Bavaria Cruiser 40 S
Bavaria · J&J Design · 2010
Updated
The Bavaria Cruiser 40 S is a 11.98 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by J&J Design and built by Bavaria, first launched in 2010. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 11% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 11% of the boats it races against.
82nd of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 41 starts across 19 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
11.98 m
39′ 4″
Beam
3.94 m
Draft
2.25 m
Displacement
8.7 t
Sail area
85 m²
On the podium
Where a Bavaria Cruiser 40 S finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
12%
of 41 starts by 5 boats
Wins
2%
Read from 41 starts by 5 boats between 2015 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Bavaria Cruiser 40 S was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Νικολαος Σαρικαβαζης 2026"2026- Rodos Cup2026
- "Φιλιας Σ.ε.ν.α.δ.π. - Ν.ο.δ2026
- "Μακης Πανταζης" - Αγκιστρι2026
- "Αιγινα2026
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: 1 race of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
14%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Bavaria Cruiser 40 S actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
X-412 (7 meetings), First 35 (Farr) (6 meetings), Elan 340 (5 meetings), Bh 36 (5 meetings), Italia 9.98 (5 meetings), Hallberg Rassy 26 (4 meetings), Sun Shine 36 (4 meetings), Hanse 370 (4 meetings), J/99 (4 meetings), Farr 45 (4 meetings), J/11 (4 meetings), Dehler 38 (Stadt) (4 meetings), Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek) (4 meetings), IMX 38 (4 meetings), JPK 960 (4 meetings), X-43 (4 meetings), Elan 410 (4 meetings), X-40 (3 meetings), IMX 40 (3 meetings), First 44.7 (3 meetings), Conrad 24 (3 meetings), Bavaria Cruiser 34 (3 meetings), Hanse 320 (3 meetings), Peterson 25 (3 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Bavaria Cruiser 40 S 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
5.49
39°
Beam reach
8.70
90°
Broad reach
9.40
135°
Downwind VMG
7.88
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 is an upwind boat first. Windward-leeward courses give it more of what it is good at than a coastal race does.
Where it gains
Its best ground is across the wind when it blows, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short off the wind when it blows, 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 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Bavaria Cruiser 40 S
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.34 | 4.68 | 5.33 | 5.49 |
| 52° | 5.14 | 6.87 | 7.57 | 7.78 |
| 60° | 5.44 | 7.11 | 7.77 | 8.03 |
| 75° | 5.65 | 7.31 | 7.96 | 8.41 |
| 90° | 5.81 | 7.62 | 8.17 | 8.70 |
| 110° | 5.83 | 7.71 | 8.53 | 9.31 |
| 120° | 5.65 | 7.58 | 8.45 | 9.67 |
| 135° | 5.02 | 7.11 | 8.13 | 9.40 |
| 150° | 4.20 | 6.32 | 7.67 | 8.81 |
| Run VMG | 3.64 | 5.47 | 6.78 | 7.88 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 760 kg.
Rigging
Bavaria Cruiser 40 S rig and sail dimensions
A Bavaria Cruiser 40 S carries 15.79 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.65 m boom, a forestay 15.23 m above the deck and a 4.55 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 17 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 100 to 127 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.