Bavaria 45 Cruiser Review, Sea Trials and Used Prices

Bavaria 45 Cruiser, where Farr's twin rudders went mid-size

The Bavaria 45 Cruiser was announced in October 2009 as the third model of the new Farr Yacht Design and BMW DesignworksUSA range, after the Cruiser 55 and 32, and it made its debut at boot Dusseldorf in January 2010. It brought the flagship's big ideas down to a size many more people could afford: twin rudders, twin wheels, a full-width transom that lowers electrically into a bathing deck, flush hatches and an interior with an en suite head for every cabin.

Bavaria built it until 2014, when the Cruiser 46 appeared on the same hull and appendages with a new deck and interior. Today the Cruiser 45 is one of the least expensive ways into a modern, twin-rudder 45-footer, and it remains popular in charter fleets from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean.

Sixty sold before most buyers had sailed one

Yachting World's Toby Hodges reported in 2010 that 60 Cruiser 45s had been sold since the Dusseldorf debut that January, before most magazines had even sailed one. Bavaria first offered the four-cabin version, which could later be converted to an owner's layout, and Australia's importer had sold its first boat before launch at an introductory A$411,159.

Critics who had dismissed the old Bavaria cruisers came round. Hodges admitted he had not taken to the previous line, but said the 45 sailed well, seemed well built and designed and above all provided acres of space. SAIL went further: Bavaria Yachts USA later noted that the Cruiser 45 won SAIL magazine's Best Boats award for 2012.

Why a single rudder would have been a disaster

Cruising World sailed the 45 on the Severn River with Jim Schmicker, a senior naval architect at Farr Yacht Design, at the wheel. He explained that one driving force behind the design was the option of two double cabins in the bow, which demanded fullness in the forward topsides, and that with the beam carried so far aft a single rudder on this hull shape would be a disaster. Twin rudders keep one blade deeply immersed when the boat heels, so the stern can be broad and powerful without losing grip.

There is a trade-off under power. With no propeller wash over a centerline rudder, Schmicker noted, directional control is weaker until water is flowing past the blades, which is why many owners specify the bow thruster. Bavaria also pointed out a safety benefit: the dual Lewmar steering system lets the rudders work independently if one side fails.

Palma swell, Grenada trades and a Severn River zephyr

Three very different tests give a rounded picture. In Palma Bay in a Force 4 gusting 5 with a 1.5 to 2 m swell, Yachting World's boat, an owner's bluewater-specified example with Elvstrom Epex laminate sails and a vertically battened in-mast main, made early 7s upwind at 40 to 45 degrees to the true wind, 8.5 knots reaching across the swell in 15 knots, and 8 knots at 130 degrees true. Hodges praised its seakindly motion and noted it did not slam, though the steel-link steering lacked feel.

SAIL's Charles Doane took a well-prepared, slab-reefed 45 out off Grenada in 20 knots and saw 9.3 knots at 60 degrees apparent, pointing as high as 35 degrees apparent. Cruising World's US-spec boat with the standard shoal keel had only about 6 knots of wind on the Severn River, yet climbed to almost 5 knots upwind and tacked through about 75 degrees.

Under power, Yachting World's boat with the upgraded 75 hp engine and a Gori overdrive propeller made 6.8 knots at 2,000 rpm and behaved obediently for a twin-rudder boat.

An en suite head for every cabin

Below, the standard three-cabin layout gives each cabin its own head and shower, which Yachting World called unique at this size and a big draw for charter guests. The master cabin forward has a berth large enough to sleep across as well as along, with a hallway leading to a seated shower room on one side and the head and basin on the other. The four-cabin version splits the bow into two doubles; the aft cabins keep their en suites either way.

Headroom is generous everywhere: 2.06 m in the saloon, about 6 ft 10 in in the aft cabins and 6 ft 8 in forward. Joinery came in mahogany, light oak or walnut. The weakness is stowage. Hodges found lockers wanting in every cabin, and large plain bulkhead panels made the interior look monotonous.

A two-burner galley and a vestigial nav station

The galley has acres of flush counter with an L-shaped end and a sturdy brace against the saloon seat, a 140-liter front-opening fridge plus a top-loading unit, but only a two-burner stove with limited room to gimbal and little practical stowage. The saloon table seats eight at a squeeze.

There is a nav area but no dedicated navigator's seat, a choice that would alarm many offshore sailors, and SAIL later described the 45's chart table as largely vestigial and awkwardly placed. Bavaria removed it altogether on the Cruiser 46.

Electric platform and dinghy-size lockers

Outside, the boat is built for living. The transom lowers electrically into a huge swim platform with steps, and the space behind it can hold a deflated dinghy. Yachting World found that you could fit a deflated tender in any of the three large cockpit lockers, the central one under the sole being especially capacious, and there is a proper sail locker forward with a ladder.

The big table is a superb brace, the flat coachroof gives clear sightlines, and the helmsman gets lift-up sole plates for footing; the helm seat lifts to reveal the engine controls. Downsides are slightly low coamings and a split backstay that limits seated comfort in the aft corners.

Cruiser 45 or Cruiser 46?

Because the Cruiser 46 uses the same hull and appendages, the choice comes down to deck styling, interior and money. The 46 dropped the 45's concave cabin sides for a sleeker coachroof, replaced the awkward nav station with drawers in the saloon table and added an optional galley island. The 45 keeps the original BMW-era look and typically costs tens of thousands of dollars less.

On the water there is little to separate them. SAIL's Doane, who sailed both, actually logged a higher top speed on the well-prepared 45 off Grenada than on a brand-new 46 with a furling main on the Chesapeake.

Bavaria Cruiser 45 for sale, prices and costs

In 2026 a Cruiser 45 typically asks $135,000 to $200,000 in the US, with many more boats available in Europe and the Caribbean. Search terms like Bavaria 45 Cruiser 2011 or 2013 reflect how buyers focus on the middle years, which are the most plentiful.

Plan on $18,000 to $36,000 a year to keep one, covering a 47-foot slip, insurance, a haul-out, two rudder bearings and a saildrive to service, and sails. Tankage is reasonable for coastal cruising, with about 210 liters of fuel and 360 liters of water including the optional extra tank.