Design and Construction
At 38 feet 6 inches overall, the Bavaria 38 Cruiser has a 32-foot-6-inch waterline and a beam of 12 feet 10 inches. Displacement is near 15,840 pounds, including 4,629 pounds of ballast. That gives her a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 0.29 and a displacement-to-length figure around 206—figures that place her among moderately heavy cruisers rather than featherweight racers.
Bavaria built the boat with a solid fiberglass hull and a structural grid laminated to the inside under the floorboards. The keel bolts pass through this grid and are secured with double nuts backed by stainless-steel washers. A cast-iron keel and cradle arrangement uses large bolts and hefty tie rods, which also anchor the shrouds.
The hand-laid hull has Kevlar-reinforced bow sections and a flat-bottomed form, which testers noted could make drying it out completely a challenge. Compared with some contemporaries, the 38 is less beamy and carries less of that beam toward the stern, shaping both the accommodations and the cockpit footprint.
Above the waterline, a low bridgedeck and low companionway sill are intended to help keep green water from getting below. The companionway door is veneer-topped Starboard rather than solid wood.
Rig and Handling
The standard rig is a fractional sloop with a roller-furling jib, adjustable backstay, and six winches; twin adjustable backstays complete the straightforward package. Buyers could choose an in-mast furling mainsail or a conventional or full-length battened main. The deck is reinforced to accept a double-ended mainsheet led aft.
The aluminium Selden mast sits well forward to make room for an elongated cockpit. It uses metal rather than plastic sliders, while a solid Rodkick boom vang and twin adjustable backstays complete the straightforward package.
In North America, the standard tandem keel patented by Warwick Collins is a shoal-draft option reportedly offering greater controllability than conventional shoal keels.
Under power, testers found that the 40-horsepower Volvo with saildrive pushed the boat to 7.8 knots at 2,800 rpm and a quieter 6.5 knots at 2,000 rpm. With the wheel hard over, the boat turned within a single boat length and backed commendably.
Sailing conditions during the test were modest. The boat made about 2.7 knots closehauled in a 4.5-knot gust and roughly 6.98 knots close reaching in an estimated 12 knots of breeze.
Cockpit and Deck
The cockpit has a table mounted on the steering console. It’s convenient, but bulky enough to hamper movement. At the stern, an electric fold-down transom reveals a swim step and ladder.
Forward, a flush foredeck hatch opens into a deep anchor well with the windlass mounted on a shelf. On the tested boat, the anchor was snugged to the stem with its shank four chain links from the wildcat.
Accommodations
Half a step from the foot of the companionway, robust furniture is close at hand. The port galley counter has sturdy fiddles, while the forward-facing navigation desk lies to starboard. The desk is large enough for paper charts and includes several storage compartments and a dedicated instrument-mounting area. Its dished seat provides a little butt traction when the boat heels.
The saloon settees run parallel to the centerline and are long enough to stretch out on. High-gloss varnished pale mahogany finishes the interior, while numerous hatches and portlights provide natural light. Cut-out handholds at the corners of the partial bulkheads help crew move around the galley and navigation desk.
In the two-stateroom layout, the forward cabin occupies the full space ahead of the mast. It has a large V-berth, ample lockers, and room to walk around. The aft cabin or cabins in both the two- and three-cabin versions offer generous standing room and a large berth.
In the two-cabin layout, the head is aft, behind the navigation station. The three-cabin version has a smaller head that intrudes into the forward cabin.
Galley and Electrical System
The port galley is well equipped with stowage, a microwave, a two-burner stove, and twin sinks. A three-burner stove would offer more options. The sink bottoms slope toward inboard drains, though the basins could be deeper.
The new-generation touch-pad electrical panel illuminates when a circuit is live, with the breakers mounted behind the panel.
Verdict
The Bavaria 38 Cruiser is a thoughtfully arranged production cruiser from the J&J Design era. It combines a stiff structure and sensible seakeeping details with an interior that balances livability against a few compromises, notably the three-cabin head arrangement and the bulky cockpit table.
She’s no rocket in light air, but her handling under power and shoal tandem-keel option make her a manageable, family-friendly coastal cruiser.
Pros
- A structural grid and double-nutted keel bolts passing through it provide a robust, well-secured hull-to-keel connection.
- The forward-facing navigation desk, with its dished seat and room for paper charts, is a genuine cruising asset.
- The low bridgedeck and sill, together with the Starboard companionway door, address green-water intrusion practically.
- The electric fold-down transom and deep anchor well with windlass add useful features at both ends of the boat.
Cons
- The flat bottom makes drying out completely awkward.
- The console-mounted cockpit table restricts freedom of movement.
- The twin sinks are shallow, and the galley has only two burners.
- In the three-cabin layout, the head intrudes into the forward cabin.
