There has been a rush of new arrivals at North South Yachting HQ on Sydney's Pittwater. Among them is the Bavaria 38, an aft cockpit cruiser, which is one of several new models from the major German builder.

The 38 follows closely on the heels of the Bavaria 36, another new model that landed in Australia late last year. We tested the 36 for the November 2002 issue of Trade-A-Boat and came away very impressed by its sailing capabilities. Also notable was its highly competitive pricing and the distributor's approach to marketing the boat as a true sailaway package, including the best of Bavaria's optional features within the standard specification.

Well, all of this has proven to be the case with the new 38, too. The two boats are very similar in many ways, and I felt a strong sense of deja vu when first stepping aboard the bigger model. Standardisation plays a strong part in the Bavaria story and while it no doubt allows the company to economise on production, it also encourages consumer confidence, with a number of buyers prepared to order new 38s from the plans before seeing the first one arrive in Australia.

There is a strong family resemblance across the eight models comprising the current Bavaria range, from the 32 to the 49. Besides the distinctive navy blue bootstripes, there's the full-bodied hulls, skillfully proportioned coachhouses, easily managed rigs and lightened mahogany interior fitouts.

A previous 38 was one of the most successful models for Bavaria during its introduction onto the Australian market in 1998-1999. It's a practical size, big enough to go places and accommodate people while not being too big to handle comfortably shorthanded and manoeuvre around tight places.

The new model is very similar, with refinements to match changing market trends, and will probably be a strong seller.

Like its predecessor (and the new 36), the new 38 offers the choice of two or three-cabin layouts, with the latter holding potential for charter as well as private use.

North South Yachting have opted to include in the standard Australian package Bavaria's optional deep lead keel instead of the factory's standard cast-iron keel, and a 55hp Volvo D2-55 diesel engine instead of the listed 29hp Volvo MD2030.

Also included are many items more typically listed as optional extras: electric anchor windlass, electronic wind and log instruments, GPS chartplotter, VHF radio and masthead antenna, and more.

As with the 36, the result is a boat that is ready and willing to provide enjoyable sailing, whether that's an afternoon's club race or a week's family cruise.

CONSTRUCTION
Bavaria builds its boats in solid GRP up to the waterline, with GRP/foam sandwich topsides and deck. The hull laminate is beefed-up around the keel join and includes Kevlar fabric in the bow for increased impact resistance. The factory offers a five-year osmosis warranty.

A structural grid supports the keel loads, and the floor timbers, stringers and bulkheads are all glassed in to add strength to the overall structure. High-grade marine plywood is used for the bulkheads, with mahogany solids and veneers used for the interior joinery.

The furniture is pre-assembled as modules, which are then built into the boats on the assembly line, allowing buyers to choose two or three-cabin layouts.

A few minor defects were noticeable in the timber veneers around the nav station, but overall the finish was good.

RIG AND DECK
The Bavaria 38 has a deck-stepped, near-masthead rig with an anodised aluminium mast and boom, supported by slightly swept-back spreaders. The backstay tension can be adjusted using the decent block and tackle.

The overlapping genoa is set up with a roller-furler, and the standard sail inventory from Elvstrom in Europe includes a UV-strip on the genoa, plus a battened mainsail with lazy jacks and boom cover.

Halyards are led back to the aft end of the coachhouse, where there are Harken 40 self-tailing winches for the halyards, sail controls and the mainsheet. The main traveller is also on the coachhouse, in front of the generously sized companionway.

The cockpit is relatively modest in size, allowing more interior space, but it could seat up to eight and has a protected feeling due to the relatively high coamings. There are Harken 44 self-tailing winches for the genoa on the cockpit coamings and sliding cars for the genoa sheets. Spinnaker sheet winches can be mounted further aft on the coamings if club racing is part of the plan.

The cockpit floor and seats are teak-laid, and there is a timber cockpit table that folds away on the front of the sturdy GRP-moulded steering pedestal.

