Bavaria 50 Cruiser Buyer's Guide, J&J and Farr Generations

One name, two very different yachts

If you search for a Bavaria 50 Cruiser for sale, you will see boats from 2005 to 2008 and others from 2011 to 2013 under almost the same name. They are not the same design. The first, usually written Bavaria 50 Cruiser, came from J&J Design, the Slovenian studio behind most Bavarias of the period; the factory accommodation drawings are signed J&J Design and dated September 2004. The second, the Cruiser 50, premiered at boot Dusseldorf in January 2011 as part of the all-new Farr Yacht Design range and has twin rudders.

Specification databases sometimes mix the two, so check the year and look at the stern. A single rudder and a narrower, more traditional transom mean the J&J boat. Twin rudders, a broad stern and a fold-down bathing platform mean the Farr boat. This guide concentrates on the J&J 50 Cruiser that most 2005 to 2008 listings describe, with a section on the Farr successor.

The 2005 J&J flagship in numbers

The J&J 50 Cruiser replaced the short-lived Bavaria 49 for 2005. The North American importer's specification lists 50 ft 6 in overall, a 44 ft 1 in waterline, 14 ft 8 in of beam, a displacement of 27,777 lb and 9,259 lb of ballast, a ratio of about 33 percent. The standard keel draws about 6 ft and a deeper keel close to 6 ft 10 in was offered. Sail area was quoted at 1,371 sq ft, and the engine as a Volvo Penta D2-75.

The tankage tells you what the boat was built for: 85 gallons of diesel and 198 gallons of water, generous figures that let a full charter crew of ten shower every day and let a cruising family stay at anchor far longer than on most 50-footers. Holding tanks of 20 gallons each served the heads.

Four cabins or five, and why it matters at resale

J&J drew two accommodation plans. Both share the aft end: two large double cabins under the cockpit, each with its own head, either side of the companionway. The saloon has a U-shaped dinette to port and a long galley to starboard. Forward of the main bulkhead is where the versions differ.

In the four-cabin plan, a large owner's cabin in the bow has an en suite head to starboard, and a bunk cabin with upper and lower berths sits to port just forward of the saloon. In the five-cabin plan, the forward space is split into a V-berth cabin and a second small cabin to starboard sharing one head, plus the port bunk cabin. Both have three heads.

For private owners the four-cabin boat is the better buy. The owner's cabin is properly sized, the bunk cabin becomes a useful sail locker or children's room, and the boat is easier to resell. Five-cabin boats were built for charter and usually show it.

Equipment the importer offered, and what to look for now

In 2006 the US importer's standard list included an electric windlass, side gates, midship cleats, a furling headsail and a Selden rigid vang, with options for teak side decks, a bow thruster, a full-batten main on Selden bearing cars, electric primary winches, spinnaker gear, radar, autopilot, a watermaker and Espar heating. A boat with the thruster, electric winches and the full-batten main is far easier to handle short-handed and worth a premium.

Twenty years on, the important questions are about age rather than options. Teak decks of this era are often worn thin and leaking at the fastenings. Original electronics are obsolete. Standing rigging should have been replaced at least once, and the D2-75 and its drive need documented service. Price an older teak deck as a liability unless a survey shows it has life left.

The 2011 Farr Cruiser 50, briefly

Bavaria's Farr-designed Cruiser 50 premiered at boot Dusseldorf in January 2011, filling the gap between the Cruiser 45 and the Cruiser 55. YACHT reported a hull length of 15 m, a 45 ft 6 in waterline, 15 ft 4 in of beam, drafts of 6 ft 1 in or 7 ft 5 in and a German price of 247,401 euros including VAT. It came with three, four or five cabins, a separate shower at the companionway and up to 700 liters of water.

Cruising World tested one off Alacati in Turkey. The 75 hp Volvo with an optional Gori propeller gave 7.6 knots at 2,200 rpm and 8.5 knots or more flat out, and in 9 knots of true wind the boat made just under 7 knots, tacking through 85 degrees. The testers liked the twin rudders, the smooth rack-and-pinion steering, the electric fold-down transom and the Airex-cored hull and deck, and quoted a US price of $377,000. In 2013 Bavaria replaced it with the Cruiser 51, which grew out of the Cruiser 50 with a slimmer new deck structure, opening coachroof windows and a movable forward bulkhead.

What a 50 Cruiser costs and who it suits

J&J 50 Cruisers from 2005 to 2008 generally ask $135,000 to $210,000 in 2026, which makes them some of the cheapest 50-footers with three heads and a big water tank. Running one in the US costs around $22,000 to $45,000 a year, with dockage for a 50 ft slip and insurance the largest items.

The boat suits large families, groups who sail together and owners who want to anchor out for long periods with plenty of water. It is not a short-handed racer, and with four or five cabins it is more boat than many couples need. Buyers who want a newer feel and more volume should look at the Farr Cruiser 50 or Cruiser 51, and accept a higher price.