Bavaria Yachts

Think Bavaria and what comes to mind? Black Forest cake, gooey chocolate torte, yeasty beers, a thigh-slapping chicken dance, little men in lederhosen and dames in dirndls leaping about a sloshy beer house?

Yes, yes, all that - and now a new brand of yacht.

Bavaria's most outstanding sailing export is a brand of yacht imaginatively called, well, Bavaria. Output from the factory in southern Germany has increased from 200 to around 500 boats in recent years.

Apparently, charter companies the world over are embracing the rising German marque. But while 90% of Bavaria yachts are sold in Europe, the brand has managed to make inroads in America in the last 18 months. And, if all goes according to plan, the brand could become as well known around Australian waterways as those popular French and American badges.

Pitched as fast cruising boats, the Bavaria range of yachts does seem well-suited to Australian waters. The boats are strong, traditional, stylish and comfortable. They've got that in-for-the-long-haul look and feel about them.

While some touches may appear a little too retro - the use of brown gelcoat down below, for instance - the overall impression one gets from a Bavaria isn't dissimilar from that timeless sense of chic imparted by the other great Bavarian marque, BMW.

VALUE ADDING
Amazingly, despite the Aussie dollar's dive, Bavaria yachts represent value buying. You can, for example, pick up a sail-away 41-footer for $310,000. This buys you a fully factory-fitted boat with a five-year hull warranty and locally-cut, performance-orientated Fraser sails.

Because the boats are built to Germansicher Lloyd's GL-100 A5 standard, they are also pretty much ready to go into survey. Yet, in another sense, they are also ready to go survey the coast.

The hull below the waterline is solid glass of about an inch thickness. Some kevlar is used in the bow sections, the underside has an extra layer of glass, while the sides and top deck are all Divinycell foam-cored.

Bulkheads are - take note - glassed in, the keel flange (where the keel enters the hull) is beefed up, and all timber bearers are reinforced with S-glass. Finally, isophtalic-spiked resin fills the rovings to prevent osmosis.

As if to prove its strength, The Yacht magazine in Germany evidently produced a video showing a Bavaria 32 running across a semi-submerged oil drum, then mowing down a rather large log, and ultimately being driven straight into a breakwall. Damage? Superficial, at worst.

WHAT'S ON OFFER
Spanning from 34-51ft, the Bavaria range of aft-cockpit yachts is complemented by a centre-cockpit range from 38-51ft. But it's the former, available in either a Holiday or Exclusive version, which best suits the Australian way of sailing.

Overseas, the 38-footer is presently the most popular model, though it could be the 41-footer which leads the way here. In the 41, you can choose between a three or four cabin layout, cast iron or lead keel (deep 1.95m draft), enclosed or walk-through transom and six different fabrics for the upholstery.

Naturally, all seacocks are bronze and double clipped, there's a holding tank on the heads, hot and cold water, and a galley with gas oven/stove, sizeable eutectic fridge, twin stainless sinks and a workable amount of bench space. Storage is also a strong point, both inside and in the outdoor (rubber-sealed) lockers. Access to the pumps, bilge and engine is straightforward.

But it's the finer points of the interior which appeal most - little things such as the rattle-proof cabin doors with twin-catches, the grooves in the back of the cabinet doors to allow air circulation, the extra-heavy-duty wooden grab rails everywhere you look or reach, and the clever synthetic floor covering which could easily pass as the real teak thing.

The interior is lined in lots of mahogany and the standard of solid joinery is certainly more impressive than the jigsaw job on some mass-produced boats. Though the wood has a satin-varnished finish, maintenance should be low and the feeling it gives below is honest, unpretentious and heartily sailing.

The layout on the 41 Holiday includes accommodation in four cabins for eight guests. The design is conventional, with port and starboard aft cabins, each with hanging locker and cupboard, a forward starboard-side cabin with twin bunks, and a forepeak cabin - presumably the owner's or skipper's - in the bow.

There are two heads and a nav station off the starboard side of the companionway. A giant U-shaped lounge is forward of this, at the widest part of the boat opposite the galley.

