bavaria 34 sailboat

• Yachting Monthly
• Digital edition

• September 24, 2009

Bavaria 34 - practical cruiser with plenty of room

Product Overview

Manufacturer:, price as reviewed:.

This was a thoroughly practical cruiser, launched in 2000, and very similar in style to the 31 and 32 of the same generation, but with a bit more room in all directions. The saloon has comfortable settees, which double up as sea berths, and reasonable stowage. The chart table is a good size but the galley is a little small for a 34-footer. The fore and aft cabins have plenty of space, though – and she makes a sound, economical family cruiser with limited performance pretensions but safe and easy handling.

• Sailing Yachts
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BAVARIA CRUISER 34

Set the course and head for fun, diverse and functional.

We believe that even smaller yachts can be tremendous fun. With the BAVARIA CRUISER 34 we have succeeded in bringing together the most important aspects of sailing – sailing pleasure and spaciousness – in one boat. This yacht has excellent – and very safe – sailing characteristics. The XXL cockpit area is pleasantly commodious during sailing and in between. And below deck there is all the room you need for six people. The BAVARIA CRUISER 34 is the small, yet still very great BAVARIA. It comes in a 2- and a 3-cabin version with single or twin helm positions.

Generous down to the smallest detail.

For BAVARIA, attention to detail always means combining comfort and safety. For example, the cockpit layout with its two steering wheels ensures that the helms‐man always has an unimpeded view of the sails, the course and the crew – for the utmost safety. At the same time, all the modern conveniences are there. The cockpit offers plenty of space and free access from the bathing platform to its companionway. It is also a meeting place for social and entertainment activities. Gathered around the large cockpit table, everybody enjoys the time spent together during a cruise.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRUISER 34

On the official bavaria yachts website.

Bavaria Cruiser 34 Standard

Sailboat specifications.

• Last update: 25th April 2020

Bavaria Cruiser 34's main features

• 2018: Cruising World - Boat of the Year: Pocket Cruiser

Bavaria Cruiser 34's main dimensions

Bavaria cruiser 34's rig and sails, bavaria cruiser 34's performances, bavaria cruiser 34's auxiliary engine, bavaria cruiser 34's accommodations and layout, bavaria cruiser 34's saloon.

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• By Andrew Burton
• Updated: January 16, 2009

Powering the Bavaria 34 through the crowded harbor in Newport, Rhode Island, I was satisfied with the predictable maneuverability of this little pocket rocket. Zipping between the moored megayachts with ease, I put the boat through its paces, turning spritely with the high-aspect spade rudder and stopping quickly on occasion as we wound our way to open water, where the saildrive pushed the boat along at better than 7 knots when I opened the throttle wide.

The standard cast-iron shoal-draft keel on the Bavaria consists of a tandem arrangement, essentially two narrow fins fore and aft with a long bulb between them. A foot-deeper conventional fin, also cast iron, can be had as an option.

The J&J-designed hull features hand-laid glass. with Kevlar reinforcement forward for puncture prevention, and, except below the waterline, Airex foam core. A full-width stainless-steel plate beneath the mast-compression post further strengthens the fiberglass grid system. Beefy stainless-steel chainplates tie into this grid, too, making for a very stiff, very strong structure. Deck hardware taps directly into stainless-steel backing plates laminated into the deck.

The 34-footer’s interior feels homey with mahogany woodwork and a teak-and-holly sole. Lots of large opening ports and hatches keep it cool and bright below. Spacious double cabins in the bow and port quarter include plenty of shelf and locker space for personal gear. The galley, to port, looks eminently workable and has a gimbaled two-burner propane stove and oven, a microwave oven, and a top-opening 12-volt refrigerator. Located inboard to prevent back flooding when the boat’s heeled on starboard tack, a double sink completes the galley.

Across the boat, a proper nav station with a seat and a large chart table will suit the navigator. Prewiring the bulkhead and electrical panel at the factory facilitates installation of all the electronics you could want. My one complaint: Shoulder-level handrails along each side of the cabin could be more substantial.

Aft of the nav station, the head has more than 6 feet of headroom and space for an average-size man to shower in comfort. An apse molded in the fiberglass lining aft is perfect for hanging up wet foul-weather gear. Ample light and ventilation come from a large opening port and a small overhead hatch.

The saloon embodies the standard layout for a boat this size: An L-shaped settee to port flanks a centerline table; leaves fold up, making room for four place settings. Ports in the hull on either side provide a view of the harbor for diners. With the addition of lee cloths, both settees will make good sea berths. Thanks to the boat’s 12-foot beam, outboard of each settee sits a shelf almost the size of some berths I’ve slept in. That promises plenty of storage behind the seat backs, too. Above the shelves are lockers mounted to the deckhead.

Bavaria didn’t forget to provide access to the guts of the boat. A panel at the foot of the aft berth opens to the steering gear and to cockpit and propane-locker drains. A hatch in the aft cabin opens to the Volvo diesel, with the alternator, starter, oil filter, and wiring front and center; removing the companionway steps displays all of the engine.

The cockpit seats and sole are attractively decked with teak, which makes for sure footing. Engine controls on the pedestal make shifting an easy reach. The binnacle features molded space for instruments, a chart plotter, and a compass. Between the seats, leaves of the cockpit table fold out to reveal a storage area. A stout rail graces each quarter, and a large swim platform that forms the center of the transom folds down with the touch of a button. On either side of the companionway, a winch and line clutches deal with halyards, reefing lines, and mainsheet. On the cabin top, just aft of the traveler, a low wrap-around coaming makes installing a dodger easy. Good nonskid on the coaming and deck makes egress from the cockpit easy and sure, and inboard shrouds don’t impair movement forward. A full-length aluminum toerail borders the wide decks. Stainless-steel grabrails extend to the mast, and while there’s nonskid on the cabin top, there’s also an awful lot of shiny, smooth gelcoat that’ll prove slippery when wet. A big anchor locker forward with room for a windlass and rode complements a short stainless-steel sprit with a roller for the anchor. Crewmembers who use the small seat in the pulpit are sure to enjoy a wild ride on a windy day.

