Bavaria Cruiser 42
Bavaria · J&J Design · 2004
Updated
The Bavaria Cruiser 42 is a 12.62 m displacement racing yacht designed by J&J Design and built by Bavaria, first launched in 2004. It races in Class B.
Length
12.62 m
41′ 5″
Beam
3.97 m
Draft
1.95 m
Displacement
9.3 t
Sail area
92 m²
On the podium
Where a Bavaria Cruiser 42 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
26%
of 19 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 19 starts by 2 boats between 2022 and 2025, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Bavaria Cruiser 42 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Regata dell'Amicizia2025- Campionato Invernale di Roma, 44a edizione2025
- Regata dell'Amicizia2024
- Campionato Invernale Vela d'Altura del Golfo di Napoli2023
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
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Not enough data yet: 9 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 2 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Bavaria Cruiser 42 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Grand Soleil 39 (Maletto) (7 meetings), Dufour 350 (5 meetings), First 47.7 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 343 (2 meetings), Ecume De Mer (2 meetings), First 32 (2 meetings), Salona 34 (2 meetings), Dufour 34 (1 meeting), X-35 (1 meeting), X-332 (1 meeting), Comet 770 (1 meeting), First 34.7 (1 meeting), Elan 333 (1 meeting), Hanse 350 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Bavaria Cruiser 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
5.39
40°
Beam reach
8.76
90°
Broad reach
9.35
135°
Downwind VMG
8.19
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 a reach once the breeze fills, 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 in a strong breeze, 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 0.4 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 42
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.23 | 4.58 | 5.26 | 5.39 |
| 52° | 5.03 | 6.90 | 7.60 | 7.78 |
| 60° | 5.40 | 7.19 | 7.82 | 8.04 |
| 75° | 5.66 | 7.39 | 8.03 | 8.46 |
| 90° | 5.55 | 7.39 | 8.20 | 8.76 |
| 110° | 5.56 | 7.53 | 8.44 | 9.40 |
| 120° | 5.40 | 7.40 | 8.38 | 9.58 |
| 135° | 4.84 | 6.93 | 8.10 | 9.35 |
| 150° | 4.08 | 6.14 | 7.64 | 8.88 |
| Run VMG | 3.54 | 5.31 | 6.78 | 8.19 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 790 kg.
Rigging
Bavaria Cruiser 42 rig and sail dimensions
A Bavaria Cruiser 42 carries 14.60 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.95 m boom, a forestay 15.55 m above the deck and a 5.51 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 3 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 105 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.