Bavaria 31 Cruiser Specs, Layout and Used Prices

Which Bavaria 31 are you looking at?

Two quite different boats share the Bavaria 31 name, and listings mix them up constantly. The one most buyers searching for a 2008 or 2009 Bavaria 31 want is the Bavaria 31 Cruiser, introduced for the 2008 model year and built from 2007 until it gave way to the Cruiser 32 for 2010. The older Bavaria 31 dates from 1999 to 2001. Both were drawn by J&J Design, but they belong to different eras of the company.

Practical Boat Owner summed up the difference neatly: the earlier 31 is more than a tonne lighter, while the Cruiser 31 has more accommodation and stowage. The quickest checks are the build year on the hull identification number, the beam, and the stern. The 1999 boat has graceful overhangs and a slim 9 foot 10 inch beam; the Cruiser has short overhangs, an 11 foot 1 inch beam and a transom that folds down into a swim platform.

• Bavaria 31 (1999 to 2001): 9 ft 10 in beam, about 7,900 lb, overhanging stern, dark red mahogany
• Bavaria 31 Cruiser (2007 to 2009): 11 ft 1 in beam, about 10,350 lb, fold-down transom, lighter mahogany

What the 31 Cruiser changed

Cruising World introduced the 31 Cruiser in its 2008 New Boat Showcase, noting that Bavaria alone among the big builders was strengthening its range of smaller boats that year. It wrapped the company's then-new styling around a beamy, straightforward package. The numbers show the shift. The Cruiser is 32 feet 1 inch overall on a 27 foot 4 inch waterline, with 11 feet 1 inch of beam and a displacement of about 10,350 pounds.

PBO calculated a displacement-to-length ratio of 226 and a ballast ratio of 23.4 percent from the 2,420-pound bulb, against a much lighter 180 and 30.5 percent for the 1999 boat. In plain terms the Cruiser trades some sailing sparkle and ultimate stiffness for volume, which is exactly what charter companies and young families wanted. It replaced the 30 Cruiser, which had run from 2005 to 2007.

A cockpit that opens to the water

The cockpit is wide and opens aft, where the upper part of the transom hinges down to form a platform one step below the cockpit sole. On a 32-footer that was a notable feature in 2007, and it makes swimming, boarding from a dinghy and Med-style mooring far easier. A molded recess on the coachroof hides the folded dodger, and a molded seahood covers the control lines led aft from the mast, which keeps the deck tidy and reduces trip hazards.

Three deck hatches on the centerline bring light and air into the forward cabin and saloon. On boats that have been in charter, check the transom hinges and the platform's securing hardware, which take a beating from boarding guests.

Head aft, chart desk to starboard

Below, the plan is simple and practical. The heads is aft beside the companionway, with an integral wet locker for foul-weather gear, which keeps dripping crew out of the saloon. There is a large chart desk, a compact galley and a straight saloon with facing settees that make good sea berths. Double cabins sit fore and aft, so two couples or a family of four can cruise for a week without sleeping in the saloon.

The galley is the compromise; it is noticeably smaller than on the Bavaria 34 Cruiser of the same period, which Cruising World said gave the galley, head and forward cabin a little more elbow room. If you cook aboard seriously, look at both boats before deciding.

Forward mast, big genoa, gentle manners

Cruising World observed that the mast is well forward and that, unlike many newer designs, the sail plan compensates with a large overlapping genoa. Sail area is about 540 square feet, which by our calculation gives a sail-area-to-displacement ratio near 18, decent for a family cruiser. Expect the boat to need the genoa fully unrolled to perform in light air, and to want a reef in the main early as the breeze builds, given the modest ballast ratio.

We have not found a published speed test of the 31 Cruiser. An owner of the closely related 30 Cruiser reports a comfortable 5 to 6 knots in moderate wind, and the 31 should behave much the same. A deep keel of about 6 feet 2 inches and a shoal option of about 4 feet 8 inches were offered; for US bays and the Bahamas the shoal keel is more useful, at a cost in pointing.

Engine, tanks and electrics

Power is a Volvo Penta D1-20, an 18 hp three-cylinder diesel driving a saildrive. It is adequate in calm water and short of punch against a steep chop or strong current, so check the propeller pitch and the engine's ability to reach rated rpm on a sea trial. Tankage is modest at about 24 gallons of fuel and 41 gallons of water, fine for weekends and short coastal hops but limiting for longer cruising without a watermaker or jerry cans.

The saildrive diaphragm should be replaced at Volvo's recommended interval, typically every seven years, and many boats of this age are due or overdue. Ask for receipts.

Charter boats and what they hide

Sailboatdata notes that the 31 Cruiser was popular with the charter trade, and many boats spent their first years in charter fleets before being sold privately. Charter boats are not automatically bad buys. They are often maintained on strict schedules, but they accumulate engine hours, worn upholstery, chipped joinery and repaired groundings. Look for a boat that has had a few years of private ownership and a recent survey.

Bavaria 31 Cruiser 2008 and 2009 prices

In the UK, 2026 asking prices ran from £34,950 for a 2007 31 Cruiser to £44,950 and £49,950 for 2007 and 2008 boats, with a lightly used two-owner boat at £47,500. A 2000 Bavaria 31 of the older design was listed at £34,950, which shows how the age gap compresses at this end of the market. For a US-based 2008 or 2009 31 Cruiser we would expect roughly $48,000 to $72,000.

Budget around $7,000 to $13,000 a year to keep one, including a slip, insurance, a haul-out, engine and saildrive service and routine rigging checks. Standing rigging older than about 12 years should be priced for replacement.

What came next

Bavaria's January 2010 range listed the new Cruiser 32 at the bottom of the cruiser line, alongside the 34 and 35 Cruisers, and the 31 was gone. The Cruiser 32 kept the family recipe with a refreshed hull. If your budget stretches, a 2010 to 2012 Cruiser 32 is the natural alternative to a late 31 Cruiser.