After the C42 the next one from Bavaria will be the C38. As I have said before, the names of mass-produced sailboats are misleading because they generally refer to the overall length instead of hull length, contrary to what most more expensive boats do. So the C42 is a 39.3ft boat and the C38 has 36.1ft.
But before blaming Bavaria let me tell you Oceanis 41.1, Jeanneau 419, Dufour 412, Hanse 418 are also 39.3ft boats as well as the new Oceanis 40.1, that contrary to what the name indicates is not smaller than the Oceanis 41.1, it has the same hull length.
All this is misleading and RCD should legislate that when a number is the denomination of a boat that number should refer to hull length and not to LOA or any other dimension. But for now, it is arbitrary and at least one of the more expensive brands, X-yachts is using this trick to make believe that the boats are really bigger than what they are.
Back to the Bavaria C38, the design looks nice, kind of a smaller C42 also with the possibility of having 6 winches, a heavier boat than the competition but also with a bigger sail area.
But in what regards weight there is something so odd here that I contacted the designer's cabinet to ask if there was not any mistake regarding the displacement that was given to the press and published on Bavaria's site. I have received a quick reply saying that the weight was correct.
But if we take the keel out of the two boats (with all the ballast) the difference in weight between them will be only 115 kg and that does not make sense because the C42 is a much bigger and more voluminous boat, with 11.98m length for a 4.29m beam while the C38 has a 10.99m length for a 3.98m beam.
The oddity extends itself to the B/D displacement, having the C42 27.9%B/D and the C38 only 24.3% and that is strange because smaller boats normally have a bigger B/D and that's because the formula to calculate the needed AVS to certificate the boat in Class A demands a bigger AVS for boats with smaller displacement (because smaller and less heavy boats need less energy to be capsized).
I don't know the reason for all this. The superior weight of the C38, taking into account its size, suggests it is not built the same way as the C42 even if nothing is said about it. Maybe the C38 has a monolithic hull and not a sandwich one as the C42. I have not yet seen the C38 specification file and maybe it casts some more light on this subject.
But that does not explain why they, on a similar keel with less 5cm draft, chose to put comparatively much less ballast on the C38 than on the C42. In fact to have the same B/D as the C42 the C38 should have 449kg more ballast (adding to the 2205kg) and then the displacement would be 9519 kg, only 159 kg less than the C42, when taking into account the dimensions of both boats, at least a ton should separate their displacement. That is the case on all other mass-production brands.
While the dimensions and the design data of the C42 look good to me I cannot say the same about the C38 even if the boats seem very similar in the way they look and have similar hulls.
This was one of the most waited yachts and although I would have preferred a slightly more audacious bow, the yacht design leaves little to be desired and looks even better than on the drawings. To be noted the mast position that is more aft than usually to allow for larger front sails, namely a bigger self-tacking jib on the cruising version.
The designer, that you can see on one of the videos, Matteo Polli, one of the best in what concerns ORC, says that the GS 44 can be used for racing or for cruising and that seems pretty obvious looking at the boat. The GS44 comes in two versions, performance cruising or racing but contrary to the 48 cannot be built all in carbon.
The good thing is that the components of the several versions are interchangeable and without custom costs you can order your own boat from a huge variety of options using parts from the two basic versions.
The one presented in Genoa boat show is the racing version with carbon spars, 6 winches, traveller for the main, lateral travellers for the jib or small genoa and top quality running rigging.
On this version, the Yacht has a reduced number of cabinets on the saloon but even so the interior quality stands out and the interior looks bright and cosy looking even better than the one of the GS48.
This is a true 44ft boat (hull length) and a 49ft LOA with the big bowsprit (they have a smaller one) and 4.26m beam. The big standard draft (2.60m) and the very efficient torpedo keel explain why the yacht only needs a 30%B/D. With that keel it displaces 9000kg. The keel has three other options, 2.00m, 2.40m and another one with 3.00m.
I don't understand why, contrary to what happens with the 48, they chose not to offer a carbon version.
It looks a great yacht and the possibility of having a huge number of interchangeable options makes it a boat suitable for many sailors, for racing, for racing and cruising or just for cruising.
319 000 euros is the standard price at the shipyard. A well-equipped boat, including a good discount (if you can manage it), will be about 400 000 euros plus VAT, if it is the case. A good price if we compare it with the competition.
I had seen it in the last Dusseldorf boat show, the two-cabin version with a perfect interior. The boat had a huge storage, a huge galley and the interior looked more the one of a 45ft boat than the one of a 42ftboat. I was really impressed with the interior and with the boat in a general way and expressed that very positive impression on a post about the yacht:
Now that the boat has been tested by test sailors of many nationalities I can say that I was not the only one that has been very impressed with this yacht that the test sailors from the Norwegian sailing magazine Seil called "The ideal cruiser".
The French test-sailor from "Voiles et Voiliers" said about the way it sails: " Very well, indeed, very, very, well." The video is in French but even if you don't understand it wait for the end of the video when the designer, Marco Lostuzzi, in English, talks about the boat design and its characteristics.
The Germans from "Yacht de" said: "As a bluewater yacht, it should offer plenty of living space, plenty of comfort and be able to cope with heavy weather. but the 42 LC want to offer more than that"..."In the test, the 42 LC proved to be pleasantly lively, even in the basic version. The rudder Ballance is precise and with winds from 8 to 10 knots of wind she sails cheerfully - an interesting cross between dynamism and distinction".
