Bavaria 39 Cruiser, a Used Buyer's Review of the 2005 to 2008 Boat

Which Bavaria 39 are you looking at?

Type bavaria 39 into a listing search and two different boats come back. The one most buyers mean is the Bavaria 39 Cruiser, launched for the 2005 season as part of a new range aimed purely at cruising sailors. A decade earlier there was also a Bavaria 39, a J&J design that sailboatdata dates to 1994, with a narrower 12 ft 4 in beam, a 16,300 lb displacement, lead ballast and a Volvo MD2030. The two share a designer and a length, nothing else.

This page covers the 2005 to 2008 Cruiser. If the listing says lead keel, shows a narrow hull or quotes a 29 hp Volvo MD2030, you are probably looking at the 1990s boat and should value it as a much older design.

Why Bavaria built a cruiser and left the racing to others

In the mid-2000s Bavaria divided its sailboat range. Racing was left to separate Match models, and the Cruisers were free to carry more joinery, softer cushions and a little extra weight if it made life aboard better. Cruising World, which tested the 39 Cruiser for its Boat of the Year awards, summed it up as a builder leaving the racing to others, with generous mahogany joinery below and a cockpit sculpted more for loungers than for line tailers.

The hull came from J&J Design in Slovenia, Bavaria's design partner of the period. SAIL listed the 39 among its 2006 Best Boats nominees alongside the smaller Bavaria 33, highlighting an interior grid system, Kevlar in the bow sections and Airex core in the deck and in the hull above the waterline to save weight and add stiffness.

What happened when Cruising World sailed it in a breeze

The October test session was windy, with a breeze around 15 knots and frequent stronger gusts. That proved more than several of the performance cruisers in the fleet, the 39 included, could carry under full sail. On the wind the Bavaria rounded up hard in gusts even with full rudder until the crew rolled away some jib and then reefed the main. Once reined in, the testers reported that it still sailed quickly and responsively.

The practical lesson for owners is simple: reef early. A 39 Cruiser carries 890 sq ft of sail on an 18,260 lb boat with a modest 30 percent ballast ratio, so it is powerful in light air and needs reducing sooner than an older, heavier cruiser. Owners who fit slab reefing lines led aft, or a well cut furling genoa that still sets when partly rolled, find the boat far easier to manage.

Three cabins and two heads on 39 feet

Below, the 39 Cruiser uses the classic three-cabin charter plan. Two double cabins share the space under the cockpit, one either side of the engine, and the owner's cabin forward has its own head, a large berth and a dressing seat. Cruising World called it a cozy haven rather than a home for damp sail bags. A second head sits aft by the companionway, which suits wet crews coming below.

Three cabins on this length push the galley into a straight run along the port side of the saloon. The testers found it workable on either tack because the high backrest of the island settee in the four-sided dinette gives the cook something to lean against. The bonus is a full-size chart table to starboard. The aft cabins are basic sleeping quarters with just enough standing room to dress, but they are genuine doubles, which is what charter guests and families want.

Deck details owners end up changing

Cruising World liked the substantial double anchor rollers on the stemhead, a sign that the boat was meant to anchor out. It was less keen on the large steering console, which held big chartplotters but dominated the cockpit, and on the lack of any stowage for line tails from the cabin-top clutches. Tail bags on the bulkhead are a cheap fix. Boarding over the transom and moving forward past a fixed wheel is awkward, so look for boats fitted with the Lewmar folding wheel option.

Construction, keel bolts and the D1-30

Structurally the testers called the 39 reassuringly conservative. The hull is solid laminate below the waterline and Airex-cored above, stiffened with glassed-in hat-section frames and an interior grid. The cast iron keel is held by stainless steel bolts, double-nutted with backing washers. On ex-charter boats, groundings are common, so a surveyor should inspect the grid bond around the keel floors and the keel to hull joint for cracking or past repairs.

The US importer listed a 27 hp Volvo Penta D1-30 as the engine, with 55 gallons of diesel and 95 of water; the factory layout drawing shows the diesel tank under one aft berth. Expect a saildrive installation on most boats, which means a rubber diaphragm that Volvo recommends replacing on a fixed interval, and a leg that should be checked for corrosion at every haul-out.

Prices, value and who the 39 Cruiser suits

Used Bavaria 39 Cruisers typically ask about $68,000 to $112,000 in 2026, with condition and history mattering more than the year. That buys a lot of volume compared with a Beneteau Oceanis 393 or Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 39i of similar age, which usually command more. Running costs in the US land around $12,000 to $25,000 a year including a slip, insurance, haul-out and routine maintenance.

The boat suits families and two couples who want three private cabins on a budget, and new owners who plan coastal cruising rather than ocean passages. It is not the boat for sailors who want a stiff, close-winded performer, and anyone planning offshore work should budget for better reefing, a stronger autopilot and upgraded ground tackle.