The 37 Cruiser completes Bavaria's new range of cruising yachts which has been in a replacement phase for the past year or so. The range starts with the lovely little 30-footer which is sure to find some good homes on the eastern seaboard. That is followed by the 33 which is equally cute but slightly more roomy. Then comes this new 37, followed by the 39, the 42 then the 46 and finally the flagship 50 which we featured in these pages around six months ago.
If you can't find a cruiser to suit your needs in that lineup, you're not looking hard enough. The new range shares some features across the board. They all feature light, airy interiors, plenty of room for their size, heaps of storage and all are easy to sail.
Bavaria has lifted its game with regard to internal fitout. The company has gone to a lighter-coloured wood which lifts the ambience from the darker interiors of all the European yacht brands of the past decade to a new, more comfortable feel of spaciousness which enhances the size of the boats.
The new range sports more windows and hatches and, with the exception of the 30, all have cabin-top windows and hull ports for added natural light to the interior. They are all stout-feeling yachts which give a sense of dependability and seaworthiness.
To my mind, the 37 is a great boat for a couple or a family. It's roomy enough to entertain for a weekend if necessary, small enough for a couple to handle easily and yet big enough for a family not to trip over each other.
Though the new yachts look and feel similar to the Bavarias we're used to, there are some interesting changes that the company has made to their shape and consequently their performance.
The new yachts feature a fuller transom, bringing a bit more beam aft. We had the benefit of having a Bavaria 40 moored opposite our test boat for comparison and the change was immediately apparent. The fuller stern gives more buoyancy, according to Bavaria, and consequently the stern doesn't dig in so much during hard running or reaching, making the boat more responsive and not prone to rounding up.
The change also makes the interior more roomy aft giving larger cabins and more storage.
ON DECKAccess on board is via the wide swim platform. There are steps on either side to help ascend to the cockpit. A retractable boarding ladder lives in its own recess on the stern and there's a hot and cold shower for rinsing off the salt after a swim.
The wheel is big and is hard to squeeze past, necessitating a step up onto the seats to go forward.
A new binnacle sits forward of the wheel. It boasts plenty of room for the wind instruments and log with an extra space for the autopilot between and a big area for the plotter above. It's a good-looking, functional piece that reflects the electronic age we're in.
Forward is a teak table with leaves that fold upward out of the way rather than the old system that folded down. Under is an insulated ice box for cool drinks - new in this range. We sat six for lunch around the cockpit but four would be ideal.
Standard deck gear includes two Lewmar 40 primary winches and 30s on the cabin top. Eight Lewmar jammers bring the lines aft to where they stow against the bulkhead or in the little lift-up step at the companionway when you're sailing. The decks are wide and easy to get around with stainless-steel handrails on the cabin top. The foredeck is nice and flat and has room for sunbaking at anchor.
One thing I noted before getting under way was that I could quite easily reach the top of the mainsail to attach the halyard without having to use the fold-away steps on the mast. It's a small thing but it would make it easier to set and stow the sail if you're using a lazy jack and bag system.
The rig is a Selden two-spreader mast with luff cars. The genoa is taken care of by a Furlex furler. The sheeting positions are adjustable from the cockpit on lengthy tracks.
Also adjustable is the backstay which has plenty of purchase, and the solid boom vang also has plenty of scope for adjustment.
The traveller is short and sits on the cabin top. It looks too short for my liking but Bavaria has persisted in supplying its yachts with these short travellers for some time so they can't be getting too many complaints.
I was happy to see the recess for the dodger on the cabin top. Except for the 30 and the 33 this feature has been adopted across the range.
Teak decking is standard on the cockpit sole and on the seats but is optional on the sidedecks and foredeck.
INSIDEThe 37 can be ordered with either a two- or three-cabin configuration. The two-cabin has the bathroom on the starboard side aft while the three cabin has the head forward as a semi-ensuite.
In two-cabin form, the forward cabin is larger with more storage and there is a bigger cockpit locker to starboard where the rest of the third cabin would be.
Our test boat was the three-cab version which is great for families. Personally, I'd go for a two. The extra room in the forward cabin and the big sail locker in the cockpit would tip me into that option.
Some sailors might bemoan the fact that there is no option for two heads, but frankly I think that a 37-footer is not big enough to warrant two heads.
The layout is what we'd term traditional with a U-shaped galley to port and a settee and dining area in the saloon. The larger Bavarias have the galley along the port side forward of the day head. Call me old fashioned but I prefer the U-shaped galley - especially when preparing meals in a seaway. There's plenty of room in the galley with a double sink, top-opening fridge, a two-burner gas hob with oven and ample storage.
Opposite the galley is the nav area which is spacious and has plenty of room for electronics and storage. Bavaria has persisted with the plastic fascias in the nav area which I reckon could be done in a more classy fashion. As they are, I think they cheapen the look of the boat. A small complaint.
The two aft cabins in our test boat were quite adequate for couples. Both had hanging lockers, storage space and shelves for books and other items.
