BAVARIA C42: IT SAILS VERY WELL

When I looked at the Bavaria C42 at the Dusseldorf Boat Show I was impressed: it's difficult to make something different on the mass production boat design because the limitations are many and the design guidelines very similar but the C42 looks not only out of the box but also has a very well designed hull.

And it is not only the hull, but the running rig is also very interesting, with a boom controlled without a traveler (unfortunately as almost all boats on the segment) but with a very unusual big distance between the two controlling blocks, allowing a better control downwind and the cockpit is already set for having two optional extra winches, for the ones that will prefer a bigger genoa, a Code 0 or a Gennaker to the standard self-tacking jib.

As I have pointed out in a previous post the construction techniques used on the C42 are better than the ones used on similar boats, featuring a sandwich hull. On the other brands, with the exception of the Hanse 418, they only use it on 50ft boats and bigger. Unfortunately, it seems that that the one that will substitute the 418 will revert to a monolithic hull as they have done on the new 458, where they are using already a more basic and less expensive monolithic hull.

Many other boats in the class do not offer 6 winches as an option and worse, if you want to install them there is no place suited for them neither the running rigging is thought to use them.

Bavaria C-line boat structure is also an improvement regarding other Bavarias and other mass production boats. They use a system developed by Cossutti, the Modutech Assembly System, that was initially developed for the Italia Yachts and was recently used on the Swan 48 (designed by Freers but with a structural Modutech Assembly system by Cossutti). 

Some years ago I had a conversation about the C-line boat structure with the engineer responsible for its adaptation on the C45 and he assured me that this system with the associated structure ( the bulkheads are also partially laminated to the hull) is a big improvement in what regards strength over the system Bavaria used for many years on older models.

But the big question was if the boat sails as well as it looks. For knowing that we need test sails and by now several testers from sail magazines tested it: all were impressed with the boat sailing potential and the way it sailed.

On the French magazine Voile Magazine on a test of over 100nm they said: "Class and Talent: As expected we got a strong breeze for the test, but the sea is flat in the Vilaine estuary where our dashing C42 is tumbling at full speed. 9, 10 knots, soon 11 ... The spinnaker is stable, the helm remains surprisingly smooth and sensitive. It gives the privileged exhilarating sensations of power and control not necessarily expected from an honest family cruiser. However, we are neither on a dashing Italian race-cruiser nor on a Scandinavian fast boat, but of course, on a Bavaria!" 

 

Yacht.de was also one of the sail magazines that test sailed the C42 and they were also very positive about the way it sailed and despite the huge beam they reported 7.5 knots upwind and were impressed saying that overall it is a fast yacht. They made a video from the test (that you can download on their site) and we can see that the C42 sails very well.

 

 

But this is a very beamy hull and it will be slower on the light wind than considerably less beamy boats, like for instance the Jeanneau 410,  but most cruisers when the wind is light just turn the engine on and that explains this choice of beamy hulls that are used on almost all mass production boats, hulls that offer many other advantages among them sailing with less heel and more interior volume.

Anyway, I would say that on this boat it would make sense to have a code 0 on a furler to improve the light wind ability and contrary to others, this one has the possibility of having the extra winches to make its control easier.

The interior of the C42 is huge due to the rounded bow and big stern, the quality is the one that is to be expected on mass production boats, the different layouts seem functional and well adapted. The design is modern and to like it or not is a matter of taste.

Personally, I dislike the shape of the saloon table and I believe a rounded one would be not only nicer but a better option. Don't like the sharp angles of the chart table even if it has an interesting way of storing big charts. Don't like also the plastic decorative inserts but that would be easy to change. Besides that it seems nice, well done, and functional.

All the rest is pretty much what other boats on this segment offer except perhaps the water tankage that with only 210 liters is low for cruising, a way to make you pay 850 euros more for an additional tank that will give you a good 460L W tankage.

For the ones that like sailing, I would recommend the genoa option, which implies two more winches and a genoa traveler and the standard mast (not a furling one) that will increase the sail area and give a good 22.5 SA/D. The 27.9% B/D taking into account the torpedo keel and the 2.10 draft is not bad and also considerably better than what Beneteau and Jeanneau offer (24.5% and 25.7% with just some more cm draft).

But the bigger difference for the Beneteau and the Jeanneau is that even if built with superior building techniques the Bavaria is considerably heavier, but not slower, compensating the difference in weight with a taller mast and more sail area. This means that you will feel you are sailing a bigger boat, one that in fact has more stability and is more seaworthy.

In what that regards, for boats with the same length, the Bavaria C42 with a displacement of  9678kg will be in between the Beneteau or Jeanneau (8180/7784kg) and the Halberg Rassy (11000kg). I would say that for most cruisers, considering a relatively small yacht, Bavaria's approach in what regards displacement makes sense, not to mention that probably it allows for a stronger boat than the Beneteau or Jeanneau.

