Bavaria Sport 34 and Sport 34 HT, a Used Buyer's Review

When Bavaria hired BMW's designers

In July 2010 Bavaria announced the Sport 34 with an unusual credit. For the previous two years, the yard said, it had been working with BMW Group DesignworksUSA, the car maker's design consultancy, to give its motorboat line a modern face. The Sport 28 had started the series in September 2009, the Sport 38 followed at boot Dusseldorf in January 2010, and the Sport 34 filled the middle of the range when it premiered at interboot in Friedrichshafen that autumn.

The result is a crisp, slightly angular boat with a low deck moulding, a wraparound windscreen and a family resemblance to the bigger Sport 38. It replaced the older 33 Sport as Bavaria's mid-30s sportscruiser and was priced from 111,900 euros before VAT, which Bavaria presented as unbeatable value. A hardtop version, the Sport 34 HT, appeared on Bavaria's website in mid-2011 and was tested by Motor Boats Monthly against Beneteau's Flyer 34 GT that autumn.

The Sport 34's career was short. In August 2012 Bavaria replaced the Sport 28, 31, 34, 38 and 43 with a refreshed line, and the Sport 34 became the Sport 35 on the same 10.80 m hull.

Open or HT, and how to tell them from a Sport 35

The open Sport 34 has a cockpit with seating for six, a wellness sunlounger behind the windscreen, a single co-pilot seat to port, a wet bar with optional electric grill and fridge, and wide side decks with a continuous rail. The HT adds a GRP roof, which lowers the height above waterline from 3.23 m to 3.03 m on Bavaria's figures and adds about 100 kg.

Telling a Sport 34 from the Sport 35 that replaced it takes a close look. The hull, beam, tankage and engine list are essentially the same. MBY described the Sport 35 HT as a tweaked and updated version of the 34 HT with a grey hull band and a much bigger strip of glass in the topsides. If the boat has a short row of portlights and no long hull glass, it is probably a Sport 34. Confirm with the HIN and build year.

Older Bavaria sportscruisers from the early 2000s sometimes appear under similar names on listing sites. The 2010 boat is 10.80 m (35 ft 5 in) overall on a 3.59 m (11 ft 9 in) beam, with 11.70 m including the bathing platform.

Two cabins and a bright, simple interior

Below, Bavaria quoted 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) of saloon headroom. The owner's cabin forward has an island bed, while the aft cabin under the cockpit has two singles that can be pushed together as a double. Between them are the saloon and galley and one head, which could be ordered with a separate shower enclosure. Six deck hatches, six hull windows and a cockpit window let in light.

Buyers could choose from three wood colors and several upholstery fabrics, so interiors vary from boat to boat. It is a practical, family layout rather than a luxurious one, and it is roomier than most 2010 rivals of similar length thanks to the 11 ft 9 in beam.

• Forward cabin with island double
• Aft cabin with convertible twin berths
• One head, optional separate shower
• Headroom about 6 ft 3 in

A long engine list, and which boats to shortlist

At launch the standard engines were twin Volvo Penta 4.3 GXiE petrol V6s of 225 hp each, with twin 5.7 GXiE V8s (320 hp) as the petrol upgrade. Diesel buyers could choose a single Volvo D6-370, or twin D3-220 or D4-260 diesels. By 2012 the list had grown to include MerCruiser 5.0 MPI and 377 MAG petrol V8s, twin D4-300s and twin 265 hp MerCruiser Cummins TDI 3.0 diesels, the VW-based engine that appears in some listings.

For a US buyer the shortlist is simple. Twin D4s give the best combination of performance, range and resale. A single D6-370 is efficient and cheaper to maintain but leaves you with one drive. The 4.3 V6 petrol boats are the cheapest and can feel underpowered when loaded. The TDI 3.0 diesels are good engines, but check local support for parts before buying one.

What to expect on the water

We could not find a published independent speed and fuel table for the Sport 34. For guidance, MBY estimated about 38 knots for the near-identical Sport 35 HT with the most powerful engines, and Bavaria's sterndrive cruisers of this size typically cruise in the mid-20s. Expect the 4.3 V6 petrol boats to be noticeably slower.

With 520 liters (137 gallons) of fuel the Sport 34 carries more than most 35 ft sportscruisers of its time, which is a real advantage for coastal hops. Ask the seller for engine data from the EVC or SmartCraft system to see real burn rates on that boat.

Survey notes for a 15-year-old sterndrive cruiser

A Sport 34 is now at the age where maintenance history matters more than the original spec. Focus on the drives: bellows, gimbal bearings, U-joints, trim rams and corrosion on Volvo DPS and DPH legs. Check exhaust elbows and risers on petrol V8s, and look for oil leaks and cooling issues on the diesels.

On deck, inspect the HT roof for crazing and leaks around fittings, the windscreen frame and seals, and the cockpit upholstery and iroko flooring. Below, look for water staining under the hatches and hull windows. Check that the 230 volt system has been properly converted or isolated on any boat imported to the US.

Why a Sport 34 still makes sense

At 75,000 to 125,000 dollars, a good Sport 34 costs about the same as a ten-year-older British sportscruiser and gives you two cabins, a large fuel tank and German build quality. Annual running costs of roughly 15,000 to 30,000 dollars are typical for a 35 ft sterndrive boat. Its weakness is the US market: few dealers know the boat, so resale will take patience. Buy one to keep, not to flip.