Sailing a Bavaria 50 Alone?

[alicyp]

Hello friends ı would like to buy a bavaria 50 and that will be my first experience on sailing ....I would like to know if it is possible to sail that boat alone ? Or is it possible to sail this boat by my self or ı need a crew for this ? İy yes how many person ? Thank you for your comments in advance .

[GRIT]

Yes, you can sail a Bavaria 50 alone. You can sail nearly any vessel alone, assuming it's rigged for sailing that way.

You will need some experience to sail it alone, and you will likely need help in setting the boat up for sailing alone.

You'll have a lot to learn before you do so, but don't let that stop you.

Cheers.
Paul.

[alicyp]

What ı wonder is , pulling up or down the sails on cruize , are they hand pull or motorized to open or close sail ? Thats looks hard to me , rest looks ok from the things ı read. Or watch. My aim is to starat sailing with such boat and travel mediteranean see.

[Weyalan]

A 50' boat is an awful lot of boat for an inexperienced sailor to handle. Especially single-handed. It would, I think, be advisable to either start off smaller, or alternatively have some extra crew available (with experience sailing a big boat) to assist you for a while.

Whether the sails are hoisted by hand or by motorized (electric) winch will depend on the particular boat.

[Kenomac]

In mast furling for the Main sail and a hydraulic furling system for the jib will make things much easier if you're short handed or single handed. A bowthruster is also nice to have if you are alone, but it's also advisable to be able to dock your boat properly without one.

I sail our 53 footer by myself all the time, but it's not our first boat. First an 11 footer, then 19ft, 45ft, and now 53ft.

[alicyp]

By alone ı mean with my family , and after ılll get experience on boat ıll open to fars, by alone ı mean electric motorized winch as WEYALAN said....So this means ı can buy electric winch for main and genoa , and that would sort my question out.... all ı was wondering was this... this would make it much more comfortable for cruise...
How about BAVARİA 50 or 49 ? What do you think about them ? Are they great sailing boats for you as ı do believe ? And are they good and strong enough to travel mediterranean see ?

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by alicyp

By alone ı mean with my family , and after ılll get experience on boat ıll open to fars, by alone ı mean electric motorized winch as WEYALAN said....So this means ı can buy electric winch for main and genoa , and that would sort my question out.... all ı was wondering was this... this would make it much more comfortable for cruise...
How about BAVARİA 50 or 49 ? What do you think about them ? Are they great sailing boats for you as ı do believe ? And are they good and strong enough to travel mediterranean see ?

Assuming you and your family are reasonably fit, there is no real reason for you to fit electric winches, especially if you have furling mains and genuas.

Regarding Bavarias - I've had a 33 footer. Nice boat, great for in-shore cruising. Would I take it off-shore? No - probably not. The general level of the equipment on board (winches, blocks, rigging etc) is not heavy duty enough, in my opinion, for serious ocean voyaging. Nor is the thickness of the fiberglass in the hull (just my opinion).

On the other hand, if you plan on sailing in the Med, and you pay a lot of attention to weather forecasts, you should not have any problems and the Bavaria will be a great boat - lots of comfort, and sails fairly well.

There are lots of Bavarias that have crossed the Atlantic and a fair number that have circumnavigated - so obviously the boat can take quite a bit of punishment.

If you've never sailed before, I strongly suggest that you

1- take quite a few sailing lessons (it isn't as easy as you may think).
2- Charter a boat a couple of times before you buy to see if sailing is for you and your family

[alicyp]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Assuming you and your family are reasonably fit, there is no real reason for you to fit electric winches, especially if you have furling mains and genuas.

Regarding Bavarias - I've had a 33 footer. Nice boat, great for in-shore cruising. Would I take it off-shore? No - probably not. The general level of the equipment on board (winches, blocks, rigging etc) is not heavy duty enough, in my opinion, for serious ocean voyaging. Nor is the thickness of the fiberglass in the hull (just my opinion).

On the other hand, if you plan on sailing in the Med, and you pay a lot of attention to weather forecasts, you should not have any problems and the Bavaria will be a great boat - lots of comfort, and sails fairly well.

There are lots of Bavarias that have crossed the Atlantic and a fair number that have circumnavigated - so obviously the boat can take quite a bit of punishment.

If you've never sailed before, I strongly suggest that you

1- take quite a few sailing lessons (it isn't as easy as you may think).
2- Charter a boat a couple of times before you buy to see if sailing is for you and your family

Standart equiped, Bav 50 is not strong enough for tough see conditions you mean ? And nor safe ?

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by alicyp

Standart equiped, Bav 50 is not strong enough for tough see conditions you mean ? And nor safe ?

