The Bavaria Yachts has become a reality that came to claim a strong ground in boat making after its inception in 1978. Winfried Herman, a window maker, and Josef Meltl, who had some experience with boats after making a successful career in working as a broker for boat charters, started a company that is now one of the biggest boatyards in our era after just about 50 years of on the market. Bavaria Yachts started in Germany in a place called Gibelstadt, and today it has over 600 employees.

With over 7,500 employees in France, the USA, Poland, Italy, and Poland, it can truly be said that the Beneteau Group has really come a long way from 1884, when it was first started by Benjamin Beneteau in the Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie part of France. After 137 years, Beneteau has become an absolute staple in the sailboat space. Their innovations and experience are over the standards of a good boatyard. They truly are the Avant-Garde of boating.

Beneteau Vs Bavaria – Comfort

All Beneteau boats generally come equipped with the extra comfort and luxury for cruising or even daysailing but to really explore their hallmark of comfort, we shall take a look at the perks that define the Oceanis 41.1. The Oceanis 41.1 offer the most when it comes to comfort in mid-sized boats, with a cockpit larger than any boat in the range of 40’9″. The transom can also be lowered to be used as an elite swim platform.

In the interior, she offers two or three cabins with one or two heads with six large portholes where natural light can’t stop flooding in from. At the salon, it has a U-shaped bench that efficiently utilizes space. There is also the option to customize finishes with this boat, a perk that gives it a limitless threshold for luxury. The master cabin holds the most sway in this topic, with its double door, a forward-facing bed, extra headroom, and a private head.

A contender and constant champion that has afforded the Bavaria Yachtbau bragging rights in luxurious boats is the Cruiser 37. The length is 35’76”, and cabin-wise it comes in two variants; the 2-cabin or 3-cabin. This offers to sailors a sportiness that is only second to the luxury and pleasure boating it provides. The saloon, which can contain up to six big persons, is customizable and solid wood is used to make every corner, edge, and door frame. Panoramic windows are employed to shine light into the interior of this beautiful floating vessel. The forward cabin sports a bed the size of a king’s and its own personal bathroom. Headroom in the aft cabin is also worthy of note. Exteriorly it is equipped with the necessary handrails to make easy safety movement around the boat while sailing, and its transom can be used as a boarding step from a port.

Seaworthiness

Yachts and boats today are said to be seaworthy enough if they can be handled easily and can provide speed, sailability, and comfortable living. 

Bavaria customers all around the world in marinas we have visited have testified to the seaworthiness of the boats and their ability to handle fairly well in rough gales, although some boats do not have an inner forestay which is needed if some serious sailing has got to be done.

The Beneteau Swift Trawlers is renowned for its seaworthiness, safe sailing, and comfort. It is a very reasonable choice for going on long ocean adventures. The Beneteau Barracuda 8 is a sport Fisher with many perks, especially with the innovation of the Airstep hull.

Sailing Performance

For the BAVARIA Yachtbau boats, this can safely be said of them- they combine authenticity with their sailing characteristics and smooth maneuvering while maximizing their use below the deck space. Innovations in the way of very distinctive design features like the BAVARIA V-bow and the Chines at the stern all contribute to guarantee safe and fast sailing and also afford an incredible amount of space below the decks of the boats. 

The following features add up to boost the Beneteau boats’ performance abilities- an extra-long mast delivering additional sail area in high-tech materials, Harken deck fittings, and a deep lead-bulb keel which serves to reduce drag in this performance cruiser. These features may well be prominent among the Oceanis First Lines, but they can also be seen in almost all the models. The sail materials employed by the Beneteau boatyards also improve the performance of these boats as they tend to take any wind, any kind of wind without giving way to spoilage. 

Since performance isn’t all about how fast a boat sails, how smooth it maneuvers, or how well it goes with the wind. It is also about how good the luxuries and comfort aboard serve the people it is carrying, how well the gadgets, appliances, and the chart table equipment are performing, and generally how well the boat points. Indeed a lot of consideration ought to be factored in before the overall performance of a boat is determined, but this is very clear, the Bavaria and Beneteau in no way lack in this aspect.

>>Also Read: Beneteau vs. Catalina, Beneteau Vs Jeanneau, Beneteau vs Hanse

Overall Design and Build Quality

Bavaria

Deck

The Bavaria Cruiser 45 is used as a case study for this topic, mainly due to its exceptional real-life reviews. This Bavaria has a hull that was laid up by hand and composed of materials like chopped strand mat and stitched biaxial mat set in isophthalic polyester resin and then interiorly strengthened using a grid frame. Dacron Polyester Fabric is their favorite sail material for their sailboats. Because of its resistance to UV light, its near-indestructible texture, and being affordable. As an equal alternative, polyester Laminate DCX is employed because of its low-stretch, durability, and high resistance to tearing. 

Below the Deck

The rooms are inlaid with wood from these options: mahogany, walnut, and white oak, while for the furniture covers the use of lush leather is preferred for its toughness, durability, and luxurious outlook.

Beneteau

Deck

Beneteau’s boat-building quality has been and is a role model for other boatyards. Resin is a constant in the materials used for every Bavaria hull, but then balsa core is used for its strength, thickness, and relatively lightweight. Their center of gravity invalidates the use of lead for the keels. All the trimming and hole cuts on decks and hulls are done by computerized robots, and thus the high level of precision is evident. 

Below Deck

By using Alpi Wood, Beneteau creates different kinds of interior design finishing, which can also be renewed and used for other reasons. The wood panels that are produced using the Alpi Wood are notable for their high resistance to warping. 

Beneteau Vs Bavaria – Conclusion

Bavaria and Beneteau boats stand out due to the exceptional performance delivered while under greatly unpleasant weather conditions to cruise-seekers and owners while at sea. These companies make seaworthy boats of different kinds by combining materials that assure durability while retaining comfort and elite taste. There is no doubt that the Beneteau is way ahead in terms of experience, labor force, and innovation. Still, Bavaria is not far behind them in these aspects. The Bavaria Yachts boatyard can also be seen as a hallmark of exceptional nautical engineering thanks to their German tech genius. However, it is worth noting that both Bavaria and Beneteau are mass-produced sailboats, and any problems that may come up are fixed early on in a model’s life.

To sum up, Bavaria and Beneteau produce very comparable sailboats, and it all comes down to personal preference; you can’t go wrong with either one. Prices are also very comparable, and when looking at two similar boats to buy, make sure sure you compare each boat with the same extras before deciding.