Review of Bavaria C45

Basic specs.

The Bavaria C45 is a large sailboat designed by the Italian maritime architect Maurizio Cossutti. The Bavaria C45 is built by the German yard Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH.

Note: Bavaria 45 Cruiser, Bavaria Cruiser 45 and Bavaria C45 are tree different boats.

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Hull

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. A hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The hull is a sandwich construction which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.

Interior

The boat is equipped with 3/4/5 cabins, 6/8/10 berths, a galley, 650 liters (171 US gallons, 142 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

Rig

The boat has more than one rig.

One option is a fractional rig. The sail area for the mailsail + jib is 122.0 m² (1,313.2 ft²). A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Another option is a fractional rig. The sail area for the mailsail + jib is 126.0 m² (1,356.3 ft²). A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Keel

The Bavaria C45 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Unknown keel type

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated.

Bavaria C45 can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.20 - 2.30 meter (7.22 - 7.52 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Unknown keel type

This keel is also made of iron.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.75 - 1.85 meter (5.74 - 6.04 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Bavaria C45 is 1.98, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

EU classification

Bavaria C45 holds a CE certification:

The boat is by European Union certified as Class A. OCEAN:

Designed for extended voyages where conditions may exceed wind force 8 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights of 4 m and above but excluding abnormal conditions, and vessels largely self-sufficient.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.7 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Bavaria C45 is about 387 kg/cm, alternatively 2168 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 387 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 2168 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Bavaria C45 is 26.1.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 24% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Bavaria C45 is 3.03.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 86% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Bavaria C45 is 156 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

85% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Bavaria C45 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 19.8, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 23.1.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 79% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 65m² (699 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Fractional rig
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	45.5 m	(149.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	45.5 m	(149.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	45.5 m	(149.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib sheet	13.6 m	(44.6 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet	13.6 m	(44.6 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet	34.0 m	(111.5 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	29.9 m	(98.2 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Cunningham	6.0 m	(19.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Kickingstrap	12.1 m	(39.6 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Clew-outhaul	12.1 m	(39.6 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Fractional rig
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	47.3 m	(155.1 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	47.3 m	(155.1 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	47.3 m	(155.1 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib sheet	13.6 m	(44.6 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet	13.6 m	(44.6 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet	34.0 m	(111.5 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	29.9 m	(98.2 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Cunningham	6.3 m	(20.7 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Kickingstrap	12.6 m	(41.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Clew-outhaul	12.6 m	(41.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

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Finally

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If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.