The Bavaria 46 Cruiser:
The yacht is easy to sail, having all lines led back to the cockpit, a furling headsail, a 7/8 rig, small bowsprit, and twin rudders and helms. It uses the “German” mainsheet system. A bow thruster has been fitted to make handling simpler in close quarters.
Modern electronic Garmin instruments are fitted to allow portable electronic devices to connect by wifi.
The yacht is professionally maintained, and the Club’s goal is to maintain the yacht’s safety equipment to Category 1 of Yachting Australia’s ocean racing safety regulations.
Equipment:
- Volvo D 2-75 Saildrive diesel.
- Pressurised hot and cold fresh water system.
- Garmin GMI20 instrumentation at the helm and navigation station.
- Garmin Autopilot
- Garmin VHF radio transceiver.
- Hand-held waterproof VHF transceiver.
- Vectra Marine XB-8000 AIS transponder.
- Electric anchor capstan.
- Selden spars, spinnaker pole, and headsail furler.
- Mainsail, No 2 genoa, No 4 jib, storm trysail, storm jib.
- Asymmetric spinnaker.
- Open Ocean water maker.
- Zodiac Cadet 270 aluminium hull rigid inflatable dinghy.
- Mercury 9.9 HP 2-stroke outboard motor.
- Fusion Marine audio package with cockpit speakers.
- Full tool kit and bosun’s chair.
Safety equipment:
- YA Cat 1 safety equipment,
- 406 MHz EPIRB.
- Satphone.
- Lifesling, lifebuoys, danbuoy, See-blitz strobe lights.
- 8-person RFD liferaft.
- 9 x GME MT 410G personal locator beacons.
- 9 x Secumar 4001S personal floatation devices with tethers.
- Leardal HS1 Defibrillator.
- Full first aid kit.
Bavaria 46 Review:
Below are some excerpts from a review of the Bavaria 46 dated Jan 2017 and published in the US “Bluewater Sailing” website (see http://www.bwsailing.com/cc/bavaria-cruiser-46/ for the full review).
On a cool afternoon following last fall’s Annapolis sailboat show, we met up with Bavaria USA’s president and founder Kenny Feld aboard the new Bavaria Cruiser 46 out on Chesapeake Bay. The sky was gray, the bay the color of ash and the breeze blowing a mild 10 knots.
As the 46 sailed up to the powerboat that was transferring us from one boat to another, it was easy to see the 46’s full hull shape and modest but powerful rig. She was sailing well and making a very good turn of speed. With twin rudders, the leeward rudder always stays down in the water while the windward rudder looses some of its bite as the boat heels. As the 46 sailed by us, we noted its distinctive transom with the wide swim platform folded neatly away.
Trimmed in hard, the 46 was able to sail at close to 40 degrees to the true wind. The small genoa sheets inside the side stays so the sheeting angles are quite narrow. The main sheet uses what is being called the “German sheeting system” since all of the Bavarias are set up this way; the sheeting involves two independent main sheets, port and starboard, that replace the sliding traveler. You use the windward sheet to trim the sail and the leeward sheet to trim the leech in much the same way you would with a conventional traveler. When it comes time to jibe the main, you can maintain complete control of the boom through the jibe by handling both sheets at the same time, a job easily managed by one person.
After a few tacks, we eased sheets and power reached into the bay for a while. With the apparent wind at 90 degrees, we were able to sail at 7.5 knots in 10 knots of true wind. For a family cruiser, this is a pleasant turn of speed. Cracking off to about 125 degrees to the apparent wind, an angle that still kept the genoa drawing well, we found that the 46 was giving us just under 8 knots.
The feel on the helm as you maneuver and then settle the 46 into her groove is sure and positive. The twin rudders make her feel as though she is sailing on rails and we found that she had very little weather helm. On all angles, she felt nicely balanced so the boat will be a cinch for the autopilot to steer.
Modern cruising boats have evolved very quickly in the last two decades with the almost universal acceptance of voluminous hulls, large stern platforms, beamy aft sections, twin wheels and giant cockpits. The emphasis on comfort and convenience has never been stronger. The old adage that a cruising boat should “drink eight, feed six and sleep four” is way out of date. Today’s family cruisers need to “drink 12, feed eight and sleep six.”
The new Cruiser 46 provides these modern attributes with room to spare. The cockpit is truly your outdoor living room. With the stern platform down, the space is huge. You can easily seat eight around the table and if you have a gang over for sundowners, you could host a dozen warm bodies in the cockpit. On the folding platform, three or four adults can relax, swim, shower and sunbathe.
The 46 has plenty of cockpit storage for lines and safety gear. Forward, just aft of the chain locker, there is a large garage where you can stow downwind sails, fenders, spare anchors and more. The bulkhead that separates the garage from the chain locker is essentially a collision bulkhead that will protect the boat should you hit a container.
The galley lies along the port side of the saloon and is slightly L-shaped. The 46 comes with two fridge boxes, double stainless steel sinks and a three burner propane stove. There is storage in cabinets above the counter and in large lockers beneath it. In the middle of the saloon there is a galley-island with additional counter space and bottle storage. The island faces the U-shaped dinette and has a folding seat that will be comfortable for two. All together, the dinette will seat eight for dinner. The saloon table has a chart locker built into it so you can sit in the dinette to navigate, use the radio or monitor ship’s systems.