Bavaria 890 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Bavaria 890 means taking on a 1980s Axel Mohnhaupt design from Bavaria Yachts' early years, built in modest numbers and now a common sight among used European sailboats. These are older boats whose original promise of comfortable upwind living has aged into a set of very specific buyer considerations around layout, equipment, and wear.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common used-market configuration, though both three-cabin and alternative layouts appear, and ex-charter examples are common. The familiar interior pairs a small toilet room with a starboard galley by the companionway, while the separate-toilet layout with sliding doors fore and aft traded space for an oil locker. Berths and headroom alike run to about 1.90 metres, so taller buyers should treat the foredeck berth — below today's minimum standard — as unusable for sleeping.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market these boats commonly carry heating, an inverter, electric winches, a bimini, teak decks, AIS, autopilot, and a life raft. For a buyer the consequential clusters are power and energy — heating and inverter supporting cold-weather and off-grid use — and navigation and safety, where AIS and autopilot reduce short-handed workload and a cockpit life-raft space is a built-in advantage. Canvas such as a bimini and teak decks are common cosmetic-comfort items, but the inland-rig boats make a sprayhood impractical regardless.
What to Inspect
Aging specifics dominate the survey. YACHT notes the superstructure windows are usually Plexiglas and become brittle, requiring replacement, though their small surfaces make the job easier anchor. The steering bearing made of turned plastic wears and vibrates but is easy to replace when the boat is dry. The cast-aluminium bow fitting is brittle with no replacement available if collision-damaged. Glued cabin-roof lining loosens over time, shedding material from above, and WC seacocks are poor in operation. Period testers also judged the 890 not stable enough for a cruising yacht and recommended retrofitting.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats typically appear in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. For a shopper the short list is: confirm the rig type and duck-clearance needs, measure standing height against your own, budget for window and bow-fitting issues, check rudder bearing and WC seacocks, and verify the layout matches your berth-length limit.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Bavaria 890. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 1 | $27,957 | — |
| Sep 25 | 3 | $20,851 | -25.4% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $23,240 | +11.5% |
| Jul 26 | 2 | $20,234 | -12.9% |
| Aug 26 | 2 | $20,065 | -0.8% |
Where they're listed
Bavaria 890 listings appear across 3 countries. Germany has the most listings with 4 (44.4%), followed by Netherlands and Switzerland.
Country view
9 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | $19,162 | 4 | 1 | 44.4% |
| Netherlands | $23,240 | 4 | 2 | 44.4% |
| Switzerland | $24,742 | 1 | 1 | 11.1% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
9 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bavaria Yachts 34 | 35.6' | $ 58,165 | 69 | 10 |
| Bavaria Yachts Cruiser 33 | 32.78' | $ 87,335 | 63 | 15 |
| Hallbery Rassy 29 | 29.2' | $ 43,467 | 59 | 13 |
| Bavaria 300 | 31.33' | $ 35,225 | 34 | 10 |
| Bavaria Yachts 350 | 35.25' | $ 55,312 | 13 | 6 |
| Bavaria Yachts 320 | 33.42' | $ 37,351 | 11 | 6 |
| Bavaria 890You are here | — | $ 20,960 | 9 | 4 |
| Thames Marine 890 | 29' | $ 10,859 | 8 | 3 |
| Bavaria 960 | 31.5' | $ 37,263 | 6 | 1 |