Farr Yacht Design drew the Cruiser 37, retaining the hull shape and basic architecture Farr had developed from the 2010 design. For the styling and deck details, Bavaria Yachts turned to the English firm Design Unlimited rather than continuing its earlier collaboration with BMW Designworks USA.
The result is a spacious 11-metre cruiser with a CE category A8 / B12 rating. Bavaria offered two- and three-cabin layouts. Standard iron ballast is roughly 4,586 lb, while displacement is near 15,400 lb; sources state 7,450 kg standard, although one review cites 7.0 t.
Design and Construction
The solid-fiberglass hull has selective reinforcement, and the structure shows careful attention to the bilge. Floorboards rest on a construction floor tied into closely spaced stringers and floor timbers. Together, these form a laminated composite skeleton running aft from the anchor locker.
Drilled limber holes link the bilge compartments, allowing water to drain to the deepest point. Glued-in tubes prevent that water from seeping into the timbers and stringers. The linked bilge compartments use drilled limber holes and glued-in tubes. Nine large, loosely fitting hatches provide access to the top-coated bilge.
On deck, the cabin trunk has longer windows and five deck hatches, compared with four on the Cruiser 36. A combined aluminum rub rail and toe rail replaces the older detailing. In the cockpit, a dark yellow Duradeck coating resembles teak across the sole.
Cockpit and Deck Equipment
Twin wheels define the cockpit. Accommodating them required a new cockpit mold and pushed the companionway bulkhead forward. The main bulkhead also moved forward so that the saloon wouldn’t be cramped. The twin-wheel layout drove these changes to the cockpit mold and bulkheads.
The Danish Jefa steering works cleanly, and its compact installation makes servicing easier. From either helm, the sailor has an optimum view of the sails and course. The crew also gets a functional folding cockpit table.
The boat comes with twin wheels, a steering pedestal carrying a GPS plotter, genoa and gennaker winches, halyard and bulkhead winches, flush hatches, a rail gate, and an anchor roller with a solid footrest for boarding over the bow.
At the stern, a large hatch folds down by hand on gas cylinders, easing boarding and adding deck space. When closed, its upper edge serves as a helm thwart. The folding stern hatch doubles as a helm thwart when closed. An XXL bathing platform and hull windows complete the standard cruising equipment.
Rig, Sailing Performance, and Engine
A two-spreader Selden mast carries a 110-percent genoa sheeted to movable cabin-top cars. The split backstay attaches farther outboard, keeping it clear of the helm.
The standard mainsheet is a 1:2 system led to both sides of the companionway and handled through Lewmar 30 halyard winches. Owners can re-reeve it as a 1:4 system without extra effort. A German cupper continuous-sheet arrangement is also possible with minor changes.
In 3 to 4 Beaufort, test sailors found that the Cruiser 37 could tack through 90 degrees while making 4.8 to 5.4 knots. Under gennaker, she reached 6.4 knots. The Volvo Penta D1-20 drove her to 8 knots at wide-open throttle and maintained 6 knots at cruising speed.
Accommodations
Bavaria offered the Cruiser 37 with two or three cabins. In the three-cabin version, the navigation table slides aside so the settee can become a full berth. The trade-offs are a smaller head, no separation between the shower and toilet, and minimal lazarette stowage.
In the two-cabin layout, the longitudinal bulkhead moves to port, creating more headroom, additional stowage, and a larger aft berth. The two-cabin arrangement gains space by moving the longitudinal bulkhead to port.
Both layouts have upper cupboards and hull windows. Six opening hatches provide ventilation, although cross-flow is weak because the galley has only one opening port. Freshwater capacity can be increased with an optional tank in the fore-cabin.
Known Issue
The one documented shortcoming is the starting battery, which sits in a disadvantageous position in the bilge beside the companionway. The starting battery is located in the bilge by the companionway.
Verdict
The Cruiser 37 combines an updated Farr hull with a more modern deck and cockpit by Design Unlimited. Compared with the Cruiser 36’s smaller ports, the new design emphasizes light and livable interior volume.
She sails cleanly across the wind range and gives buyers a clear choice between the compact, charter-oriented logic of the three-cabin plan and the roomier two-cabin cruising layout. The battery location and modest galley airflow are the principal caveats.
Pros
- Proven Farr 2010 hull architecture with updated styling
- Twin-wheel Jefa steering and clear sail sightlines from both helms
- Mainsheet that can be changed from 1:2 to 1:4, or adapted to a German cupper system, without major work
- Laminated bilge skeleton with drained, accessible compartments
- Choice of two- or three-cabin layouts
Cons
- Starting battery sits awkwardly in the bilge beside the companionway
- In the three-cabin layout, the shower can’t be separated from the toilet
- Weak cross-ventilation in the galley
