PROVEN. Bavaria C50, our test preview. PHOTOS

The first time we talked about it with Maurizio Cossutti he told us, “Bavaria’s was one of those phone calls where you need then a chair given the news.” And it’s really true, because if one of the world’s biggest boating giants calls you to ask you to revamp its line of boats with new designs, the challenge is one that can make your legs shake. But Cossutti Yacht Design is a studio that is accustomed to challenges, and Bavaria’s has definitely brought this Italian name to international prominence even in the world of production boats. Bavaria ‘s request was specific: to rethink a new boat canon to vary, renew the aesthetic, add sportiness, raise the bar. Certainly not easy demands to meet. The C 50 is one of the results of this work, along with the C 45, two boats that have gone on to form the shipyard’s new C Line, i.e., a segment that is at a higher end of the market than where Bavaria had normally decided to place itself. This does not mean that the C Line does not also have in the charter world one of its reference points, this remains, but more attention has arisen to the “owner” needs of these boats as well.

Tomeet the tastes of even a hypothetical discerning owner, the first thing to do was to characterize the boat aesthetically, with elements that would make it somehow unmistakable. This also gave rise to the idea of a very special deckhouse. Apparently low on the deck, but it is actually cleverly disguised by the fenestration glass that runs the length of the deckhouse to break up the step and give a pleasing aesthetic effect, as well as an obvious brightness to the outside. The freeboard is pronounced, the pure cruise vocation remains, and in this case interior volumes become mandatory to go for.

SAILING

The model we tested was equipped with a self-tacking jib and furling mainsail, with a sail plan that was therefore quite small compared to the potential area available to the boat. Conditions were not exactly easy, wind around 6 knots and swell. The C 50 with this sail configuration is obviously penalized, but at the helm it still returned positive feelings that let one see the undoubted goodness of the design. Upwind the game is to get it going. It is necessary to let the boat accelerate without forcing it to heave, once a minimum of apparent was created it was pleasing to see that the boat even with this sail plan was able to tighten up to 45 degrees of true without losing speed. With 6 knots we kept a constant speed around 3.5 with peaks at 4 knots. The boat turns out to be easy to steer, the wheels return a good feel, and despite the light wind, it is not difficult to guess the best angle on which to position the boat to go upwind. By resting and hoisting the gennaker, the air increased in intensity to 9 knots. In these conditions, holding an angle around 100 degrees to the wind, it is not difficult to make peaks at 7 knots, and even with the boat heeling at a tighter angle, rudder control remains excellent and it is never necessary to intervene on the sheet. All rigging is handled by the two primary winches, the lines run concealed with the special feature of being covered by a casing that is easy to remove in case of a problem, so that inspection is possible.

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ALL THE DETAILS, ISSUES, AND PHOTOS OF THE BAVARIA C50 IN THE JULY PRINT ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL OF SAILING