Bavaria 32 – A Farr better boat?

Dislikes
- Small diameter (8mm) mainsheet
- Noisy engine room fan

So, with all this name dropping the Bavaria 32 has fuelled high market expectations since its recent launch in Australia. And after a day spent on board I’d say the Bavaria 32 does live up to the hype with a combination of functional design, sailability and value for money, making this boat a heavyweight contender in the compact cruiser arena.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

Top brands including Lewmar, Raymarine and Furlex are used on board. The cockpit is roomy and there is enough space to lounge around and even stretch out along the bench seats. Yet the area is snug enough, thanks to its high coamings and table, to allow crew to brace themselves easily while under way. One cockpit modification I’d consider is to enclose the underside of the steel-legged table to create a storage space. The table attaches to the impressive binnacle which has user-friendly engine controls and Raymarine ST70 readouts, which I particularly like because of their dual analogue/digital display.

The folding Lewmar steering wheel fitted is a good idea for a smaller boat like this, allowing easy access to the swim platform. A feature of recent Bavarias, the latest version of this fold-down transom-cum-swim-platform arrangement has taken this idea to a whole new level, which even the racing boys at Farr are happy to talk about. Cleverly integrating gas struts into the hinges, the entire transom easily drops down to water level, and with its laminated surface really becomes an extension of the deck area. It’s the kind of inviting spot that makes you want to reach for a cool drink from the fridge, grab a fishing rod and chill out on a foldaway chair. Not bad, for a 32 footer!

LAYOUT AND ACCOMODATION

Interior natural light was good in the bright sunlight despite the small saloon windows. Seating on the blue cloth cushions is comfortable with an L-shaped settee to starboard and a smaller one to port, adjoining the small chart table. But disappointingly there is no saloon double berth available, for when the kids bring their friends for a weekend. “Not a problem,” commented North South Yachting’s Jamie Millar, who said this could be easily installed snugly in the starboard settee.

The aforementioned chart table may be small but conveniently faces aft so the navigator can keep a weather eye open. The bulkhead above the table can be home to the optional Raymarine C80 chartplotter, with the topside binnacle housing the new Raymarine ST70 Tridata instruments. I’d also stretch the budget to fit the SPX10 autopilot ($5776.00).

Behind the portside nav table is the large and elongated head with its manual Jabsco toilet and plenty of room to shower. Good features in this area include a moulded-in wet locker and quality shower fittings.

Stepping out into the saloon leads you to the L-shaped galley with its two-burner, gimballed stove and oven. A nice idea here, to maximise the workspace, is the hinged cover over the stove to allow it to be used as an extension of the galley area. Considering this is a 32 footer, the galley is functional with enough locker space to make extended cruising possible and the top-opening fridge is big enough to pack food and drinks for a few days out.

Deck space is generally plentiful all round the 32 with solid stainless handholds running along the flat coachroof for support as you walk forward, with an uncluttered foredeck leading to the pulpit. Australian-delivered boats are fitted with an electric windlass as standard and the deep chain locker has plenty of room for a second anchor.

On the bow, a Furlex headsail furler connects to the tallish Selden rig, which is kept upright with heavy chainplates attached to the gunwales. The sheets have moved inboard to the coachroof on this model, probably to improve the sheeting angle and upwind performance of the beamy hull. Not all lines lead aft from the deck-stepped mast, which is a bit of downer for those sailors unwilling to dance around on the foredeck in a blow.

The review boat came with a fully-battened Elvstrom mainsail with single-line slab reefing and lazy jacks as standard. Back in the cockpit, twin Lewmar 30 primary winches are sensibly located near enough the helm for short-handed sailing and there’s an option for an asymmetric spinnaker to be deployed, but it does involve an optional bowsprit to be fitted. Overall, a straight-forward sail plan which I personally like.

MECHANICAL, HULL AND RIG
-- An all-new look
The overall shape of the 32 is slightly boxier than its predecessor, with less overhangs, a beamier hull and more vertical topsides. From a design point of view, Patrick Shaughnessy, President of Farr Yacht Design, said his brief was to design a “large yacht”, so we’ve got volume – and lots of it – in the 32. Tall topsides leading up to a prominent cabin top but with flush hatches and fittings to give a much more streamlined look than previous designer J&J’s look.