On a previous occasion, I made a more detailed technical comparison between the Bavaria C 42 and the also new Oceanis 40.1. You will find there information that completes this post:

http://interestingsailboats.blogspot.com/2020/02/new-40-ft-cruisers-oceanis-401-versus.html

Important note: Some of the information regarding the Bavaria C42 specifications have been altered by Bavaria, in what regards displacement, ballast and sail area, with relevance to boat safety stability, AVS and upwind performance. There is a new post about them (08/10/2021).

SWINDELLED AND ABUSED – NO MORE

 I thought that boat counselling was a a win win idea, that would help sailors and would allow me some income without having any real cost for the ones that are buying a new boat (and in most cases a discount), but naively I thought that the ones that follow this blog, were honest people and in fact I have had excellent interactions with many followers, but as in any group I guess there are all sorts of people and it seems I have had bad luck lately. 

To give you an idea just two cases, one an American with whom I worked for several months contacting many boat builders and dealers helping him choosing among many, not only the better boat for him but the better price and equipment (with discounts in some cases over 10% and my commission paid by the dealer). 

At some point he says to me: I changed my mind, I am not buying any boat, thanks for your help. 

Probably he is used to people working for free and did not occur to him asking me how much it would be fair to pay for the many dozens of hours I had worked for him. Note that before starting working I asked him if he was serious, a time table was agreed, one that included a meeting in Dusseldorf next January for a final choice and a command of the boat for late 2021 early 2022. 

But that was nothing compared with the case of a French, Mr Bertrand Debian, that contacted me for help in finding a dealer that accepted his Dufour 412 as part of the deal in exchange for a new boat. He could not find any. 

As you can imagine it is a difficult time to sell a boat now, Covid and all, and I contacted many dealers and shipyards that offered boats that fitted the type he said he was looking for (fast monohull for a circumnavigation). 

After a lot of searching I was able to provide him a shipyard that would take his boat as part of the deal and also a dealer that worked with several brands and that offered him not only a better value for the used boat (compared to the shipyard) as well as a 6 to 8% discount (depending on the boat he chose) and a bigger discount (12%) if the Dufour was not part of the deal. Note that these discounts did not include my 2% commission that was paid directly by the dealer. 

Because he is 70 years old and his wife wanted a catamaran, I convinced him that probably a boat like a XP44 was not the more indicated craft for sailing basically solo on a circumnavigation at his age, that it was a demanding boat that implied a sportive attitude to sailing and a very good fitness, a boat with a huge B/D that was designed to sail with considerable heel to take advantage of the ballast. 

In the end we opted for a Nautitech 40, the more sportive of the “cheap” catamarans (the only one that fit his budget), a boat that is very well suited for the trade winds and able, on those conditions, to sail easily at double digit speeds. 

He and his wife visited the boat (in France), loved it, talked with an owner and the choice of the boat was settled. In the meantime I had posted on the blog (no charge for him) an advertise for selling his Dufour, that it was in fact a good deal because it was equipped for long range cruising and sold at a good price. The post was seen about 1900 times. 

I sent him several contacts of sailors that were interested on his boat and that have contacted me. I don’t now if it was through my blog that he sold his boat, but the boat was sold and that was very good for him because instead of a 6% discount he would have a 12% discount on the Nautitech and the dealer was able to deliver the boat where he chose, including at the nearest port to the Nautitech Shipyard (France). 

It was time to make the contract, all terms had been defined with months in advance, but then I received an email where Mr Bertrand Debain asked me to try a better deal with the dealer. 

I told him that 12% discount plus my 2% commission was a great deal, that the terms of the deal were established long ago and that I was not going to ask a change on the deal but that if he could find better, providing he or the dealer pay my 2% commission, there was no problem. 

After some days without any reply I received an email saying that tragedy had struck his family, that his wife was hospitalised with Covid and that he had probably been infected too, that all his plans about buying a boat were abandoned. He thanked me for my work ….and nothing more. 

Two weeks later I received the news (through Nautitech) that he had ordered a Nautitech 40 through another dealer. 

So, this is the type of people I am dealing with, and I don’t want to have any dealing with the likes of Mr Bertrand Debain, even if I am paid for, much less will I allow again to be swindled by them. 

So, apologizing to the vast majority of honorable sailors on the blog, I will change the terms of any future contract and I would charge a 1% retainer (over the approximate value of a boat) at the beginning of my work. 

Instead of trusting the ones that are interested in my services I ask them to trust me. If there is a considerable work of my part and the client wants for some reason to abandon the project of buying a boat the money will not be given back, unless I find that there is reason for restitution of a part or all of it. If a boat is bought I will give back the 1% retainer and I will receive from the shipyard or the dealer my 2% commission. 

I maintain that I will only offer deals where the total amount to be paid by the client (including commission) will be no more than the official price of the sailboat. There are some cases where I can have my 2% commission from the shipyard but no discount for the client (because they have a policy of not making any discount) others where I can get 5 to over 10% discount. 

I know that this way of doing business is not nice and goes against what I am and the way I have done business all my life but I hope you understand that if I am available to help the ones that want help in choosing a boat I will make sure that I end not pissed or abused by dishonest people. 

