cool and comfortable. To thatend the 46 has eight main opening hatchesalong with eight opening side windowsstreaming daylight. There are another sixnon-opening windows and two saloonpanorama-windows.All this light reaches the soft woodpanelling to promote on open, spaciousSpecificationsLOA: 14.20mHull: 13.99mLWL: 13.20mBeam: 4.35mDraught: 1.85mUnloaded weight: 11,000kgEngine Volvo-Penta: 41/kwFuel tank: 210lWater tank: 460lSAILS AND RIGGINGMainsail: 117.80 sq mMast height: 19.20mfeel. Gone are the days when Europeanyachts seemed to be universally finished indark, heavy tones, more reminiscent of apublic library than a modern sailing boat.Speaking of things modern, the boat’spower supply switchboard comes withautomatic fuses and control lamps, voltmeter,engine circuit 1x55 Ah, boat circuit2x140 Ah. There is AC shore supply, ACsocketat switch board, galley and marinehead, aft DC-socket at the switchboard.Sitting at the main saloon table andsettee it doesn’t take too much imaginationto see eight or ten friends easily seatedaround together and enjoying a yarnabout the previous day’s sailing. If youor your guests felt like a wine or two,there are bottle stowage compartmentshidden throughout to keep wine safeduring passage.Clear topsidesare ideal forlazy days.AUSTRALIAN YACHTING February 2005 31

ON TEST/BAVARIA 46 CRUISERWhen it comes time to retire the cabinsare all spacious enough to defeat the notionthat life on the water is simply one stepremoved from camping. I especially likedthe big hanging lockers in each cabin:enough space to empty the duffel bag andhang the sailing and shore-side rigs alongwith the odd piece of wet weather gear.Under sailSo how does she sail? Easily. After anhour or so on the wheel I had a prettygood understanding of the boat. She ishigh pointing, courtesy of a cast iron keelshaped in a modern lateral profile. Thedraught is a sensible 1.58m and the rudderstreamlined and fore balanced.As mentioned earlier, there are twogood-sized steering pedestals, each wheelwith standard stitched leather cover. Youcan therefore sit to windward and keep aneye on approaching wind and weather orsit to leeward for a good view of the headsailtufts. Helm was negligible.On the day of our sail we had a teamfrom Elvstrom aboard to pull the strings.Truth to say they were pretty underworked.Two people easily manage the gear, andthat includes getting the mainsail up anddown. When it came time to reach off thebreeze we popped the reacher and took off.Although we were only getting around 8-10knots across the deck we could alwaysboast around 10-12 knots through thewater if we all did the racing thing.But who wants to do that when thecool, calm waters off Majorca beckon?The long, comfortable wave pattern roseto meet us and we cruised along with thestunning, ancient backdrop of the oldport providing an ever changing view.All sheets and halyards meet at thecabin top so changing gears was a simpletask. When we went looking for moreheight it only took a soft tug on themainsheet traveller to get the mainhooked up to windward so the big roachcould do its work. As we tacked the mainwent easily from side to side without theA tall rig is an advantage both on and off the breeze.“The comfortablewave pattern roseto meet us as wecruised along withthe stunning,ancient backdropof the old portproviding an everchanging view.”32 February 2005 AUSTRALIAN YACHTINGhassle of having somebody in the sternsheets flicking the same roach throughthe centreline and away from the adjustablebackstay.When it came time for a refreshingdrink, the cockpit table served as a barand footrest combined – which sure beatssitting on the windward rail dangling theTopsiders over the passing tide. Comforton deck was assured with the mouldedbackrests lining the cockpit coaming.By definition the Cruiser 46 is not aracing yacht, yet that doesn’t mean thatspeed is neglected. Smooth lines and a tallrig combine to give excellent port-to-portmobility for the cruiser and charterer alike.As we all know, the faster the ocean passagethe less time you’re bound to be exposedto the weather and the more enjoyableyour sail will be. For Tony Kirby this iswhat quality sailing time is all about.“Nobody likes to go slowly, even cruisersrecognise the benefits inherent infast travelling. I think Bavaria puts itscomfort into a sleek looking package thatwill find a home in any port anywhere inthe world.”Under powerAnyone who has entered a big Europeanmarina will tell you that you need powerand maneuverability to keep clear of other

