Bavaria 40 Cruiser and 40S Review, Specs and Used Values

Bavaria 40 Cruiser, the middle child of the Farr range

When Bavaria relaunched itself with Farr Yacht Design hulls and BMW Group DesignworksUSA styling, the Bavaria 40 Cruiser arrived in 2010 between the smaller 32 and 36 and the big twin-rudder 45, 50 and 55. Yachting World mentioned the new 40 in its 2010 test of the 45, and the first US boats were sailed by the American magazines in Annapolis in 2011. SAIL shortlisted it as a Best Boats 2012 nominee, praising a fine entry and truncated ends that stretch the sailing length.

It is a family cruiser through and through. Chesapeake Bay Magazine's tester, quoted by Bavaria, thought he was on a 45-footer at first. The design lasted only until 2013, when Bavaria kept the hull and wrapped a new deck and interior around it to create the Cruiser 41, which is why the 40 is now the cheapest way into this particular Farr forty.

Twin wheels, one rudder

SAIL described the 40 as sitting on a dividing line. Its larger sisters carry twin rudders to keep control of their beamy sterns when heeled; the 40, like the 32 and 36, has a single spade rudder, but it is the first of the range with two steering stations. The split wheels and split backstay open a path to the large fold-down swim platform, which uses a hydraulic hinge that adds resistance as it drops and helps you lift it back up.

Cruising World found that the linked wheels on a single rudder did not respond as instantly as the twin-rudder 45, though the boat still sailed well. SAIL found the helm crisp and accurate with excellent sightlines from both wheels, but expected the 40 to complain more than the 45 when pressed hard upwind because of the single blade.

Sheet leads the helmsman cannot reach

The deck plan suits a crewed boat better than a single-hander. The mainsheet is a pair of sheets on a bridle, led forward along the boom to winches either side of the companionway and backed by a powerful mechanical vang. The blade jib sheets run to winches at the forward end of the cockpit coamings. SAIL pointed out that no primary sail control can be reached from the wheels, although the jib sheets could be rerouted to the secondary winches further aft.

Forward, the deck is easy to work thanks to aggressive nonskid and plenty of well-sized cleats, but the anchor locker is odd. There is only a small inspection hatch on deck; real access is through a gasketed hatch in the forward cabin, and a big pile of chain can block it. If you anchor a lot, check how much chain the locker really holds before you buy.

Barrier-coated hulls for American buyers

SAIL's 2012 report gives an unusually clear picture of the laminate. The hull is laid up by hand from chopped strand mat and biaxial fabric in isophthalic polyester, cored with Coremat below the waterline and Airex foam above, and stiffened by a top-hat internal grid. Boats exported to the US received an epoxy barrier coat for blister resistance. The Airex-cored deck is screwed and bonded to the hull on a generous internal flange, and the keel is iron.

For a used buyer that barrier coat is worth confirming. A European boat brought over later may not have one, which matters if you plan to keep the boat in warm water year-round.

Owner's cabin forward, two choices aft

The three-cabin version puts a large owner's stateroom forward with its own head, two double cabins aft under the cockpit, and a second head aft to port. The two-cabin version swaps the port aft cabin for a big storage room and has a single, larger head aft with a separate shower stall, which many couples prefer.

The galley runs in a straight line along the port side, with a central settee to brace against when cooking under way. Opposite, a U-shaped dinette seats seven, and behind it a small dedicated nav desk has room for extra electronics. SAIL measured 6 ft 4 in of headroom, berths 6 ft 9 in long forward and 6 ft 8 in aft, and noted a kink in the aft berths where they clear the engine. Joinery was offered in oak, mahogany or walnut.

Light air on the Chesapeake, 8.4 knots under power

SAIL's sea trial was spoiled by 4 to 6 knots of wind, in which the in-mast furling main and small jib managed only 2 to 3 knots on a close reach. Cruising World had better luck: once the breeze built to about 10 knots, its boat sailed at over 6 knots hard on the wind.

Motoring figures are more consistent. SAIL recorded 6.7 knots at 2,200 rpm and 7.7 knots at full throttle of 2,850 rpm in flat water, with a turning circle of about one and a quarter boat lengths and good control backing down. Cruising World's boat, with the 38 hp Volvo Penta and saildrive, reached 8.4 knots at 2,800 rpm.

The Cruiser 40S, a racier sister

Bavaria also built a Cruiser 40S on the same hull. Sailboatdata lists it with a deeper lead keel drawing 2.30 m (7 ft 7 in), 2,736 kg of ballast, a lighter 8,140 kg displacement and a performance rig, and notes regatta fittings, a carbon spinnaker pole and a composite wheel among its equipment. Boating New Zealand's history of the range counts the 40S as a model in its own right alongside the 36, 40, 45 and 50.

The 40S makes sense for club racing or for sailors in deep water who want more bite upwind. Its draft rules out much of the Chesapeake and the Bahamas, and fewer were built, so expect to search in Europe.

Other boats sold as a Bavaria 40

The name has been used several times, and keyword searches for 2009 or 2011 boats mix them up. Check which one a listing describes before comparing prices.

• Bavaria 40 (J&J Design, from 2000): about 7,900 kg, 12.47 m overall, popular in charter
• Bavaria 40 of the 2008 Cruiser range: twin wheels and a wide transom, about 8,500 kg, 40 hp saildrive, replaced the 39
• Bavaria 40 Vision: a separate couples-oriented model line
• Bavaria Cruiser 40 and 40S (Farr, 2010 to 2013): this boat
• Bavaria 40 motor yachts: Bavaria has also built 40-foot powerboats such as the R40, E40 and S40, which are unrelated

What a Bavaria 40 Cruiser costs now

In 2026 a Farr Cruiser 40 typically asks $88,000 to $135,000, which undercuts an early Cruiser 41 on the same hull. Two-cabin private boats with the deep keel and a slab-reefed main sit at the top; three-cabin charter boats at the bottom. Running costs of $12,000 to $24,000 a year cover a 41-foot slip, insurance, antifouling, saildrive service and rigging checks.

If you can live with the concave-sided coachroof styling and the sheet leads, you get the same underwater shape and space as the later 41 for meaningfully less money.