Owners can outfit the double-spreader 15/16ths Selden rig with a conventional, full-battened, or in-mast-furling main (as on our test boat) as standard equipment. Furlex furling makes the jib easy to handle, and Rutgerson blocks and Harken winches handled sheets and halyards on the boat we sailed. On current boats, winches are by Lewmar.

That’s all very well, but how did the Bavaria 34 sail on my blustery test day? Unrolling most of the main, we bore off to closehauled and unrolled most of the jib. The boat heeled over and accelerated while the helm stayed light, with only a slight pull to weather. The shoal-draft keel and beamy hull’s form stability kept the rail above the water. Though whitecaps were present, we stayed dry as we beat toward the Jamestown side of Narragansett Bay. It’s obvious to me that though this cruiser is no lightweight, its owners will do well on the racecourse, should the notion strike them. When we bore off to a reach, we unrolled both sails completely to let the boat show off. Even though buffeted by sudden blasts, the boat was controllable, stayed on course, and shot along at better than 7 knots in 18-knot puffs.

Though it might be small by modern North American standards, the Bavaria 34 is a substantial boat that Europeans wouldn’t hesitate to sail offshore, which echoes my feeling after inspecting and sailing it.

Andrew Burton is CW’s associate editor.

LOA 35′ 2″ (10.72 m.) LWL 34′ 3″ (10.44 m.) Beam 11′ 10″ (3.61 m.) Draft 5′ 1″/6′ 4″ (1.55/1.93 m.) Sail Area (100%) 660 sq. ft. (61.3 sq. m.) Ballast 3,170 lb. (1,438 kg.) Displacement 12,540 lb. (5,688 kg.) Ballast/D 0.25 D/L 139 SA/D 19.6 Water 55 gal. (208 l.) Fuel 40 gal. (151 l.) Mast Height 48′ 8″ (14.84 m.) Engine 28-hp. Volvo Designer J&J Yacht Design Price $170,000 Bavaria Yachts (410) 990-0007 www.bavariayachts.com

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Technical specifications - Cruiser 34

Photos of the boat, technical features.

• Length HT : 35ft (10.67m)
• Max. width : 11ft (3.42m)
• Weight : 5.3 tons
• Draft : 5ft (1.58m) to 7ft (2.04m)
• Max. sleeping capacity : 6
• Number of cabins : 3
• Bathrooms : 1
• Water capacity : 150L

Standard motorisation

• Fuel capacity : 150L

Standard canopy

• Total sail area : 167sqft (50.9m2)
• Mainsail area : 94sqft (28.6m2)
• Genoa/jib area : 75sqft (22.8m2)

Ideal destinations for renting a Cruiser 34

• Data and Options

CRUISER 34 - Interior

A lot of space for perfect comfort.

Whether 2 or 3 cabins, the CRUISER 34 offers many options and even more space.

With two cabins - and every comfort.

No compromises below deck. Even in the smaller 2‐cabin version of the CRUISER 34 you have all the amenities you need below deck for a cruise. A large, bright saloon – thanks to loads of natural light. A functional galley and a corner for the skipper to work and do planning. In short, a space with many well‐conceived options. So typically BAVARIA.

It’s like a home away from home – the huge bathroom of the 2‐cabin version.

Everything you need for navigating: the chart table corner.

Designed with passion for cooking with passion.

Meals are important, especially on longer trips. Sink, stove and refrigerator are tailored to meet the needs of a crew of six people. You can just as easily whip up some snacks as prepare a meal of several courses. Once again we have paid attention to detail – from the look of the solid wood surfaces to high‐quality equipment. There is therefore nothing standing in the way of convivial evenings with delicious food.

The classy galley has an L‐shape and a stainless steel sink.

Clever lighting concept for the salon.

Lovely days, equally lovely nights.

Up to six people can be accommodated on the BAVARIA CRUISER 34. Not one of them will lack for anything – even when it comes to bedtime. Aft there are two equally sizeable cabins, with another extremely comfortable cabin for the owner in the bow. Designed to be bright, with beautiful wood details – in short, three cabins that makes it easy to go to bed and hard not to lie in a little longer.

The bathroom includes a shower system.

View into one of the spacious aft cabins.

Ambience is a question of design.

You spend a lot of time on a yacht. That is why our engineers, designers and boat builders have also spent a lot of time trying to make it as comfortable and convenient as possible for you. Six people need space – and space they get, because the BAVARIA CRUISER 34 has, for example, storage space in every corner. Right in the middle there is a table around which everyone gathers to share the pleasure of letting a great day of sailing wind down to a wonderful end.

With the saloon table folded up, there is space for everybody and everything.

A lot of storage space in the salon.

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• Sailboat Guide

Bavaria 34 is a 35 ′ 7 ″ / 10.9 m monohull sailboat designed by J&J Design and built by Bavaria Yachts starting in 1999.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

There has been a BAVARIA 34 (J&J), similar in appearance to this one, in production for a number of years. They have been popular in the charter trade. The details shown in various brochures has proved to be inconsistent so basic information provided here can only be considered approximate.

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