ON TEST/BAVARIA 46 CRUISERyachts and assorted mooring lines. TheBavaria 46 has plenty of grunt. There’s aVolvo-Penta D2-55, 41 kw/55 hp with saildrive and fixed prop below the waterlineto help you enter the tightest berth. Theengine is complete, as you’d expect fromVolvo-Penta. It has dual circuit coolingwith seawater filter and engine hourscounter and rev-counter serving the isolatedengine compartment. The tank holds210l with fuel level indicator and dieselfilter in easily accessed spaces.ConclusionThe Bavaria 46 Cruiser is the essence ofthe modern cruising yacht. It is fast andcomfortable while being stable at alltimes. It will get you where you want to goquickly with a minimum of fuss. The goodthing is that you don’t have to fly all theway to Majorca to see one. You can test sailone today, courtesy of the people at NorthSouth Yachting, although I do recommendMajorca for those who like a bit to add abit of spice to their journey.CONTACT POINT:North South YachtingQuays Marina1856 Pittwater RoadChurch Point NSW 2105Ph 02 9998 9600Fax 02 9979 3244Email bavaria@northsouthyachting.com.auWebsite www.northsouthyachting.com.auOptional Extras• Teak on side deck and coach roof• Echo sounder/log – Raymarine ST 60, singleunits (surcharge)• Wind gauge – Raymarine ST 60• Autopilot – Raymarine ST 6001• Global Positioning System (GPS) – Raynav 300• Raymarine Raychart 520• Rod kicker with gas pressure spring• Fully battened mainsail (117,8 qm) incl. MDS& lazyjacks; reefing genoa• High-tech sailset (123,4 qm) for battened mainand reefing genoa, cut and surface optimized,sandwich/laminate cloth; battened main incl.MDS & lazyjacks, bi-radial; reefing genoa withe-foam, tri-radial• Mainsail-furling system (110,6 qm), withmainsail and reefing genoa• High-tech sailset (121,3 qm), for mainsailfurlingsystem; furling main, EMS system,sandwich cloth; reefing genoa with e-foam,tri-radial, cut and surface optimized• Double speed electric genoa winches• Inner forestay with pelican hook, incl. holdingdevice on mast and spreader• Spinnaker gear complete with spinnaker poleand storage clips• Downhaul with separate chain plate• Ex-centre cleats for halyard and topping lift,stopper for downhauls, leading blocks at mastand rail stanchions• All leading blocks• Spinnaker-liftsystem• Self-tailing spinnaker winches• Second shower in marine head, disposal viaelectric diaphragm pump, pump filter• Additional disposal via deck suction, forholding tank• Additional holding tank, disposal via seavalve• Hot-air heating, Webasto Air Top 5000, fuelsupply from engine diesel tank, openingin saloon• Additional opening for hot-air heating• Battery charger 24 Ah, for AC-shore supply• Battery charger 45 Ah, for AC-shore supply• Fourth battery 140 Ah• VHF cables, incl. antenna, installed in mast tochart table• Stereo-radio, FM, AM, with CD player, speakersin saloon, antenna at backstay• Zinc coated 22kg plough anchor with lock atbow fitting and chain guard• Anchor chain, zinc coated, diameter 10mm,50m length• Bow thrust drive SP 75, electric (only inconnection with fourth battery)• Life-saving collar with holding device and lifeline, attached to pushpit• LFS-safety package, Life-safety system• Lead keel with antimony as deep keel(draught 2,05 m)• Stainless steel clamps (4 pieces)• Spring cleats, stainless steel (only inconnection with stainless steel clamps)• Stainless steel Wind indicator• Cradle for sea transport.ABOVE: The furling gear on the test boatwas first class and matched by theElvstrom sails.RIGHT: The foretriangle provided heapsof power upwind.AUSTRALIAN YACHTING February 2005 33