"We were particularly impressed by the version which was shown for the first time at boot Düsseldorf in mid-January, with only two cabins and a galley that was significantly enlarged aft. The Grand Soleil is perfect when it comes to extended cruising over several months."
The Italian test sailors from "Giornale della Vela", sailing on the more sportive version (without the cockpit arch and a taller mast) made a detailed report about wind and speed:
"We start our test with 7-8 knots of southeast wind and long waves, despite the self-tacking jib the boat goes up to 5.2 knots, we didn't force the upwind angle, we stayed around 40º-43º of true wind... and in the meantime the wind rises: 10, 12, 14 knots. The upwind speed stabilizes above 7 knots, with peaks at 7.6 and an angle below 40 degrees, even up to 36 degrees, we definitely have fun also because the rudder feeling looks like the one of a sportive boat and not the one of a long-range cruiser boat. But who said that on a cruise you shouldn't fully enjoy sailing? ..
We unfurled the Code Zero , with the wind increasing a few more knots, up to 16, we tried the downwind performance. We sailed between 120º and 130º, the most suitable sail would be an asymmetrical with a more pronounced curve while the Code 0 we used had an obviously too flat shape, but the boat does not struggle to exceed 9 knots with averages that stabilized around 9.3, 9.4with some very pleasant Surf.
We forced the boat and the equipment a bit by tightening up to 90 degrees with the wind that has risen up to 17-18 knots, we would expect the strain but in reality, once again, it is the big blade rudder of the Grand Soleil 42 LC that imposes itself: without becoming necessary to let go too much the mainsail, just a little correction on the wheel and the boat “runs away” on the wave in acceleration, transmitting perfect control to the helmsman.
With the wind rising up to 20 knots we opened the angle even more and had fun: dry boat, easy to steer, speeds that reach peaks of 10 knots without the need to make too many adjustments.
Ultimately, a decidedly positive test even in conditions that were starting to be muscular for the new "small" of the Cantiere Del Pardo, which showed us how important comfort is but also that comfort without true sailing performance is something incomplete. The 42 LC promises to become a new shipyard's best-seller: lean only in appearance, true and reactive under canvas, suitable for long voyages and extremely comfortable and refined inside."
The sail testers from "Vela e Motore", sailing on the basic version with the smaller mast and the carbon cockpit arch, reported that with a code 0 and 11/12kt wind the boat sailed at 8/8.5kt and with 13kt wind and the self-tacking jib they 8.3/8.5kt speed at 40º from the true wind.
They also said that the wheel was light, responsive, giving plenty of control over the boat and that with the 50hp engine the boat sailed at 9kt at 2500rpm.
It is difficult for me to understand why last year in this category the boat chosen as Boat of the Year was the Amel 60 and not this one, but that is another story.
After so many nice things said about the performance of this boat maybe I should make a point regarding what we are talking about: we are talking about a boat that the designer qualifies as heavy but that is only so if we compare it with performance cruisers. For instance, the Bavaria C42 is slightly heavier and more even so because its hull has 11.99m while the one of the Grand Soleil has 12.90. To have a better understanding of comparative displacements of several high-quality cruisers look here:
So what are the differences to be expected between this fast bluewater cruiser and true performance cruisers like the XP-44 or the new Grand Soleil 44 performance? They will be faster in all points of sail and wind conditions but the bigger differences will be in very light winds, on pointing ability, close upwind speed and with strong winds on planing ability where with a good crew high two-digit speeds can be obtained.
The downside regarding cruising is that true performance cruisers will be much more nervous boats, demanding a lot more reefing and work on the wheel and trimming of sails. If sailed solo or duo they demand a more experienced sailor and one that likes to be busy with sails and boat control while cruising. For some cruisers that extra work is just fun and a way to occupy time, for others, it will be too much.
Also, the extra displacement will give the boat a more soft and less brusque motion even if that is partially compensated by the finer entries and smaller beam of the more sportive boats, meaning that if you go upwind with the same angle probably the sportive boats are as comfortable as the medium displacement boats, the problem here is that the sportive boat can go at a better and smaller angle to the wind and most sailors will sail it at the optimal angle for speed.
The smaller wind angle will mean also that you will be getting the waves more forward to the bow and that means a more uncomfortable ride that will be worsened by the bigger upwind speed. Downwind with a cruising charged boat the difference in speed will be there between the two types but sailed solo or with a wife, the high planing speeds will be out of reach and probably the speed difference will be just of one or two knots not the six or seven that are to be expected with a crew in race trim.
So, just choose what goes more with your personality and lifestyle but don't make the mistake of buying a boat like the XP-44 or a full specs GS44p to sail solo with your wife if you are not an experienced sailor and by that, I mean experience with high power sailboats. For starting it will be probably too much while on a GS 42 LC, even if not very experienced, a sailor, even with not a big sailing experience, can take vantage of the boat easiness and soft manners to learn all he needs to sail it properly and fast.
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:
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).
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.
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.
As many of you have noticed I am not posting anymore and the most awaited sailing time has come, this year very late, due to the Covid shit.
I am finally on the water and posting from an anchorage that served the ancient city of Myra, the one where Santa Claus lived and where his tomb is still much visited, mostly by Russians.
