Design and Construction
The 46 Cruiser carries 7,275 pounds of iron ballast in a bulb keel and draws 6 feet 1 inch on a 40-foot waterline, giving a ballast-to-displacement ratio around 30 percent and a comfort ratio in the mid-20s that marks her as a steady cruising hull rather than a light-air flyer. Below, the overall workmanship appeared good in the Cruising World evaluation, though the production-line application of varnish wasn’t impressive, and the nav-station area’s use of faux wood drew the reviewer’s annoyance. These are the tells of a value-driven production build: sound structure, lightly finished trim.
Rig and Handling
The test boat sailed with in-mast furling and a battenless main, a rig chosen for ease of handling rather than peak performance; writing in Cruising World, the testers noted the boat they sailed had in-mast furling and a battenless main in light Chesapeake Bay conditions. Cruising World noted that some skippers would likely want full vertical battens to improve sailing performance, a trade any buyer can still make. Up top, twin helms give good visibility from the wheels whether standing or sitting outboard, and the cockpit seats amply around a solid, fixed-mount table. That table, however, extends a bit too far astern, so when its leaves are open it is tough to move forward from the twin helms — a real close-quarters nuisance on a boat this beamy.
Accommodations
The 46 Cruiser was offered in three- and four-cabin layouts; the magazine tested the three-cabin version in light Chesapeake Bay conditions. Aft cabins hold double berths and hanging lockers, with a head and shower to port and a forward-facing nav station to starboard at the foot of the companionway. The nav desk is shallow for chart stowage but carries good fiddles and leaves plenty of room to mount electronics. Forward of the head sits an in-line galley meant to let crew pass the cook in port — a nice arrangement that the reviewer found would be a challenge when cooking in a seaway. To starboard, a large table with a U-shaped settee and a couch seat amidships anchors the saloon. The forward cabin is nothing short of spacious: a queen berth with seats each side, two hanging lockers, and a split head and shower arrangement with sink to port and head, shower, and sink to starboard.
The Verdict
The Bavaria 46 Cruiser is a straightforward, roomy production cruiser that succeeds at what it was built for — comfortable living aboard and manageable short-handed sailing with in-mast furling. The weaknesses are concentrated in finish quality and a cockpit table that impedes movement, not in structural integrity or sea-kindly volume.
Pros
- Three- and four-cabin layouts with a genuinely spacious forward owner’s cabin
- In-line galley and pass-through companionway layout aid in-port circulation
- Twin helms with good visibility and a 75-hp Volvo for confident docking
- Solid overall belowdecks workmanship on a 24,250-pound cruising hull
Cons
- Production varnish and faux-wood nav area reflect thin finish standards
- Fixed cockpit table limits forward movement from the helms when open
- Battenless in-mast-furling main leaves sailing performance on the table
- Galley becomes a challenge to use in a seaway
