Design and Construction
Schröter's 808 stretches 26.51 feet on the length overall with a beam of 8.2 feet and a draft near 4.92 feet, and she carries 5,350 pounds of displacement against a waterline length of 22.3 feet. The hull is a solid fiberglass monohull with a fin keel and spade rudder, and the keel itself is iron. Period review of the near-identical 808 TC describes both hull and deck as fiberglass, with the deck executed as a sandwich laminate said to improve the indoor climate anchor. The builder's own spec gives a displacement-to-length ratio of 215.37 and a comfort ratio of 21.27, figures that place her among moderate-weight coastal hulls rather than heavy voyagers.
Rig and Handling
The 808 is a masthead sloop carrying 290 square feet of sail area on the hundred-percent rig, and the builder classes her as slightly under powered with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.21. She is reasonably stable and stiff, and her capsize screening value of 1.88 indicates a good righting capability if knocked down. A Danish review of the TC variant pegged the theoretical displacement-hull speed at 6.4 knots and measured an immersion rate of about 642 pounds per inch, with a motion comfort ratio spanning 15.2 to 21.0 and a ballast ratio near 40 percent anchor. The wetted bottom surface runs about 204 square feet, and the standard sheet lengths run 26.5 feet for jib and genoa, 66.3 feet for the mainsheet, and 58.3 feet for the spinnaker, all in 3/8-inch diameter.
Accommodations and Equipment
Factory figures show a single diesel engine and a fuel capacity of only six gallons, with a water tank of 23 gallons giving a very short supply range underway. The 808 is best suited as a coastal cruiser, and the shallow draft quoted for the TC variant — about 4.2 to 4.5 feet dependent on load — lets her into modest marinas.
The Verdict
The Bavaria 808 is a compact Schröter-designed coastal sloop whose strength lies in stiffness, predictable righting behavior, and easy draft for its era. The weak points are clear: minimal fuel and water range, a slightly under-canvased rig for her displacement, and an interior the records do not describe. She is a straightforward weekender, not a long-range cruiser.
Pros
- Reasonably stable and stiff with good capsize righting capability
- Shallow-enough draft to reach small marinas
- Solid fiberglass hull with iron fin keel and spade rudder
Cons
- Originally very small fuel and water capacity
- Slightly under powered per builder spec
- Interior accommodation counts undocumented in source data
