Bavaria Cruiser 45
Bavaria · Bruce Farr · 2014
Updated
The Bavaria Cruiser 45 is a 13.60 m displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by Bavaria, first launched in 2014. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 70% 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 70% of the boats it races against.
28th of 92 in its class.
Updated — First Race Edge for this design. Enough boats of this design have now been measured to rank it. It is strongest in medium and heavy air.
This design has been found in real race results — 75 starts across 12 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
13.60 m
44′ 7″
Beam
4.35 m
Draft
2.11 m
Displacement
12.6 t
Sail area
90 m²
On the podium
Where a Bavaria Cruiser 45 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
24%
of 75 starts by 5 boats
Wins
12%
Read from 75 starts by 5 boats between 2020 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Bavaria Cruiser 45 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
National Championship for Keel Boats2026
25. Bosphorus Cup2026- Regatta Sozopol Sailing Cup2026
Corporate Regatta2026
Kornati Cup2026
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
23%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
16%
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 Cruiser 45 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Platu 25 (7 meetings), First 36.7 (7 meetings), 1d35 (6 meetings), Salona 38 (6 meetings), Hanse 400e (6 meetings), IMX 38 (6 meetings), Grand Soleil 37 (Carkeek) (6 meetings), Salona 380 (6 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Bavaria Cruiser 45 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
41°
Beam reach
8.96
90°
Broad reach
9.78
135°
Downwind VMG
7.99
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.
The stronger it blows, the better this design looks. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on the beam in a working breeze, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short on the beat when the breeze is soft, giving away time it never gets back.
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 1.0 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 45
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.83 | 4.20 | 5.08 | 5.49 |
| 52° | 4.48 | 6.44 | 7.56 | 8.10 |
| 60° | 4.85 | 6.80 | 7.86 | 8.41 |
| 75° | 5.08 | 7.08 | 8.10 | 8.79 |
| 90° | 5.45 | 7.66 | 8.55 | 8.96 |
| 110° | 5.63 | 7.90 | 8.88 | 9.81 |
| 120° | 5.47 | 7.75 | 8.81 | 10.06 |
| 135° | 4.86 | 7.20 | 8.48 | 9.78 |
| 150° | 4.09 | 6.30 | 7.83 | 9.01 |
| Run VMG | 3.54 | 5.46 | 6.78 | 7.99 |
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 950 kg.
Rigging
Bavaria Cruiser 45 rig and sail dimensions
A Bavaria Cruiser 45 carries 16.90 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.53 m boom, a forestay 17.53 m above the deck and a 6.10 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 32 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 118 to 163 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.