Tough sea conditions? Here you need to define "tough". Hurricane force? Damn few boats are tough enough for that. Gale and Storm force?

Yes the boat is tough enough for that assuming:

1- It is well-maintained
2- Has a skipper who knows what he (she) is doing.

A good skipper is imperative to a boat surviving in a storm. Even the best boat will flounder if the skipper makes bad decisions.

That is the reason I suggested you take sailing lessons. If yo make bad decisions on a 50 footer - you are going to get knocked seriously about.

Read some of the other threads on this forum - Here's one

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ce-102389.html

Or this one - about a boat that was abandoned at sea. Skipper made a lot of mistakes - most of them before he even left the dock!
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...nd-101337.html

But why, when you've never sailed are you worrying about if the boat will survive a storm? Best advice - don't sail out in a storm until you know what you are doing.

As I said - lots of Bavarias have crossed the atlantic and lots have circumnavigated. Lots of Charter companies only charter Bavarias out - so the boat is not a bad boat.

The fact is I wouldn't sail one around the world is just my opinion

[alicyp]

ıll surely take sail lessons mate and than ıll sail around island ı live to get experience and feel as a sailor....than ıll try egypt , turkey , morocco ect...them main thing is if ı buy this boat that would be my boat for life ...and thats why ım thinking so deep to make decision ..ıll newer sail in storm , but in case ı mean , ıf ı happen to find my self in such condition...med see is no so wild as the oceans u know ..... ıll try to sail safe , and sure shell be well maintained and tuned all the times .....

[GRIT]

I doubt there are any 50 foot sailing production boats made today that are not suitable for crossing oceans.

You don't need thick glass to be strong, you need good design.

Yes, a Bavaria 50 will cruise anywhere you want to go, all around the world. But note, it's not built as an ice breaker, so stay out of the ice.

The limitations of most boats, as alluded to in a previous post, is dictated by the person running the boat.

The boat will nearly always be "the last man standing". Meaning, most times the crew gives up before the boat.

All boats have their quirks, or flaws. Keel bolts on some boats, hull/deck joint on others. Research the boat you want, buy it and learn to sail safely. Instruction is always good, but not always needed.

My first boat was a 35 footer. My first sail was a test sail, my second sail (ever) was a 1200 mile sail to get her home (Alone).

Read, practice and be careful. NEVER LET OTHERS SET YOUR LIMITS. BUT KNOW YOUR LIMITS.

Most folks want others to fail to justify their own fears.

Nike said it best. JUST DO IT!

Good luck.
Paul.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by svquintana

I doubt there are any 50 foot sailing production boats made today that are not suitable for crossing oceans.

I agree comletely - I think virtually any production boat is sea capable. Having just been to a boat show an looked at the quality of equipment on some of the less expensive production boats, I just wouldn't sail them across myself - but then that's me.

Let's face it, Bavarias and other boats of this type are built to fill a market niche, that of being a boat with lot's of comfort, easy to sail, and generally boats that will not be sailed in extreme conditions.

I have no problem with that. I've had one myself and enjoyed it very much.

Personally, I think production boats like Beneteaus and Jeanneaus are bettered designed for heavy ocean cruising.

Just my 2 cents

[GRIT]

It's an age old question, how thick is thick enough. We all have different ideas. My last boat was a 12 metre flush deck cutter. The hull was 40mm thick fibreglass.

My present boat, still in build, has 2mm skins over 19mm foam and weighs less than half of my old boat. I'm quite sure it'll be safe.

A thick boat is a heavy boat, and harder to get off a beach, or rocks. But it'll last longer on those rocks than a thin boat.

Horses for courses, as they say.

Good luck to all.

Cheers.
Paul.

[noelex 77]

A Bavaria 50 is a great boat for the med.
Many ex charter boats are available for very reasonable prices. It's a lot of boat for the money.

However single handing a boat of this size does take experience and this experience is difficult to acquire in a short space of time.
There is a real danger of scaring, or worse, yourself, and later your family.

Your plan is feasible, but would stand a much greater chance of success, and be safer, if you took some steps in between.

[alicyp]

Thanks a lot Paul as ı was also reading ı got the same impression from the branded mass production boats , all bav , benat.., ect are strong enough to roud trip the globe and ofcourse they are not ıce breakers...but med sea or costal navigation to indian ocean to austrailia is a pice of cake for such bav 50 ... ı do not have fear ...ıll have hard time on board , itll not be a siesta time on board all the time ,but this is sailing yea ? and ı do fancy with fair mild wethers to sail with enjoyment .....not like nike but my may ! ıll do it in my way