Bavaria 42
Bavaria · J&J Design · 2004
Updated
The Bavaria 42 is a 12.83 m displacement racing yacht designed by J&J Design and built by Bavaria, first launched in 2004. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 2% 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 2% of the boats it races against.
90th of 92 in its class.
Updated — First Race Edge for this design. Enough boats of this design have now been measured to rank it.
This design has been found in real race results — 23 starts across 9 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.83 m
42′ 1″
Beam
3.97 m
Draft
1.87 m
Displacement
9.3 t
Sail area
89 m²
On the podium
Where a Bavaria 42 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
0%
of 23 starts by 4 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 23 starts by 4 boats between 2017 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Bavaria 42 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Campionato Invernale Citta' di Bari2026
Rodos Cup2023- "Αγκιστρι 2021"2021
- Κορφος2021
Seanergya Regatta2021
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
—
Not enough data yet: 6 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
0%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Bavaria 42 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Carter 37 (7 meetings), Elan 333 (6 meetings), Maxi 95 (6 meetings), Sun Odyssey 32 (6 meetings), Dufour 36 (6 meetings), Sun Odyssey 36 (6 meetings), Sun Shine 36 (6 meetings), Carter 33 (6 meetings), First 45 (Farr) (6 meetings), Sun Fizz (6 meetings), Elan 410 (5 meetings), First 31.7 (5 meetings), Dufour 30 (5 meetings), Mirage 28 (5 meetings), Elan 34 (5 meetings), Catalina 320 (5 meetings), Dufour 33 (5 meetings), Hanse 400e (4 meetings), Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk) (4 meetings), Peterson 25 (4 meetings), Hanse 370 (4 meetings), Oceanis 40 (4 meetings), J/80 (4 meetings), Bavaria 36 (4 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Bavaria 42 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
5.42
40°
Beam reach
8.88
90°
Broad reach
9.39
135°
Downwind VMG
7.83
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 moderate air, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short on the run when it blows, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
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 42
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.21 | 4.56 | 5.25 | 5.42 |
| 52° | 5.03 | 6.82 | 7.59 | 7.87 |
| 60° | 5.37 | 7.10 | 7.81 | 8.15 |
| 75° | 5.61 | 7.36 | 8.04 | 8.60 |
| 90° | 5.64 | 7.53 | 8.35 | 8.88 |
| 110° | 5.63 | 7.69 | 8.54 | 9.61 |
| 120° | 5.48 | 7.56 | 8.46 | 9.69 |
| 135° | 4.90 | 7.08 | 8.16 | 9.39 |
| 150° | 4.12 | 6.25 | 7.64 | 8.69 |
| Run VMG | 3.57 | 5.41 | 6.64 | 7.83 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 500 kg.
Rigging
Bavaria 42 rig and sail dimensions
A Bavaria 42 carries 14.64 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.04 m boom, a forestay 15.65 m above the deck and a 5.40 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 12 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 86 to 119 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.