Bavaria 47 Ocean Center Cockpit, Specs and Used Values

Twenty-five hulls: the rarest big Bavaria

Bavaria is known for building yachts by the thousand, which makes the Bavaria 47 Ocean an oddity. Sailboatdata records just 25 built between 1999 and 2002, and one UK broker recently described it as fewer than 30 of the type. It was the largest of the J&J Design center cockpit Ocean family, sitting above the Ocean 38, the 42 Ocean and the Ocean 40, and it was built for private owners rather than charter fleets.

That combination of rarity and private use gives the 47 Ocean a different used-market character from most Bavarias of its era. The boats that surface tend to have long ownership histories and serious cruising equipment, and several have crossed oceans.

Which Bavaria 47 are you looking at?

Searching for a Bavaria 47 Ocean turns up several different boats, so check before you compare prices. Sailboatdata specifically notes that the Ocean 47 CC is not the same boat as the earlier Bavaria 47 of 1993. Bavaria also built an aft-cockpit 47 in the late 2000s, the boat Yachting World set beside the new Cruiser 55 for comparison in 2009, and later the Vision 46 and C46 families.

The Ocean is the one with the raised center cockpit, the aft owner's suite beneath it and a build year between 1999 and 2002. Listings use Bavaria 47 Ocean and Bavaria Ocean 47 CC interchangeably, so search both names when you hunt for boats.

Sailing numbers for a capable, conservative cruiser

The hull is 48 ft 2 in overall (14.68 m) with a 40 ft 2 in waterline and a 14 ft 7 in beam. Displacement is 11,900 kg (26,235 lb) and ballast is 4,500 kg, a healthy ballast ratio of nearly 38 percent. The standard fin draws 2.00 m, while a wing keel version draws 1.70 m for shallower cruising grounds.

Sailboatdata's ratios describe a conservative cruiser rather than a performance boat: a sail area to displacement ratio of 17.5, a displacement to length ratio of 180, a comfort ratio of 26.8 and a capsize screening value of 1.97. Theoretical hull speed is about 8.5 knots, so 150-mile days are a realistic target on a trade wind passage with a clean bottom.

A walkaround island berth aft and bunks amidships

The interior is laid out for a cruising couple with occasional guests. Aft, under the cockpit, the owner's cabin has a walkaround island double, generous headroom and its own ensuite, and at least one boat for sale has a washing machine fitted there. Forward is a large double cabin, and between them sits a bunk cabin with two singles that works for guests, children or simply as a sail and spares locker.

Two heads with showers complete the arrangement, and joinery on the boats we found is mahogany. The galley and saloon occupy the middle of the boat, the most comfortable place to be at sea, and the center cockpit sits directly above, which makes the companionway trip short in bad weather.

• Aft owner's cabin with walkaround island double and ensuite
• Midships bunk cabin with two singles
• Forward double cabin
• Two heads with showers

The Volvo TMD22 on a shaft, and the tanks owners report

Power comes from a Volvo Penta TMD22, a turbocharged, freshwater-cooled diesel rated at 78 hp, driving a conventional shaft. That is a better arrangement for long-term cruising than a saildrive: there is no diaphragm to replace and the engine is easy to align and service. Many engines are now well past 2,500 hours, so ask for oil analysis, a compression test and evidence that the heat exchanger and turbo have been serviced.

Factory tank figures for the 47 Ocean were not published in the sources we reviewed. One well-documented boat lists two 220 liter fuel tanks and five water tanks totaling 500 liters, which suggests about 116 gallons of diesel and 130 gallons of water, but confirm capacities on the boat you are buying.

How owners turn a 47 Ocean into a bluewater boat

The listings show how owners have used these boats. A 2001 example in the UK has been used extensively for bluewater cruising and carries a bow thruster, two electric winches, a diesel generator, a watermaker, a wind generator, a self-steering wind vane, heating and a full cockpit enclosure. A 2000 boat in Turkey adds solar panels, air conditioning in the saloon and aft cabin, a Fischer Panda generator and an SSB radio.

If you find a boat with this equipment and recent rigging, you are buying years of someone else's refit for a fraction of its cost. If you find a bare boat, price in the upgrades realistically: a watermaker, generator, lithium or AGM house bank, new sails and standing rigging can exceed $60,000 installed.

Values, condition and the age question

Recent asking prices of 99,950 GBP for a 2001 boat and 115,000 GBP for a 2000 boat translate to roughly $130,000 to $155,000. Our range of $110,000 to $160,000 covers most realistic outcomes, with neglected boats below it and exceptional refits occasionally above.

At 24 to 27 years old, every 47 Ocean needs a structural survey, a moisture check of any teak-decked areas, a rigging inspection and a hard look at the keel attachment. These are not unique Bavaria problems but age problems, and a surveyor who knows production boats of this era will find them quickly.