Many Bavaria 34s were
hired out for charter;
they proved popular
and stood up to the
inevitable abuseThe view forward is very good when seated at
the helm. The cut-out gives good access, tooA
s ten-metre cruisers go, the
Bavaria 34 takes some beating.
OK, she’s no blue water
cruiser, but if all you want
is a sensible boat for coastal
cruising and the occasional crossing to
the Continent, check her out. Bavarias
have been built since the late 1970s, but
became a household name among sailors
soon after 1990, when the Slovakian J&J
team took control of their design. Then,
as now, the Bavaria 34 proved an ideal
starter boat, both in size and price. She
was easy to handle and excellent value
for money. With hundreds of them being
thoroughly mistreated on charter in the
Mediterranean, the 34 has proved her
ability to stand up to a beating.Performance
Initially we were being a little gung-ho.
The wind was a steady Force 5, but every
few minutes a prolonged gust of 22-25
knots hit us. Our test boat, Dream On,
a 2001 model with in-mast furling, was
surprisingly easy to handle in these
conditions. With a single reef in she
tore along the fl attish upper reaches of
Southampton Water, only rounding up
when a gust of 24 knots snuck round frombehind a large tanker and hit us square-
on. After several of these puffs and with
the base wind building to 18 knots, we put
a second roll in the overlapping genoa,
which levelled her out again and gave us
back some more rudder control.
On a close reach she was well balanced,
light but positive on the helm, and went
through tacks swiftly but without drama.
My only gripe is the height of the boom
above the cockpit, which was bang on ear-
level for me!
Off the wind she was a delight to sail.
At one point we had 20 knots true on the
quarter and she lifted up her skirts and
revelled in the conditions.At the helm
She is an easy boat to sail singlehanded,
with the primary winches right next to the
wheel allowing the helmsman to adjust
the genoa whilst still steering. Having the
mainsheet on the coachroof isn’t ideal. If
it really bugs you, the boom extends far
enough back to enable the mainsheet to be
moved onto a removable track just ahead
of the steering pedestal.
Forward vision is good and the helm
area is roomy enough to get around easily,
thanks to the cut-out around the wheel.90 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MARCH 2016USED BOAT TEST The UK’s most comprehensive yacht tests
If you’re looking for your first coastal cruiser, this boat
should be on your list. Duncan Kent takes a 15-year-old
Bavaria 34 out for a blustery spin and explains why
Bavaria 34 – Performance on test
Point
of sailApparent
wind
angleApparent
wind
speedBoatspeedClose-
hauled35° 15-18 knots 5.7-6.4 knotsFetch 60° 16-18 knots 6.5-7.2 knots
Beam
reach90° 15-20 knots 6.8-7.4 knotsBroad
reach120° 10-15 knots 6.1-7.0 knotsRun 180° 12 knots 6.7 knotsPHOTOS: COLIN WORKBavaria 34
Design & construction
As with all Bavarias, the 34 was built on a
modern production line that was churning
out some 3,500 a year in the ‘90s. That
said, the hulls were laid up by hand and
the very best materials and waterproof
resins were used. The robots only took
over when it came to hole-drilling and
furniture cutting. The result was good,
solid hulls, but lots of mastic around
the edges of bulkheads etc, and often a
cacophony of noisy squeaks as the tabs
moved around in the locating slots.Sailplan and rig
She has a 7/8ths fractional rig made by
Seldén with the choice of in-mast or slab
furling mainsail, along with a 135 percent
genoa on a reliable Furlex 200S furler.
She has twin spreaders, swept aft some
20º, with intermediate stays between and
caps and lowers to a single chainplate each
side. Her single backstay is bifurcated 3m
above deck and has a manual 6:1 adjuster
tackle for controlling mainsail shape.Deck layout
The cockpit of the Bavaria 34 is roomy
with nicely curved edges and seatbacks.
The coamings are wide and fl at with