Bavaria Yachts – a brief history
In 1978, Winfried Herrmann began building boats in Giebelstadt a town not far from Frankfurt in Germany. Winfried was a keen sailor and entrepreneur and had recognised the workforce expertise and technology being used in the PVC window factory he ran with his partner Georg Haubner. The window factory was already successful on the site and they wondered if the manufacturing techniques could be transferred to building yachts. And so the story of Bavaria Yachts begins…
GRP had been the established method of boat manufacturer for many years, so taking the knowledge that he had learned with window manufacturer was truly a game-changer for the yacht industry.
Industrial scale yacht production at an unbeatable price
Seizing on the idea that yachts could be built on an industrial scale and offered at an unbeatable price, the first yacht rolled off the production line and so Bavaria Yachts was born.
The new venture was launched at the Interboot Boat Show and two Bavaria yachts were presented to the public. A seven-metre and an eight-metre modern yacht took pride of place on the stand. They both had raised foredecks which meant the yachts had lots of space below deck – befitting of the new company slogan of “better living at sea”.
The two business owners clearly wanted to make their mark within the sector and provided a range of value-added services for new customers. They carried out customer surveys at boat fairs and recognised that new customers also needed a suitable marina berth for their new yachts – so they sourced and supplied those too.
By 1979, a new 5,000 square metre yacht production facility was launched and Axel Monhaupt was appointed as the house-designer. Within a matter of months, five yachts a week were leaving the production line – truly something to rival the traditional yacht making methods of other factories.
Bavaria Yacht Expansion Plans
In the 1980s, the yacht and charter agent Josef Meltl joined Bavaria Yachts and added valuable market expertise that was also instrumental for the successful entry into the charter market that was to follow very soon.
From here things developed at a rapid pace. The Bavaria Yacht design team became well respected in the fast yacht racing space and by 2001 the company had branched out into manufacturing motorboats. Like their sailing yachts they immediately became successful. The production quality and price point were two factors that ensured Bavaria Yachts would continue to be a success.
Within two years the yard had been enlarged to 71,000 square metres and Bavaria Yachts was building over 2,000 boats a year. The team were now using sophisticated manufacturing methods like working with their suppliers to deliver engines already unpacked, and with the gearbox already bolted on. These new supply methods meant there was no need to unpack and assemble the engines at the yard, they were simply lifted straight into the boats and bolted down in place.
Bavaria Multihull Yachts
In 2014, Bavaria Yachts also entered the multihull market with the purchase of the French catamaran manufacturer Nautitech. In 2015, the Bavaria Nautitech 46 Open was launched as the first catamaran newly developed under Bavaria Yachts.
Despite incredible growth over 35 years, the business was met with financial difficulty and filed for bankruptcy in April 2018. However, by September of the same year a new investment team was found, and the yard was secured before the shipyard was due to close.
Bavaria Yachts has come a long way since those early models. Today, about 550 employees work in Giebelstadt and produce over 450 sailing yachts and motorboats.
The production ethos of Winfried Herrmann is still very much at the core of the company. Over the years the manufacturing techniques have been refined with things like state-of-the-art vacuum infusion technology and the use of modular interiors.
Bavaria Yacht Range
Sailing yachts
- BAVARIA C45 – 45.9 feet (14.0 m)
- BAVARIA C50 – 50.6 feet (15.4 m)
- BAVARIA C57 – 54.9 feet (16.7 m)
- CRUISER 34 – 32.9 feet (10.0 m)
- CRUISER 37 – 37.1 feet (11.3 m)
- CRUISER 41 – 40.6 feet (12.4 m)
- CRUISER 41S – 40.6 feet (12.4 m)
- VISION 42 – 42 feet (13 m)
- VISION 46 – 45.1 feet (13.7 m)
- EASY 9.7 – 32.78 feet (9.99 m)
Catamarans
- NAUTITECH 40 OPEN – 39.3 feet (12.0 m)
- NAUTITECH 46 OPEN | FLY – 45.2 feet (13.8 m)
- NAUTITECH 47 POWER – 46.7 feet (14.2 m)
- NAUTITECH 541 | 542 – 53.5 feet (16.3 m)
Drag Reducing Propellers for Bavaria Yachts
Darglow have supplied drag reducing props for a number of models in the Bavaria Yacht range. We keep an expanding database of technical information on many of our installations along with feedback from our customers.
Rope Cutters for Bavaria Yachts
We have supplied rope cutters for various boats in the Bavaria Yacht range. We keep a database of technical information on many of our installations along with feedback from our customers.
Check our full list of Bavaria Yachts we have supplied rope cutters for here.
Visit the Bavaria Yachts website
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