Class BDisplacementCruiser/Racer

Bavaria 47

Bavaria · J&J Design · 1997

Updated

The Bavaria 47 is a 13.99 m displacement racing yacht designed by J&J Design and built by Bavaria, first launched in 1997. It races in Class B.

Bavaria 47 - J&J Design - BavariaP 15.80 mLOA 13.99 m

Length

13.99 m

45′ 11″

Beam

4.47 m

Draft

2.02 m

Displacement

13.6 t

Sail area

113 m²

This design does not carry a Race Edge. The speeds below still come from measured boats.

On the podium

Where a Bavaria 47 finishes when she goes racing.

0

Wins

0

Seconds

0

Thirds

1

Starts

Not enough races yet for a percentage — these are the counts so far. We keep collecting results, so this will fill in.

Read from 1 start by 1 boat between 2026, counting races with six boats or more.

Recent regattas

The latest events where a Bavaria 47 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.

  • CroatiaKornati Cup2026

Raced one we are missing?

Report a regatta

Round 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

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Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.

Offshore & coastal

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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.

Who she races against

The designs a Bavaria 47 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.

Met too few times for a figure:

Farr 45 (1 meeting), Dehler 46 (1 meeting), Solaris 44 (1 meeting), Salona 44 (1 meeting), Elan E6 (2 meetings), First 36 (4 meetings), Dufour 470 (1 meeting), Salona 41 (1 meeting), Bavaria Cruiser 39 (1 meeting), More 55 (1 meeting), Bavaria Cruiser 40 S (1 meeting), Elan 350 (1 meeting)

Speed at every angle

The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.

36930°60°90°120°150°WIND9.6

Upwind VMG

5.51

40°

Beam reach

8.89

90°

Broad reach

9.64

135°

Downwind VMG

8.24

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.

It does most things without giving much away. 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 a broad reach once it pipes up, 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.

True wind
Upwind-0.04 kn
Beam reach+0.28 kn
Broad reach+0.13 kn
Downwind+0.02 kn

Full width is 0.4 kn either way.

At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.

How fast is a Bavaria 47

Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.

Angle6 kn10 kn14 kn20 kn
Beat VMG3.464.885.415.51
52°5.437.287.817.94
60°5.837.548.058.20
75°6.077.728.308.58
90°5.957.688.388.89
110°5.757.828.579.34
120°5.597.718.629.47
135°5.027.288.429.64
150°4.276.527.999.12
Run VMG3.705.666.998.24

How they are set up

The range each sail spans across the fleet.

Mainsail37 m² – 53 m²
Headsail60 m² – 81 m²
Spinnaker121 m² – 174 m²

Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 920 kg.

Rigging

Bavaria 47 rig and sail dimensions

A Bavaria 47 carries 15.85 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.83 m boom, a forestay 16.64 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.

Rig

Mainsail hoistP15.85 m15.80 – 18.05
Boom lengthE4.83 m4.78 – 5.46
Forestay heightIG16.64 m16.52 – 20.46
Fore triangle baseJ5.80 m5.47 – 5.90
Spinnaker hoistISP17.05 m16.70 – 20.33
Boom above deckBAS1.83 m1.82 – 1.95

Sails

Mainsail51.6 m²37.2 – 53.4
Headsail61.1 m²59.7 – 80.6
Spinnaker147.6 m²121.3 – 173.9

The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 121 to 174 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.