However looks alone don’t make a good cruiser and this is where it gets interesting with a radical change in the previously conservative Bavaria rig. A taller Selden mast supports a large mainsail with the headsail reduced in size, bringing power further back in the boat. Controlling this power has meant moving the traditionally-positioned coachroof mainsheet and track into the cockpit, and the track has been dispensed with on the way. This is a bold move which may win and lose buyers. Some may not the intrusion of the 6:1 mainsheet mechanism onto the narrow cockpit table, while the performance sailors will enjoy putting more twist on the main and generally having better control.

The voluminous hull has a finer entry than previous incarnations of Bavaria, yet with probably more wetted area overall. And with beam carried right back aft, it epitomises the modern cruiser.
Keeping things upright is a deeper cast-iron keel (1.95m) with a larger bulb and balanced spade rudder. For stiffness, a new stainless-steel grid has been laminated into the fibreglass hull which is one of the strongest I’ve come across. On the outside, the bow area has been laid with Aramid fabric and another plus up front is the stainless-steel protector guard fitted to minimise those inevitable dockside scratches.

With the wind freshening to 17kt it was ideal conditions for the 32 and regular gusts livened things further, yet the helm wasn’t overly heavy and the boat tracked well, without jumping around. For the sailing purist the optional bimini can be intrusive, so I asked to have it stowed, sat out on the high combings and at full stretch played the wheel as I watched the telltales on the jib flatten out. I hasten to add, not the typical way a cruising sailor would go about his or her business, preferring instead to be comfortably leaning behind the helm. However with twilight races in mind, and very much the domain of this new 32 I’d say, I wanted to see how the Farr cruiser would perform.

Once I had the feel of the Lewmar direct-drive helm we wound the gear in and set off to windward at pace. The 22kt plus gusts dipped the gunwales in before we began rounding up. But at a steady 17kt she tracked straight and at about 40 degrees on the wind felt comfortable.

The best numbers I managed to windward were 6.4kt when the breeze eased to about 13kt and the sheets were slightly cracked. Beam reaching felt very comfortable as the wide hull with its fine bow kept the rig stable. In light airs, some extra canvas would be good so adding the asymmetric (with snuffer sock for easy deployment) would be ideal. Tacking proved quick, with the large spade rudder digging in well.

Gybing was also straight forward with my only complaint being the narrow-diameter mainsheet digging into my hands. Thanks to a powerful 6:1 ratio block Bavaria obviously think a heavier mainsheet is unnecessary.

‘Generally a well mannered boat’ was my thoughts noted down at the time. And an able performer overall, especially when you remember this is a cruising design with or without the Farr name attached, and at an entry level price significantly below several of its main competitors.

RATINGS
Overall Rating: 4.0/5.0
Mechanicals/Equipment/Rig, etc: 3.5/5.0
Packaging and Practicality: 4/5.0
On-the-Water Performance: 3.5/5.0
Value for money: 4/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

Comparable boats
Beneteau Oceanis 31 – Voted European Yacht of the Year 2009, this boat comes fully equipped for cruising and is the product of major research and development. With a lifting-keel option this is a versatile boat for shoal waters or coastal cruising.

Hanse 320 – The 2010 model Hanse 320 has several enhancements from the 2007 launch model. The new 320 has a sleeker look, better ventilation and more storage options in the saloon. The smallest yacht in the German builder’s range is an ideal entry-level boat with a particularly easy to use sailplan.

Jeanneau 33i – A new model, the Jeanneau 33i is a versatile performance cruiser with several unusual features including a swing keel option and unusual layout of its running rigging. Available in standard and performance versions, this French boat will have wide appeal.

Specifications of Bavaria 32
Price(review boat): $180,232.00.
Length Overall: 9.99m
Length of Hull: 9.75m
Length of Waterline: 8.85m
Beam: 3.42m
Draught Standard : 1.95m
Draught Option: 1.50m
Displacement: 5200kg
Ballast: 1300kg
Engine: Volvo Penta D1-20 18hp
Water Tank: 150L
Fuel Tank: 150L
Sail Area: 50.00sqm
Height in Saloon: 1.84m
Mast height above waterline: 14.80m

Australian distributor
North South Yachting
Quays Marina
1856 Pittwater Road
Church Point NSW 2105
Tel 02 9998 9605