A Plastimo Olympic 135 binnacle compass and Raymarine Tridata and ST60 wind instruments are housed on the steering pedestal, right under your nose when you're behind the wheel. The transom seating opens to the boarding platform and swim ladder.

BELOW DECKS
The three-cabin version represented by the testboat includes a large master cabin forward, with a big double V-berth, twin hanging lockers and a dressing seat.

In the aft quarters are two more double cabins, mirror images of each other with hanging locker and shelving.

The saloon includes a large settee area forward to starboard, opposite the in-line galley. There is a central two-seater bench seat which provides a bracing post for the galley slave, as well as extending the seating around the large table, which can provide a dinner setting for six.

The galley houses a two-burner stove and oven, top-loading refrigeration unit, twin sinks and storage shelves for utensils and provisions.

The bathroom is positioned to port, aft of the galley, and includes a manual toilet, holding tank, vanity unit with sink, internal storage space, mirror and pressurised hot and cold water on tap, doubling as the shower supply. There is a moulded fibreglass seat for showering in bouncy conditions and extra locker space above.

Opposite is the navigation station, which is traditionally styled with a forward-facing bench seat and reasonably sized chart table, plus an overhead mounting space for the GPS chartplotter, in this case a Navman 5600 colour unit.

Looking back several years to my test of the previous model Bavaria 38, I'm reminded that the company has moved away from the very dark timbers of that era towards a lighter look. The joinery is still mahogany, but it has been lightened in tone and combines with the teak-and-holly-look flooring, ample natural lighting and white moulded headliners for a brighter atmosphere.

The previous 38 included two bathrooms with both the two and three-cabin layouts, housing the second toilet as an ensuite to the forward cabin. I would have thought that a second bathroom would be a drawcard on a boat of this size, but Bavaria evidently has market intelligence to the contrary, as both two and three-cabin versions of the new 38 have but one bathroom.

The two-cabin option provides for a larger aft cabin to starboard, with the port quarter devoted to storage space. The bathroom is shifted further aft, adjacent to the companionway, and the galley is transformed to an L-shaped layout, leaving room for a two-seater settee at the forward port side of the saloon. This dispenses with the central bench settee.

UNDERWAY
We sailed the Bavaria 38 in a light to moderate 5-15kt breeze on the flat water of Pittwater. Having been very impressed by the sailing capabilities of the smaller model 36, I was not disappointed by the 38. Once again the boat was content to sail itself to windward with only an occasional guiding hand on the helm once the sails were trimmed to suit the conditions.

The big genoa takes a bit of muscle to winch right on but also provides some welcome sail power when reaching and could be poled out when further offwind.

The boat was very manoeuvrable and responsive to the helm under sail and motor, with plenty of grunt in reserve thanks to the inclusion of the larger Volvo Penta saildrive.

I complained in my test of the Bavaria 36 about the hinge fittings on the cockpit lockers, which sat up just high enough to tear a back pocket of my pants. Well, those hinges and I met once again on the 38, and this time they tore the other pocket, so I'm still complaining, even if this is a minor quibble.

And I'm still not a big fan of coachhouse-mounted mainsheet systems, which are tricky to reach when you're alone in the cockpit behind the wheel, but that's the way most production cruisers are set up these days, so I can't single out the Bavarias for criticism on that score.

Like the 36, the 38 acquitted itself very well during our test, and both boats appear to offer impressive value. With the 38 you get that extra bit of space, load-carrying capacity, waterline length (equalling potential extra speed) and comfort in a seaway — not to mention that extra chunk of dollars added to the price tag. Otherwise, you might mistake these siblings for twins.

Highs
True sailaway specification sets a benchmark for the industry. Deep lead keel and bigger auxiliary engine are included as standard. Two or three-cabin layouts are both attractive options, depending on buyers' requirements. Competitive pricing continues to be a strong point across the Bavaria yacht range.

Lows
Minor cosmetic flaws, eg marks in the nav station timber veneers. Trade-off between cockpit and interior space in favour of the latter may not suit all summer-lovers' requirements. I still hate those cockpit locker hinges.