and taking a 50% shareholding. Then – having weathered financial storms in the early ’90s – Herrmann lifted boatbuilding onto a new
plateau with hyper-efficient production methods and disciplines. At that stage, Bavaria led the field of modernised boatbuilding.
Schlichtling told me: ‘The progress of Bavaria was huge and fast in the late 1990s. Winfried Herrmann was a Bavaria marketing man Marcus
real Henry Ford in the yacht industry. He quickly increased production to four product lines. Hull and deck were built with the help of the first
CNC milling machine to be used in the yachting industry. He optimised the production of the carpentry with robots and automated painting
machines. At the end of the Winfried Hermann era in 2007, Bavaria built 3,500 boats per year.’ Like competitors Bénéteau and
Jeanneau, Bavaria also moved big time into the world of powerboats. Without this important second string, none of these great
companies would have grown and prospered. Indeed, perhaps they might have disappeared?Winfried Herrmann and his
business partner Josef Meltl then pulled off a major coup, selling Bavaria in 2007 for between and r1.3 billion (depending on r1.1
your source) to Bain Capital. That’s billion, not million. It was (and still is) a world record for a firm of leisure boatbuilders.
magazine ‘The sale would have been satisfying – the ultimate crowning Leading German sailing Yacht wrote of Herrmann:
of the career of a self-made man who went from vacuum cleaner salesman to a multi-millionaire.’Herrmann’s timing was
impeccable. In the financial crisis of 2008/9, annual production tumbled from 3,500 boats to less than 1,000. Like all other builders,
Bavaria took a heavy hit. Then Bain sold control of the company, for an undisclosed sum, to US private equity investors Anchorage
Advisors and Oaktree Capital Management in 2009. In just two years, Bain probably lost a packet.Since then, production has
recovered – albeit not to 2007 levels.The split has grown to about 60% sailboats and 40% powerboats, and in 2014 Bavaria added cruising catamarans to its portfolio, buying
the French Nautitech company – so it’s well positioned to move onwards and upwards.Today Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH
has about 600 employees in its Giebelstadt factory that covers more than 656,000sq ft with approximately 230,000sq ft of
production area.Dramatic changesBavaria’s history and success
splits into three periods. On the sailboat side, these coincide with the company’s involvement withthree different design teams: in the early days Axel Mohnhaupt, in the glory days J&J, and now Farr Yacht Design.
designer, but little known outside Germany. The numerous Bavarias he produced during the ’80s are Mohnhaupt was a successful
his major claim to fame, although he was also involved in successful America’s Cup campaigns, including the 1974 winner Intrepid.
His Bavarias were more akin to the sportier Scandinavian yachts built at that time: sleek lines, an abundance of woodwork down
below, a ‘hand finish’ and a high price. Mohnhaupt’s popular 42 Lagoon for more than a Moody of sold – when new –
comparable size, and it was quite heavy. This showed Bavaria’s aim in the ’80s to produce a quality yacht with a spacious interior. I
recall a 42 that my father chartered in the UK: it was an impressive piece of kit and sailed well.Contrary to popular myth
occasionally spread on vituperative internet threads, however, not all these earlier models were appreciably heavier than later
volume-produced Bavarias.390 Lagoonfor example, weighed around Mohnhaupt’s lovely-looking (11.74m on the WL),
8,000kg compared to a 2000Bavaria 390 Lagoon – second-hand examples from around £35,000Bavaria Caribic (Lagoon) 42, available second-hand from around £56,000 Sailing ScenesSailing ScenesSailing ScenesBavariaThe Bavaria story➜There’s a lot of automation at the Bavaria factory – but the firm still employs around 600 peopleBavaria’s Giebelstadt factory covers more than 656,000sq ftThere’s an active and enthusiastic association for Bavaria owners
Bavaria