There's a rather unorthodox saloon lounge floating in the thoroughfare. However, the man behind the marque in Australia, Ralph Hogg, makes the point that it gives the cook something to lean against. It also helps provide genuine seating for a full house around the dinette, which also has a hidden chamber in which to store the schnapps, cards and shooter glasses.

The 41 Holiday is, indeed, a very commodious yacht. In a nutshell, there's 1.9m-plus of headroom, eight berths and two bathrooms.

It's little wonder there's a fleet of them headed for Australian Bareboat Charters in the Whitsundays, and possibly another charter fleet soon operating on Pittwater in Sydney.

Alternatively, you can buy the Exclusive version of the 41. This excludes the amidships cabin with bunks and offers a much bigger owner's cabin.

However, if you want even more room, you might consider the centre-cockpit range of Bavaria yachts. To my eye, however, they don't look anywhere near as sexy.

UP ON DECK
Although built in a cold climate, it's worth noting that ventilation has been given more than a passing thought. There are three big Lewmar hatches, a dorade vent and some 11 opening portholes on the 41.

The air is freshest outdoors of course, where an optional teak deck really sets off the European styling. The cockpit, while not as large as some Australian yachts, can seat at least four people. And the bulwarks are wide enough aft to make sitting on the high side of the coachhouse a comfortable option when sailing. Moving to the bow is also a snap.

An aftermarket bimini top adds some protection to the companionway, while the walk-through transom has an interesting removable gate. An extra lifeline is needed to put the Bavaria 41 into survey, I'm told. A good idea, as it would improve the sense of safety felt when sitting behind the wheel...

PACKED WITH SAILING GEAR
There are four self-tailing, two-speed Harken winches, two additional winches for the halyards, while the rest of the deck gear is from Rutgerson. The traveller on the cabin top is out of the way of the cockpit, and the stylish pedestal for the mechanical wheel steering - with plenty of room for Autohelm gauges - is moulded as part of the deck.

Other features include a push-button (from the helm, that is) windlass, roller-furling headsail, main with single-reefing line and 9/10th rig (think easily managed) with twin swept-back spreaders and, of course, an adjustable backstay.

The engine in all Bavarian yachts is a Volvo sail-drive. This doesn't worry me, but is nevertheless sure to raise suspicion from some local yachties who now demand a shaft-driven motor.

You're best advised to fit a self-feathering prop in place of the fixed propeller which comes standard. But having said that, the German boats and Swedish motors have been praised for being a highly manoeuvrable combination.

SAILING AWAY
Designed by J&J (the pen behind the Grand Soliel and Dufour ranges), the Bavaria yachts have a pleasantly seaworthy profile. The 41, for example, looks well balanced with a sharp forefoot and swooping run aft to a flattish stern that has some counter in it so it doesn't drag.

The 41's beam is 3.98m, but the stern isn't so wide that the hull rounds up when it's surfing. Not that I can say this with any authority, mind you. One can't help the weather and the days we had set aside for a sail of the 41 were shrouded in leaden skies, heavy rain and, much worse, little more than 5kt of wind.

But Australian Bavaria connection Ralph Hogg hasn't jumped into the business of yacht-broking with blind faith. His business plan is literally phone-book thick and based on seemingly sound rationale.

A former yacht-builder in Cornwall, Hogg was familiar with Bavaria boats from their appearance in the UK boat shows. But it was more their abundance throughout the Mediterranean and North Atlantic, where he and his partner took off between 1991-92 for a sailing sabbatical, that brought the Bavaria range to his attention.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to picking up this story when the weather clears. A few hours reaching along the Sydney coast with a good spring westerly filling the sails will do nicely. That and a slice of schwarzwalderkirschtorte (black forest cake to you and me).

Stay tuned!

For further details on Bavaria yachts, contact North South Yachting, Bayview Anchorage Waterfront Office, 1714 Pittwater Road, Bayview (NSW), tel (02) 9979 3266.