At just 10 metres overall, she’s a notably voluminous small boat. Yachting Monthly found her 10 percent heavier than some rival 32-footers, but its reviewer described that heft as reassuring rather than ponderous.
Design and Construction
The hull is solid GRP below the waterline. Above the waterline and on deck, foam-cored construction keeps weight down and stiffens the topsides. A laminated grid in the bilges provides structural strength.
The standard cast-iron fin-and-bulb keel draws 1.95 metres, while a 1.5-metre shoal-draft version was offered for thinner water. The deep-fin profile is credited with good manoeuvrability in harbour. The chainplates are mounted externally, just beneath a solid aluminium toe rail—a straightforward production solution rather than a concealed structure.
BMW styled the interior, producing a saloon and cabin plan that feels unusually bright and open for a boat of this length. That sense of lightness comes partly from the foam-cored upper hull, but the finish itself relies on thin plastic panelling beside the bunks and in the saloon. At first glance, it looks like wood, but it isn’t.
Under the cushions, the plywood joinery edges are sanded but unsealed. A few areas are finished with visible sealant rather than traditional joinery. This is a practical, modern production interior, not a hand-finished one.
Rig, Sailing and Handling
Standard in-mast furling makes setting sail supremely easy. The mainsheet leads directly to the cockpit table, with no traveller at all—a deliberate simplification for casual cruising. Swept-back spreaders and outboard chainplates suit the small, non-overlapping jib, although the lower shrouds cross the sidedeck and are a little awkward underfoot when going forward.
Under sail, the Bavaria proved genuinely quick upwind, skimming along at 4 knots at 35 degrees apparent in just 5–6 knots of breeze. The deep-fin keel also contributes to her good manoeuvrability in harbour.
Under power, the saildrive produces little prop kick. The review boat’s optional 30hp engine delivered a 5-knot cruising speed at 2,000rpm, rising to 5.8 knots at 2,500rpm. The standard engine is rated at 18hp.
Accommodation
The two-cabin layout has a V-berth forward and an enormous aft double extending beneath the cockpit sole. Hull and cockpit portlights brighten the aft cabin, and a useful shelf runs along the bunk.
The saloon seats six and offers nearly six feet of headroom. Its centrepiece is an enormous table fitted with cutlery drawers and a central locker for glasses. A small chart table is worked from the port settee. Instead of a conventional washboard, the companionway has a handsome pair of saloon doors that let in light even when closed.
The galley is small but functional, with covers for the sink and hob to extend the available counter space. The heads is a proper wet room with a separate shower—an arrangement that would shame many 40-footers. Sanitation fittings are sensibly arranged, with a waist-height holding-tank locker and an easily reached outlet seacock beneath the sink. A generous wet locker is well suited to northern-European sailing.
Cockpit and Deck
The cockpit feels secure behind a high forward coaming, whose gentle slope also makes a comfortable backrest. Its table is large enough for six people at sundowners and includes its own stowage.
A deep, wide cockpit locker can swallow a dinghy or paddleboards, although the access hatch is small relative to the space inside. The helm seat folds down drawbridge-style to form a swimming platform with steps. Hull colours were offered in distinctive pale grey or white.
Known Issues
The rigging and deck layout leave a few practical shortcomings. On the test boat, the jackstays didn’t extend all the way to the bow. A crew member dealing with a furler problem forward could therefore be left in an exposed position. The lower shrouds crossing the sidedeck also remain a minor trip hazard.
Although the engine bay is roomy, the seacock behind the engine becomes difficult to operate once the engine has warmed up. Below deck, the unsealed plywood edges and thin plastic panelling may be vulnerable to damp over time.
The Verdict
The Bavaria 32 Cruiser is a Farr-designed small cruiser that offers an unusual amount of space and light within its 10-metre length. The cockpit is genuinely sociable, and the wet-room heads is remarkably roomy.
In-mast furling and travellerless mainsheeting make her easy to handle as a couple’s or family boat. The deep-fin keel, lively upwind performance and good harbour manoeuvrability are further strengths. The compromises lie in the production interior finish, which calls for vigilance against damp, along with a few deck-safety and access niggles. The standard engine is also better suited to fair-weather motoring than fighting a tide.
Pros
- Bright, spacious two-cabin interior with nearly six feet of headroom
- Wet-room heads comparable in space to those on many 40-footers
- Easy short-handed sailing with in-mast furling and a cockpit-table mainsheet
- Lively upwind performance
- Good manoeuvrability with the deep-fin keel
- Practical sanitation layout, including an accessible holding-tank outlet seacock and waist-height locker
Cons
- Jackstays on the test boat didn’t reach the bow
- Engine seacock is awkward to reach when hot
- Standard 18hp engine is modest when working against a current
- Unsealed plywood edges and thin plastic panelling require vigilance against damp
- Lower shrouds are awkward underfoot on the sidedecks
- Cockpit-locker hatch is small relative to the space below
