Bavaria 32 Sport HT

Sportscruisers with lids have been all the rage these last few boating seasons, and with very good reason. No more wrestling with clears and canvas. No more broken or seized press studs. No more wobbly enclosures. And no more leaks and drips when the weather doesn't play ball.

Mostly, however, people have had to shell out for a 35 to 40-footer to get a full enclosure that works.

This is where the Bavaria 32 Sport HT – yep, that stands for hardtop – redefines the genre without pushing the envelope past the point of practicality.

The baby of Bavaria's hardtop range, which includes the 35, 38 and 42, the new 32 Sport HT has a cockpit that defies its apparent size. This is good news, for there's no such thing as too much cockpit space if, like me, you spend a lot of time hanging out at anchorages.

On this 32-footer you'll appreciate the indoor/outdoor living areas as much as those pleasure seekers you see kicking back on much bigger sportscruisers with hardtops. But this 32 is something of a giant killer in other ways, too.

GERMAN ENGINEERING
Bavaria, formerly known as Bavaria Motor Boats, is a steady player that's snuck under the radar in the highly competitive, largely American sportscruiser market. Since its debut about six years ago, the importers have shipped 50-odd boats to Australia, with some owners reportedly on their second and third Bavarias.

Though most of those boats have been soft tops, the importers expect that, in keeping with the market's present trends, the hardtops will take over. Not that Australia is shaping Bavaria's production. Such is the size of the global sportscruiser market – a market Bavaria has always had in its sights – that the powerboat builder enjoyed growth of 30 per cent last year, I'm told.

Besides being driven by demand, output has been ramped up, thanks to increasing production efficiencies. The Germans are masters of manufacturing and, in the last few years, there have also been improvements to quality. Like the yachts I also keep tabs on, the powerboats have been undergoing a process of continual evolution rather than revolution.

The new Bavarias have fully glassed-in bulkheads, lighter mahogany joinery, more soft-touch headliners, and more radiused routings and mouldings.

The sportscruisers are typically well-engineered and built for offshore work and CE Category B. This translates to gale force winds of Beaufort Force 8 (read 34 to 40kts) and significant wave heights of up to four metres.

To this end, there is solid GRP below the waterline, with a GRP grid stringer system and all bulkheads and furniture glassed to the hull. The foam-cored sides and deck assist with sound deadening and, as per German boating, insulation from weather extremes. Even in hot weather and without air-con you'll find the interior isn't stuffy. Plenty of hatches and opening ports help with that.

In the realms of sportscruisers, the Bavaria 32 Sport HT is definitely more 'sport' than 'cruiser'. This is quite an achievement given that the moulded hardtop weighs about 200kg. Yet despite that, the boat doesn't fall over in the bends, unlike some top-heavy chariots I've driven.

Styling-wise, Bavaria sportscruisers including this 32 have more timeless lines than some of their American competition. The 32 still looks rakish, but it's a clean look, not fussy or cluttered. This, says the importer, helps with resale value.

"Owners of four-year-old Bavarias are getting back what they paid for their boats, minus the GST," says the local agent, Andy Howden.

The Bavaria hull is backed by a five-year warranty with two years on the Volvo Penta powerplant.

PACKAGED FOR PLAY
I was impressed by the inventory on the Bavaria 32 Sport HT. For local conditions the agents tweak the boat with niceties such as cockpit carpet, LCD TV/DVD, teak bi-fold cockpit table instead of the basic moulded model, and as you see here a custom extended boarding platform that doubles the waterfront real estate.

Such is the room on that boarding platform that it's destined to be fitted with a heavy-duty stainless steel bracket, upon which you can mount the must-have (gas) barbecue – the aft boot is converted into a gas-bottle locker – and, should you wish, some rodholders.

There was also a small extended canopy to be fitted from the aft end of the hardtop to provide shade to the seating and enhance the lines. It's also worth noting that this is a true hardtop, forming a complete enclosure. It even comes with an electric sunroof – impressive for a 32-footer.

Packaged with twin 225hp V6 Volvo Penta 4.3 GXi petrol engines, with the latest Duoprop drives, the Bavaria 32 Sport HT is good buying at $298,000 when you consider just what's provided. In fact, after several hours of hanging out on the anchor, testing lounges and imagining a long Sunday afloat, this rates as a huge amount of boat for your buck.

I was particularly impressed to find an invertor as standard – not often the case with 30ft American sportscruisers – providing away-from-dock 240V power for the microwave oven, hot-water heater and appliance outlets. A generator and air-con are optional, but why bother? The boat has a Smartcharger for its three battery banks, each of which is isolated and low-voltage protected.

The only major compromise is with head room under the moulded hardtop. Bavaria's 32 Sport HT doesn't look top heavy. For the most part, head room is around 1.8m, perhaps necessitating a slight stoop until you reach the helm, where you gain another five centimetres. Open the electric sunroof and the sky's the limit.

TOUR OF DUTY
Access to the boat is over the custom extended boarding platform (hydraulic option) and starboard door. Due to the custom platform, the swim ladder is a remote model that is snapped into a fitting to port. The boat has a hot/cold handheld shower, aft fender baskets, flagstaff and oversized cleats.

