Design and Construction
Farr drew a hull with a fairly fine entry, broad shoulders, and beam carried aft, and the Cruiser 50 shows generous freeboard with very short overhangs and a lot of beam all the way to the stern. The length-to-beam ratio is 3.34 and the displacement-to-length ratio sits at 149.8, which by today's standards is fair to call moderate displacement for a 50-footer of her size. Below the waterline the layup is solid hand-laid polyester and glass with gelcoat and a vinylester resin layer outboard, while above the waterline the hull uses a glass-and-foam sandwich; the cored deck carries embedded aluminum backing plates at hardware locations anchor text not needed. A water-tight bulkhead sits just aft of a deep bow chain locker, and the cockpit is large with a transom door to a swim step and an electric-powered fold-down platform.
Rig and Handling
The rig is normal by today's standard: a double-spreader Seldén in-mast furling main with the mainsheet mounted well forward on the boom, paired with a 106-percent genoa on a Furlex furler. Jib tracks run on top of the cabintrunk and lead aft to winches on the coaming, and electric winches are fitted on the cockpit coamings. Under sail in 9 knots true the boat reached just under 7 knots and tacked through 85 degrees anchor text not needed. The generous sail area gives decent light-air performance, while twin rudders and a cockpit flanked at its aft end by a split backstay with twin pedestals and rack-and-pinion steering give her precise control. Under power the 75-horsepower Volvo pushed a respectable 7.6 knots at 2,200 rpm and 8.5 knots or better wide open, and she can spin within a boat length and a half of herself.
Accommodations
Bavaria offered three layout choices, and the tested four-cabin version shows how the volume is used. Mirror-image double quarter cabins aft each have their own head, though in the three-cabin arrangement the starboard head has a shower stall while the port does not. Going forward on the port side is a nav station and a drawn-out galley with ample counter space; the dinette to starboard is big. Forward, the owner's cabin is very spacious and includes an office space to port, which in one layout becomes a Pullman cabin. The four-cabin version converts that large forward space into two double cabins. The boat also came in a five-cabin model with the split V-berth, a shared forward head, and a cabin with two bunks. Light comes from 17 opening hatches and 12 ports, with flush deck hatches, cabintrunk ports, and hull deadlights.
The Verdict
The Bavaria Cruiser 50 is a thoughtfully engineered volume cruiser that sails better than her beam suggests and offers remarkable layout flexibility for a production 50. Farr's hull and the moderate displacement give her real performance, while the construction details and watertight bulkhead speak to sensible cruising priorities.
Pros
- Performance cruiser hull with fine entry and beam carried aft for volume and control
- Three to five cabin layouts, including a very spacious owner's cabin with office
- Strong light-air performance from generous sail area; handy under power with tight turning radius
- Foam-cored deck with aluminum backing plates and a forward water-tight bulkhead
Cons
- Blocky profile may not suit traditionalists
- Port aft head lacks a shower stall in the three-cabin layout
- In-mast furling main limits sail-shape tuning versus a slab-reefed rig