Whishing all the best and a nice sailing season,

Paulo

KUSADASI A GREAT MARINA TO HAVE THE BOAT IN THE WINTER

This is a post originally published in my facebook page in Portuguese, but since it relates to information regarding one of the best places to winter a boat on the Med, I guess it may be of interest to many of you and I decided to publish it here as well: 

I liked Kusadasi so much that I'm going to leave the boat here for the winter. It is an old place, like all the excellent natural ports, with a poetic name: “ birds’ island”. This island closes the natural harbour and is crowned by a Byzantine castle, well, today it is a peninsula because a pedestrian walk connects it to the mainland. 

The place has been inhabited continuously since history is recorded and certainly many tens of millennia before that. The news of the first settlement dates back 5000 years and the nations who lived here were numerous, however it was always a small port, in the shadow of the great port of Ephesus. 

Only when Ephesus silted and became unusable, already in the low middle ages, did Kusadasi gain importance and become the main port of the region attracting Byzantine merchants but also Venetians and Genovese. The Italians called it “Scala Nuova”.

Today Kusadasi, a city of 70,000 inhabitants, is decidedly geared towards tourism, which is its main economic activity and the Marina, which is excellent, reinforced the quality of the tourist offer that until then focused on the proximity of Ephesus and Pamukkale.

 

Unlike most of the marinas that are turned to themselves, with shops and restaurants isolated from the urban mesh, here there was a master hand creating an aerial pedestrian walk with beautiful views that allowed under it a great number of stores, facing not the marina but the main street and furthermore creating, in the centre, a new square shaded with awnings and full of esplanades. 

This hub originated a second urban centre because on the other side of the avenue the old commercial establishments were quickly replaced by new, better quality developments, especially bars, restaurants and hotels. 

We therefore have a city with two centres, a modern one and a traditional one, with a succession of Turkish bazaars mixed with jewellery, the usual Turkish confusion that after an adaptation period becomes interesting. 

And not less interesting are the prices that maybe because of Covid crisis are practically as low as in Finike, the traditional option for live-aboards, a place that compared to Kusadasi looks like utterly provincial. 

My annual contract with Kusadasi Marina, after some bargaining, ended up costing, after several discounts, only 400 euros more than it would cost in Finike and the marinas are unparalleled in what concerns surroundings or facilities, with relevance to the sanitary facilities that in Finike are clean but have already many years of use and here are new, with double size showers, luxury hotel finishes .... and air conditioning. 

Also available a room with several washing machines and a staff of unmatched sympathy and helpfulness. I checked the technical services, asked for prices for various interventions (anti-fouling and hull valves) and everything seemed fine and no more expensive than in Finike and the prices in Finike were very good. Regarding arriving here there is an international airport in Izmir, at about 1 hour distance. 

Another thing that is important to me is a cheap hotel to stay while I am preparing the boat either for the winter or for the “saison”. We found one near the marina, on the main street for 350 TL with breakfast and dinner included (40 euros for two). I found that too good to be true and went for dinner there ... and what if I tell you you really eat well ?! 

I'm delighted with my new base port and I've already made new friends, Emiliano Pasqualetti who knew me from the blog came to visit me and brought with him a friend, Sílvio Pennetti, both friendly and very interesting, Italians living in Izmir with the boats in the marina. 

Silvio made a point of offering me a beautiful and huge Italian flag, because the one I had on the boat, already in bad condition and which I was preparing to replace with a similar one, was not the appropriate one, because it was not a “navy” flag , as it should be. Well, anyway, beautiful flag. Thanks Silvio! 

If someone is interested in making this their base port, I can get to "friends" the same discount that I negotiated for myself. I made this deal with the marina manager, who is a friendly and competent lady because there were some French friends who had been with us at Finike that were interested (and who already decided to stay here). 

This special price is therefore extended to all followers of the blog who want to stay here this year: 28,935 TL for a 41 feet including two traveler-lift services, electricity and water. For this price I have to talk before with the manager and introduce you. You will not only benefit from the discounts I have managed but will have also a 13 month contract (instead of 12 months) being the extra month free (I also benefit from another month in my contract). 

In addition to the quality of Kusadasi the great advantage is that when making a contract with a marina of the Setur group we are entitled to stay free (up to one month) in any other of the 10 Setur marinas that are spread along the Turkish coast and one on the Greek island of Lesbos (Mytilene). 

In the last contract, we seized this opportunity and stayed several days at each marina, taking the opportunity to get to know the places, renting a car to tour around the region. And we will continue to do so, the next one being Çesme where we plan to arrive by the end of the week and then maybe go all the way to Istambul ( Kalamis ve Fenerbahçe Marina ) to visit the city. 

I have been sailing in Italy, Greece and Turkey for the last 8 years and this is one of the nicest deals I have been offered. Nice marinas at that price you can find some what you cannot find is the possibility of having 10 marinas at your disposal for the price of one. I thought you would like to know.