Access to either side of the engine was by way of removable hatches and there was also access to the steering gear and other items in the transom. The two-cabin version gets a wider berth and the addition of a small seat in the aft cabin.
Moving forward to the saloon, there's a three-seater settee on the portside with seating for three or four on the starboard side. The table folds on the centreline of the saloon so it doesn't impede progress forward to the main cabin. There are shelves and storage lockers aplenty in the saloon and the light mahogany fitout combined with the rooftop windows, opening centre hatch and opening side windows give it an airy feel. Nice.
The main cabin loses a bit of room due to the head in this version. But it's still roomy enough for two and offers one hanging locker and drawers for clothes. The two-cabin version gets two lockers and double the storage along with a slightly larger bed.
GETTING GOINGA flick of the switch and push of the starter and the 28hp three-cylinder Volvo purred into life. I noticed that the sound insulation is good as I eased the 37 out of its berth.
Under power the 37 is responsive and very easy to handle for a boat of its size and Bavaria's new steering system has a lot to do with it.
Gone is the cable affair of yore. It's now a rack and pinion system that I climbed into the transom to inspect prior to departure. It is entirely simple and has few moving parts. Those it does have are sturdy and uncomplicated. The result is steering that is very direct and quite light. I've driven the previous versions a lot and they did exhibit a bit of slack compared to this system. Good move Bavaria.
Our test boat didn't have the correct prop fitted due to its extremely recent arrival but I found we were pushing along quite nicely under motor with 7.4kt registering on my GPS. Expect around that speed on the properly propped versions.
Our test boat was fitted with a set of radial-cut mylar Elvstrom Sobstad sails ex-factory. The standard sails are dacron Sobstads but these optional ones are really nice. The fully-battened main set beautifully and the jib was nicely cut with a padded luff. The price difference looks to be around seven grand but Bavaria's Andrew Parkes, who used to be a sailmaker and should know, said they'd be durable sails and last well so the investment could be well worth it.
We didn't get a lot of wind but there was enough for us to be able to ascertain that this cruiser was a pretty handy package tacking up Pittwater in the fickle breeze.
The 37 is no slouch and though it weighs in at nearly seven tonnes, it has the sail area to get going in the lightest puffs. It doesn't feel weighty like many cruisers and I'd reckon with the good sails and a few tweaks of the rig, you'd not be embarrassed around the course on a twilight race.
Other extras I'd get from the extensive accessory list would include the dodger (natch), a Raymarine autopilot ($7249 ex factory), colour plotter ($3104) plus repeater, perhaps the extra 140Ah battery (plus the upgrade to a 45Ah charger all for a bit over $1000), certainly a set of outdoor speakers, the 1000 watt inverter (a bit pricey at $3474) and the spinnaker winches for $1910. Not sure if I'd go for the full spinnaker gear for $2968 or put that money into a gennaker in a sock for ease of short-handed cruising.
There we go, from a base price of $255k (it was $245k at the time of writing but we were warned of an October price rise) we have a pretty well-equipped and certainly capable and easy-to-sail 37ft cruiser for a smidge over $270k.
I had a great day out on Pittwater with the guys from North South - it culminated in a late lunch in a sheltered bay and lovely glass of pinot. Exactly what one would expect from a day out on a new cruising yacht. Where do I sign?
HIGHS - Easy to sail for a couple
- Plenty of room for kids or visitors
- Light, airy fitout below
- Good access forward with big, wide decks
- Plenty of adjustment in the rig
- Very manoeuvrable under power or sail
- Budget cruiser with most of what you need to get on the water in comfort
LOWS - Difficult access from transom to cockpit due to the big wheel
- Slightly smaller cockpit due to the large cabin. A tradeoff.
- Would like to see a few more little inclusions like halyard bags and springer cleats for the money
- Only iron keel available. No lead option.
| BAVARIA 37 CRUISER | | PRICE AS TESTED: $262,249 (incl price rise) | | | | OPTIONS FITTED | | High-tech sailset for conventional rig | | | | PRICED FROM: $255,000 | | | | GENERAL | | Material: Handlaid chopped strand mat with foam sandwich above the waterline. Kevlar reinforced collision section in bow | | Type: Monohull | | Hull length: 11.35m | | Waterline length: 9.82m | | Beam: 3.80 | | Draft: 1.95m | | Displacement: 6900kg | | Ballast: 2000kg | | | | CAPACITIES | | Berths: Four or six | | Fuel: 150lt | | Water: 210lt | | ENGINE | | Type: Volvo-Penta MD2030 | | Rated hp: 28hp | | Drive: Saildrive | | Prop: Three-blade folding | | | | SAIL AREA | | Main and furling headsail: 67.7sqm | | High-tech sailset: TBA | | | | SUPPLIED BY: North South Yachting, Quays Marina, 1856 Pittwater Rd, Church Point, NSW, 2015, tel (02) 9998 9600 or visit www.northsouthyachting.com.au | |