Big in Bavaria

 

WORDS + PHOTOS: ANDREW RICHARDSON

This easy going German is charming our big boat market.

The Bavaria 42HT is the biggest powerboat in the Bavaria motorboat range. So, yes, I have finally met the big fella from Bavaria and survived the encounter.
2007 is a big year for the German Bavaria Yachtbau company, which produces around 3500 vessels a year. Not only does it have a new owner with significant existing interests in the marine industry, but it has an Australian dealer doing triple-time to shift all of the boats it's selling, while continuing to expanded its operations across the country.
Andy Howden, from Bavaria Sports Boats in Sydney, explained that the larger Bavaria sports boats benefit the most from the cost savings related to the company's streamlined production process.
As a result this big volume 42-footer hits our shores at an extremely competitive price (around $775,000) and contains some cutting edge gear like the Volvo IPS drive system and the nifty Volvo Penta Joystick docking system.
Joystick docking
The Joystick Docking System is a standout and allowed Andy and I to get the vessel out of Birkenhead marina during blowy conditions with ease. Admittedly, as a humble boat reviewer I wasn't in a position to be responsible for any damage to such a valuable toy, so I left the high wind marina manoeuvres to Andy.

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As we lurched (during a gust) perilously close to one of those ugly and potentially damaging black oyster laden pylons at the marina entrance, Andy flicked the 42-footer's bow quickly out of danger and explained that it's so simple anyone can use this system.
"Hey mate, can you pass me a drink!" At that point I thought, computers crash, usually at the wrong time, and so do boats. But it seemed that the IPS Joystick system had everything under control.
Put simply, the Joystick system coordinates the bow thruster and forward facing IPS drives through one intuitive control that's guaranteed to make any skipper look like an old salt. It's nifty technology that quickly gets the vessel moving in any direction and on windy days, like today, the 'booster' switch adds more grunt to the manoeuvres. The feature was a $15,000 add-on, but in the scale of things, on this class of vessel it would be a must have option.
Some surprises
What surprised me about the test vessel was that all the hallmarks of the smaller Bavaria motorboats are carried over to the larger craft. It's almost like the little toys have grown up.
This 12-tonne vessel has two bathrooms, two cabins, a cavernous saloon and a hardtop-covered cockpit that's ventilated by a substantial sun-roof. It took little time to remove the aft covers and get underway, but the IPS drives did an exceptional job of delivering balanced power right across the range and still keeping engine noise to very modest levels.

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