It is a milestone in the shipyard's development. Bavaria worked with two renowned studios on the design of the Cruiser 55: Farr Yacht Design for the construction and BMW Group Designworks for the visual design.
The first boat is also the largest ever to leave the shipyards in Giebelstadt. And it marks a turnaround from a rather simple design to a more visually sophisticated concept. The Cruiser 55 has a decidedly unagitated appearance, dispensing entirely with superficial effects. However, it still radiates more class and sophistication than the designs of the last 10 or 15 years.
As with the revision of the interior style, which was given noticeably more modern accents a year ago with the 43 Cruiser, the largest German yacht builder is now also stepping up its game in terms of lines.
The five hull windows on each side are kept narrow and integrated into a wide trim line. The deck is laid flush, no hatch cover protrudes above the teak rods. The cabin superstructure, which has a very gathered appearance and whose almost vertical edge is reminiscent of the design of the new Najad 505, also features two flush light strips.
And if the specifications are adhered to, the Farr design will probably also increase performance. In any case, the Cruiser 55 has a sail load factor of almost 4.8 as standard - much closer to the sporty than the cosy cruising sail range.
The modern rig configuration offers the option of sailing with a slightly overlapping 107 per cent genoa, which greatly simplifies manoeuvres; for light winds, however, sheet tracks and blocks for a large Genoa 1 are also pre-installed.
Perhaps the most surprising technical feature is the twin rudder system. This has hardly ever been seen before in this segment. The advantage: the wide stern of the Cruiser 55 does not twist as much in the wind, because the leeward rudder is always optimised. The disadvantages of the higher resistance in light winds can be compensated for with more sail area (Genoa 1). And there is something else in favour of the technically complex configuration: a dinghy can be stowed in the stern behind the wide hatch because the rudder shafts and quadrants are positioned to the side.
Preliminary technical data Bavaria Cruiser 55
Hull length: 16.60 m
Width: 4.75 m
Sail area: 139 m2
Sail carrying capacity STZ: 4.78
Weight: 15 tonnes
Ballast ratio: 33%
Draught option/standard: 1.90/2.35 m
Mast height: 22 m
Engine: Volvo Penta D3 110 hp
Cabins: 3 - 5
Jochen Rieker
Herausgeber YACHT
