Design and Construction
Both hull and deck are solid fiberglass, and the boat carries a wing keel that keeps her loaded draft in the range of 4.27 to 4.57 feet depending on how she sits in the water anchor. That wing configuration is what lets her tuck into shallow marinas that would exclude deeper-finned competitors of similar length. The 760's beam of 8.2 feet yields a length-to-beam ratio of 3.04, a moderately beamy proportion for a 24.93-foot hull, while her 2,976-pound displacement and 1,102 pounds of iron ballast produce a ballast ratio of 37 percent. The displacement-length ratio of 167 places her firmly among what one design summary calls "light racers," and the immersion rate of about 609 pounds per inch shows how little weight it takes to change her trim.
Rig and Handling
She is rigged as a masthead sloop with a published sail area of 260 square feet, returning a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.58 — healthy for a boat of her mass and indicative of a lively response under canvas. The recommended running rigging is uniform in diameter at 10 mm: jib and genoa sheets run 7.6 meters, the mainsheet 19 meters, and spinnaker sheets 16.7 meters. With a theoretical hull speed of 6.2 knots and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 15.1, she is built to move efficiently in sheltered waters rather than to absorb ocean swell.
Performance Envelope
The capsize screening value of 2.13 is the figure that defines her limits. That number indicates the 760 would not be accepted to participate in ocean races, a plain statement of where her stability envelope sits relative to offshore racing rules. Combined with the light-racer DL categorization and the modest wetted surface of about 204 square feet, the picture is of a coastal and lake sailor engineered for quick passages in protected water, not for prolonged heavy-weather exposure.
Accommodations
Below, the 760 is equipped with five berths, a notable count for a boat of her length and a reflection of Mohnhaupt's efficient use of the 8.2-foot beam. The interior volume is constrained by the compact overall length, but the berth layout speaks to a design intended for small-family or friend crews on weekend cruises rather than single-handed coastal hopping.
The Verdict
The Bavaria 760 is a purpose-built light-displacement coastal cruiser from the mid-eighties, pairing a shallow wing keel with a beamy, efficient hull and a masthead rig that makes the most of 260 square feet of sail. She is quick, easy to shelter in shallow harbors, and surprisingly accommodating for five, but her capsize screening and comfort numbers mark her as a protected-water boat.
Pros
- Wing keel holds loaded draft to roughly 4.3–4.6 feet, opening shallow marinas
- Light-racer displacement and 17.58 SA/D make her responsive under sail
- Five berths in a sub-25-foot hull maximize weekend-cruise capacity
Cons
- Capsize screening of 2.13 excludes her from ocean racing
- Motion Comfort Ratio of 15.1 limits rough-water livability
- 204 sq ft wetted surface and light build suit sheltered water only
