Bavaria 47C Sailboat

Hello all,

After some research and attending several boat shows, we bought a 2010 Bavaria 47 Cruiser sailboat. I know it’s not a very interesting yacht compared to the Mega Yachts being presented in Yacht forums . However as time goes by, I wanted to show the building process (which will begin in November) and share my thoughts on the boat's maintenance hereafter.

Any suggestions are welcome. The boat will be delivered from Germany to Slovenia where the rigging will be installed and tuned. Then a professional crew will sail it to Alacati, Turkey to be kept for winter. Bavaria will apply the anti-foul and wax the hull there, and then after April it will be sent to Bodrum for its long-term berthing.

I included a reference picture so you could visualize the boat. It’s not as eye-catching as a Hanse or a Swan (not even comparable anyway) but it feels solidly built.

They will install its engine; Volvo Penta D2-75 along with an electric bow thruster at the factory. After delivery, its generator and A/C will be installed in Turkey. (The factory does not list these as an option for 47) The color stripes on the hull, the bimini and the spray hood are all grey to distinguish from charter Bavaria sailboats you see everywhere.

1. I've read the review on the D2-75 engine on the internet, it operates in a lower RPM than usual to reduce noise but it has indirect injection. Does anyone have any experience with it?

2. How much do you think the energy requirements would be? I'm asking to determine the generator capacity. 6kw? 4? It needs to run the A/C, the two refrigerators and some light 220V use such as computers etc..

I look forward to your comments. Thanks.

Vivariva

Thank you very much K1W1.

We were told that the actual build time is approximately 9 days. As you know, this is a serial production boat, and the factory can offer a space in the production line in late November at the earliest. Their logged orders consist of 46s and 50s mostly before shifting to the new model; 47C.

The genset and the A/C will be installed by Bavaria Turkey, who knows the local supplier(s). The labor will be done under their supervision.

The company started to use designs by Bruce Farr. Their latest model, 55 cruiser incorporates interesting elements; such as twin rudders. Their whole line-up will change starting from the 30 footers and upwards.

The 9 days time frame is for the factory work in Giebelstadt. Delivery to Slovenia is in a separate time frame. They install the mast and the rigging in Slov. and tune it after transportation by road is completed.

I'm quoting numbers from the dealer:

They have stated that in the factory 7-8 boats are completed every day.
9 days for building the 47 at the factory. Hull, machinery and the interior.

60% of their production are sailboats. Approximately 3,000 boats per year by serial production.

Thank you Kevin for your kind comments.

K1W1, I understand your skepticism with sympathy. We will visit the facility in November to see if the dealer was telling the truth.

By the way, Jeanneau launched a 57 footer model, and Bavaria plans to build a 60 in the near future. We looked at the Bavaria 55 cruiser (farr design) in a boat show last week. The 55's interior is not a warm design. Plus the boat seems to look too 'industrialist'.

Production complete

Fresh out of the oven

Here are some photos from Giebelstadt where the boat was covered with ice! -1 Celsius...

It will be transported to Slovenia by this weekend.

Cheers

Thank you Kevin.

As Fishtigua said, the hull and decks are laid up before. So the boat spends a very little time on the factory floor.

Now what is happening in the German economy is quite interesting. We have been told that the crisis is moving to the manufacturing just now. Since 2008, the economic downturn was a financial crisis, now the real sectors are being hit.

Bavaria Yachts were producing a number of boats a day, however now they are down to 1 per day.

They had approx. 900 million debt before the company was bought by an American Private Equity fund. Now the new owners are changing direction with their manufactured products. The accumulated debt has been reduced with the new capital.

Anyway, in regards to the generator capacity; we will determine when it arrives to Turkey. Two A/C's will be enough and there will not be toast makers, watermakers or a microwave. The boat is named "Almira" and its port of registry will be Cesme, Turkey.

Thanks for your comments. I will write about our experience with her in regards to performance, reliability and comfort as we sail in the upcoming months.

Antifouling and registration

Hello,

Here are the latest pictures from Cesme Alacati Turkey. They have applied Antifouling (3 layers) and made a few installations. (Stereo and a few extra lights)

We will christen her this upcoming weekend. In terms of construction, no issues so far. She was delivered by a professional crew from Slovenia to Cesme (through the Adriatic, Southern Greece and the Aegean) and encountered no difficulties. The rig appears to be sound.

However there is one issue that I would like to write here. The Volvo engine behaves a bit harshly when moving in and out of the gear. Both for forward and reverse thrusts. Its model is Penta D2-75. Is this normal?

I will write more when we take her out in a few days.

Two more pictures that I have wanted to share on YF; the sun at D-Marin Didim...

I have summarized our experience with the Bavaria 47 for anyone who is interested. In general terms, we're very happy with it so far. However, there are just a few things that could be improved from our perspective are mentioned below:

1. The Genoa Roller-Furler mechanism (Selden) feels difficult to turn, I’ve had some trouble unfurling the sail by myself. It should be a bit easier given that the mechanism is quite new.

2. The Mainsail (furling option-Elvstrom) in terms of square meters is smaller than you expect. However, despite that fact the mainsail the furling mechanism (again) feels to be a bit more resistant than it should be. It needs constant winch work that inhibits one’s ability to control the sail unfurling with the outhaul, as they are right next to each other in the pit.

We have neglected to get the German mainsheet option and the way the pit ropes are set up, it is impossible by one person to hold onto the outhaul at the same time whilst turning the mechanism.

3. The diesel engine is very good, we’ve had no problems whatsoever with the D2-75 Volvo. We have a three-bladed non-folding propeller. It has 138 hours and is working quite reliably. The first gear change from neutral to forward or backward is smoother now. The low cruise RPM helps to reduce the noise and vibration on long journeys. We've had excellent maintenance service from Volvo Penta in Didim.

4. The factory-installed bow thruster gives an alarm when operated for more than 15 seconds (protecting itself from overheat) and shuts off automatically after 20 secs of use. However, this interrupts your docking maneuver on side-winds and the boat needs some momentum in order to turn.

5. The electronics package (Raymarine ST 60 Series) is quite good. We’re very happy with it.

6. The running rigging, such as the ‘Selden’ sail controls and winches (besides the furler mechanisms) are working quite well. The frederiksen blocks are of high quality. However, the standard winches (which we have) are a bit small for a Genoa this size.

7. Downstairs, the water boiler and the other domestic parts have been working well without any problems. The engine noise and thermal isolation is quite good (For a sailboat).

8. The steering wheels have a heavy feel, even when motoring. The boat responds very quickly due to the large rudder area underwater. When wind conditions change, this helps to adjust the wind angle quicker than most cruising boats that I have seen before.

Overall Opinion:
This is a very reliable and stable boat for all kinds of seas that you could encounter. The extra engine option (75 hp) is very much worth it. The mainsail, once opened is very controllable and easy to handle. The Genoa, if fully unfurled is more challenging. Tacking will be more difficult as the sail does not cross over by itself that easily. Overall, 47 Cruiser (2009 October) is a very reliable boat that we have pleasure sailing with.