Bavaria 37
Bavaria · J&J Design · 2002
Updated
The Bavaria 37 is a 11.20 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by J&J Design and built by Bavaria, first launched in 2002. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 19% of the designs it races against. It comes alive as the breeze builds, and gives time away in the light.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 19% of the boats it races against.
129th of 159 in its class.
Updated — Figure recalculated as other designs in its class moved.
This design has been found in real race results — 112 starts across 25 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
11.20 m
36′ 9″
Beam
3.80 m
Draft
1.90 m
Displacement
6.8 t
Sail area
65 m²
On the podium
Where a Bavaria 37 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
34%
of 112 starts by 6 boats
Wins
12%
Read from 112 starts by 6 boats between 2015 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Bavaria 37 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
25. Bosphorus Cup2026
Regatta Sozopol Sailing Cup2026
Friendship Regatta2026- 3ος Ιστιοπλοϊκός Αγώνας Α/Θ ¨Πέρδικα 2026¨2026
- AHEPA Cup Perama2026
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
44%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
31%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a Bavaria 37 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Bavaria 37 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.14
39°
Beam reach
8.21
90°
Broad reach
8.60
135°
Downwind VMG
7.52
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on the beam in a working breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short off the wind in a strong breeze, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Bavaria 37
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.04 | 4.29 | 4.95 | 5.14 |
| 52° | 4.74 | 6.41 | 7.07 | 7.35 |
| 60° | 5.06 | 6.66 | 7.27 | 7.58 |
| 75° | 5.25 | 6.83 | 7.46 | 7.92 |
| 90° | 5.34 | 7.07 | 7.75 | 8.21 |
| 110° | 5.29 | 7.06 | 7.84 | 8.79 |
| 120° | 5.00 | 6.93 | 7.79 | 8.80 |
| 135° | 4.46 | 6.51 | 7.55 | 8.60 |
| 150° | 3.79 | 5.81 | 7.16 | 8.15 |
| Run VMG | 3.28 | 5.04 | 6.37 | 7.52 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 630 kg.
Rigging
Bavaria 37 rig and sail dimensions
A Bavaria 37 carries 12.70 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.55 m boom, a forestay 13.56 m above the deck and a 4.47 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 15 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 61 to 83 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.