Moulded steps either side of the cockpit, a full-length bowrail with intermediate wire, stainless steel handrails on the hardtop and moulded toe rails all help with your footing along the relatively narrow side decks. Up front, there's a big flat foredeck with drinkholders and plenty of room to unfurl a towel or two.

The split bowrail lets you drop agile crew off on a wharf or jetty, and the boat comes with a windlass with dash-mounted remote for hands-free anchoring. There are more big deck cleats. The hardtop serves as a mounting point for the horn and anchor light.

The single-level cockpit and helm caters for social cruising and entertaining. The Bavaria 32 HT is rated to carry up to eight and, unlike a lot of boats, it can seat that many. The U-shaped aft lounge can accommodate five or six under the hardtop, around the custom teak table, and can also fold into a sunlounge for two.

Add the camper covers and you have a sleep-out for the kids. There is also an intermediate position on the rear lounge that lets you create an aft-facing seat. And there's storage below in a moulded bin with divider that you can fix in place to create separate ice and fish/bait wells.

The amenities centre to starboard behind the helm seat has a Corian food-prep counter, sink and cold water, and a 12V fridge with freezer tray. Just a reach away is the co-pilot seat, which is actually a two to three person curved lounge with nearby storage for personal effects and drinkholders.

Of course, the seating is protected by the hardtop. The large electric sunroof and separate side-opening windows offer varying amounts of ventilation. I didn't detect much in the way of spray or gas fumes when cruising.

The armour-plate windscreen has wipers and the views are great when seated. My only complaint is the starkness of the all-white mouldings and white upholstery. By my reckoning, a dash carpet is needed to help reduce glare in the windscreen, but this is an easy fix.

CABIN CAPERS
Head room of at least 1.8 metres – Bavaria quotes 1.88m – ranges throughout what is a generous saloon for a 32-footer. There's a separate, solid door to the aft cabin, again in keeping with a much bigger boat, plus a truly adult-sized double vee berth in the bow which, upon testing the mattress, appeared at least 1.9m long.

The saloon in between the cabins features a deep-backed wraparound lounge for three before a timber dinette. A generous galley is opposite, with a big servery and fiddle rails, deep sink, two-burner electric/alcohol stove, a decent Sharp microwave oven and 12V fridge. Bavaria's smart, push-button, multifunction AC/DC panel alongside is impressive.

Storage exists below the saloon lounge and under both beds, in twin hanging lockers forward, and various lockers in the aft cabin, and in oodles of timber lockers tracing the saloon. The galley also has drawers and a decent appliance area, plus a concealed garbo. There's room under the timber floor for stores.

With three timber-trimmed deck hatches and four opening portlights, including beside the galley and in the head, and additional ports in the aft cabin, there is excellent cross-flow ventilation.

The separate aft cabin has a very large double bed.

The moulded head had an upgraded electric loo with an 80lt holding tank that, with the 150lt water supply, will suffice for a lazy Sunday. The vanity had a Corian top, mirror and there was dry storage here as well.

The handheld hot/cold shower is welcome, but why the manual sump pump? Fit a float switch so you don't have to press a button when showering. Otherwise, it's all here in what is a genuine weekender, all-weather sportscruiser, and handy entertainer.

BEHIND THE WHEEL
The trick carbon-fibre dash panels and matching tilt wheel add a sense of contemporary, car-like styling to the Bavaria 32 Sport HT. There was a full spread of Volvo Penta-badged VDO engine gauges including digital sterndrive leg trim gauge, speedo and tacho, plus an EVC digital multifunction panel.

The boat was bundled with a Sidepower bowthruster, Lectrosan trim tabs, compass, Icom VHF radio, and a multifunction switch panel with icons depicting everything from the windlass to sunroof, sound system, wipers, lights, and bilge pump.

Opened by a slow ram, a quick inspection of the engine room revealed a surfeit of servicing space around the twin V6 Volvo Penta 4.3lt blocks, so much so you could carry a duckie and/or outboard below decks.

Fuel was forward in a 560lt stainless steel tank with twin fuel filters, the hot-water service was nearby, with double clips on all hoses, and there was a fire-suppression system and sound insulation.

HARD-TO-BEAT HARDTOP
Rearing to go, we weighed anchor and advanced the throttles, whereupon the Volvos revealed themselves to be smooth, quiet, and eager. With full tabs and the sterndrive legs down, the boat held plane at 9.5kts, with a heavy weather cruise of 16kts at 2700rpm.

Family cruise speed, with plenty of comfort and low noise levels for maintaining conversation, was clocked at 3000rpm and 19.5kts. Nominal leg trim and 3500rpm gave a 25.5kt cruise, but the motors sounded sweeter again at 3750rpm and 28kts.

Top speed was 33.5kts at 4400rpm; however, it should be noted that the boat was shipped with props that were too big and it was only due to pressing deadlines that I pushed ahead with this test. We should have been pulling 4800rpm and at least 3kts more.

Bavaria sportscruisers are quiet achievers that strike a desirable balance between value for money and performance, practicality and application that's hard to ignore. And with that hardtop, the 32 is a boat for all climates.


HIGHS