Design and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass with no core, and the deck is likewise solid glass — a straightforward, conservative laminate that suits a cruising boat meant to absorb dock rash and grounding scrapes without delamination worries. With a length overall of just over 38 feet and a waterline of about 29.5 feet, the 370 carries a beam near 12.5 feet, giving an l/b ratio of 3.07 that reads as moderately beamy for the period. The fin keel draws roughly 1.80 to 1.90 meters depending on load, and the iron ballast of 5,500 pounds sits at a 35 percent ballast ratio against a 15,650-pound displacement. That displacement-length ratio of 271 places her firmly in the loaded cruiser camp rather than the light-displacement racer class. The wetted bottom surface runs about 38 square meters, a figure that anchors her theoretical hull speed of 7.3 knots and her immersion rate of about 229 kg per centimeter — meaning she settles a predictable amount under stores and crew.
Rig and Handling
The 370 is a masthead sloop carrying 632 square feet of sail on the ISO reference rig, which yields a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.2; with a 135 percent genoa that number rises to 19.1, a useful margin for light-air cruising without going to overlapping headsails that complicate short-handed handling. The standing and running rigging dimensions are generous for the size: halyards run 34.8 meters at 12 mm, sheets for jib and genoa are 11.7 meters at 14 mm, and the mainsheet is a long 29.1 meters also at 14 mm, giving ample purchase and replacement tolerance. A spade rudder and fin keel give her the directional response expected of the type. The capsize screening value of 1.99 and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 25.9 describe a boat with reasonable offshore reserve and a settled motion in a seaway for her length, though neither figure makes her a bluewater expedition vessel by modern standards.
Accommodations
Cabin plan, berth count, and joinery of the 370 are not described in the available material, so a buyer must inspect each hull for those details. She carries 85 gallons of water and 30 gallons of diesel, figures that support a week of two-person cruising without constant conservation. The 28-horsepower Volvo Penta MD2003 single diesel — an estimate in the builder data — would drive her near hull speed in calm water at modest burn.
Known Issues
The only maintenance-relevant fact established is the large wetted bottom surface of about 38 square meters, which translates directly into antifouling and bottom-paint cost at every haul-out. A buyer should budget accordingly, as the surface area is greater than on narrower contemporaries.
The Verdict
The Bavaria 370 is a competent, conservatively built German cruiser of the early nineties, designed by a longtime Bavaria house architect and engineered for predictable loaded cruising rather than speed. Her numbers describe a stable, comfortable boat with enough sail plan flexibility to handle light air, and her solid-glass construction avoids the core-related worries of later composite decks. The trade-off is modest performance under the reference rig and a broad bottom that costs to maintain.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck with no core to delaminate
- Predictable comfort metrics (Motion Comfort 25.9, capsize screen 1.99)
- Generous rigging dimensions ease replacement and tuning
- 135% genoa lifts SA/D to 19.1 for light-air cruising
Cons
- Large 38 m² wetted surface raises antifouling cost
- Moderate 16.2 SA/D under reference sail needs genoa for sparkle
- No interior specification to pre-judge layout
