With an overall length of 24.93 feet and a waterline length of 21.33 feet, the 760 is a light-displacement pocket cruiser rather than a miniature bluewater voyager. Its dimensions and ratios make that purpose clear.
Design and Construction
The hull and deck are solid fiberglass. A wing keel provides a loaded draft of 4.27 to 4.57 feet, depending on how the boat sits in the water. This wing-keel configuration allows the 760 to enter shallow marinas that would exclude similar-length boats with deeper fin keels.
A beam of 8.2 feet gives the 24.93-foot hull a length-to-beam ratio of 3.04, making it moderately beamy for its length. Displacement is 2,976 pounds, including 1,102 pounds of ballast, for a ballast ratio of 37 percent.
The displacement-length ratio of 167 places the 760 firmly among what one design summary calls “light racers.” Its immersion rate is about 609 pounds per inch, showing how little added weight it takes to alter the boat’s trim. Wetted surface is a modest 204 square feet.
Rig and Handling
The 760 carries a masthead sloop rig with a published sail area of 260 square feet. Its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 17.58—healthy for a boat of this weight and indicative of a lively response under sail.
The recommended running rigging uses 10 mm line throughout. Jib and genoa sheets are 7.6 meters long, the mainsheet is 19 meters, and the spinnaker sheets are 16.7 meters.
Theoretical hull speed is 6.2 knots. Combined with the light-racer displacement-length ratio and modest wetted surface, these figures describe a boat intended to make quick passages on lakes and in coastal or otherwise protected waters.
Stability and Comfort
The 760 has a Motion Comfort Ratio of 15.1, pointing to a boat designed to move efficiently in sheltered water rather than absorb ocean swell.
Its capsize screening value of 2.13 more clearly defines the limits of its intended use. That figure means the 760 wouldn’t be accepted for ocean racing, plainly showing where its stability envelope falls in relation to offshore racing rules.
Together, the capsize screening value, comfort ratio, light-racer classification, and 204-square-foot wetted surface characterize a coastal and lake sailor—not a boat intended for prolonged exposure to heavy weather.
Accommodations
Below deck, the 760 has five berths, a notable number for a boat of this length and a reflection of Mohnhaupt’s efficient use of the 8.2-foot beam. Overall interior volume is inevitably constrained by the compact hull, but the berth layout suits small families or groups of friends on weekend cruises rather than emphasizing singlehanded coastal sailing.
The Verdict
The Bavaria 760 is a purpose-built, light-displacement coastal cruiser from the mid-1980s. Its shallow wing keel opens up shallower harbors, while the moderately beamy hull and masthead rig make the most of its 260 square feet of sail. It’s quick and surprisingly accommodating, with five berths in less than 25 feet, but its capsize screening and comfort figures mark it clearly as a protected-water boat.
Pros
- Wing keel keeps loaded draft to roughly 4.3–4.6 feet, opening up shallow marinas
- Light-racer displacement and a 17.58 sail-area-to-displacement ratio support responsive sailing
- Five berths maximize weekend-cruising capacity in a sub-25-foot hull
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.13 excludes the boat from ocean racing
- Motion Comfort Ratio of 15.1 limits rough-water livability
- The 204-square-foot wetted surface and light build suit sheltered water only
