hull, the C42’s aft cabins have straight full-size doubles: 1.6m wide all the way from head to foot. At the aft end of the hull, another innovation – Kuhn’s idea this time – has added about half a metre of extra length to the saloon. In most cruising yachts the aft end of the accommodation is curtailed by the steering system, which occupies the last few feet of the hull and requires a bit of elbow room around it for maintenance and repair. On the Bavaria C42, it’s neatly slotted into a shallow recess under the aft end of the cockpit, allowing the aft cabins to be shunted further aft, but easily accessible from above simply by lifting a panel in the cockpit sole between the twin wheels. It’s a great solution, easier to inspect and maintain than the usual setup.
Benefits of a bulbous bow The other obvious design feature of the C42’s hull – which sets it apart not only from the other Cossutti- designed C-Line models but also from nearly all the other new boats at Düsseldorf – is a bow profile that flares out from a narrow vee at the waterline to a rounded, high-volume section at deck level. It’s a Cossutti- and-Ganz innovation derived from recent offshore racing yacht designs, with great potential for production boats. ‘Most modern yachts have a
Top: Bavariaʼs brand identity has been preserved but itʼs a sleeker design with a low-profile coachroof and the style of the C42 is most definitely
Italian. Itʼs the first Bavaria yacht with a chined hull. Above: itʼs also the first model with the new V- Bow, which is set to become a key feature of the next generation of Bavarias. The V-Bow subtly but substantially increases the volume of the forepeak, making space for a huge sail locker
very wide stern and a lot of volume in the aft sections of the hull,’ Cossutti explains. ‘When the angle of heel increases, the hull gets out of balance. The stern comes further out of the water and the bow is pushed further into the water. As a result the pressure on the rudder increases. A vee-shaped bow with more volume, which we call the C42 Bavaria V-Bow, compensates for this effect and the boat is easier to steer. However, it was important for us to keep the bow narrow at the waterline so that the dive into the wave is not too hard when the boat is sailing upright.’ As with the chines, the new bow profile produced unexpected benefits for Kuhn’s in-house team who were designing the yacht’s interior. Thanks to its bulbous bow, the Bavaria C42 has a huge full-depth sail locker that can easily swallow a crossover sail, a gennaker and a full set of fenders and docklines, with a separate compartment for the anchor windlass and chain. The other big benefit is the extra space in the forecabin, which has to be seen to be believed. ‘We were able to expand the double berth to a width of 1.8m and a length of 2.3m,’ Kuhn says. ‘And we’ve got full headroom throughout the cabin and plenty of large lockers.’
Bigger sails, better balance Another notable feature of the C42 s the height and position of the twin- spreader, deck-stepped mast. It’s extremely tall and stepped further aft than you might expect. The extra height allows more sailpower and compensates for the loss of roach – as Kuhn explains, most buyers are expected to opt for in-mast furling mainsails. ‘When you get to 42ft long, slab furling starts to be hard work,’ Cossutti says. The difference in performance is minimal: ‘With vertical battens providing a moderate roach, you will have only five per cent
less power. And in 10kts of wind, the self-tacking jib will give the same performance as the 110% genoa with a narrower sheeting angle, too.’ Moving the mast step aft is more to do with handling, Ganz explains: ‘We always take great care to achieve the best possible balance.’ With the mast stepped aft, the headsail and mainsail of the C42 are roughly the same size and deliver similar amounts of power, resulting in a nicely balanced sailplan. Self- tacking jibs are typically small, but a large one actually makes a lot of sense. Not having to haul the sheets of a powerful genoa in and out with every tack is a definite benefit and the self-tacking option makes the yacht much more nimble. ‘If you are sailing somewhere like Sweden where there are lots of rocks you need to be able to tack very quickly,’ Cossutti says. The self-tacker is fitted as standard and in another nod to performance, the standard spec also includes a backstay tensioner. Meanwhile, back in Giebelstadt, the next new model in Bavaria’s comeback range is already taking shape – shrouded in secrecy, of course – but with a host of new features and design ideas, the C42 is a taste of things to come.
www.bavariayachts.com
Technical specs LOA LOD LWL
Beam Draught Displacement Keel bulb weight 12.4m
11.99m 11.27m 4.3m
2.1m or 1.7m 9,750kg
2,700kg or 3,010kg
Mast height above WL 21.1m Upwind sail area 100.6m2 Mainsail
Self-tacking jib 110% genoa
52.8m2 46.8m2 46.8m2
SEAHORSE 79
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