Review of Bavaria C57

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The boat is equipped with 0 cabins, 6/8/10/12 berths and 650.0 liter fresh water capacity.

The Bavaria C57 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

The Bavaria C57 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Unknown keel type

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.52 - 2.62 meter (8.27 - 8.57 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Shallow keel

The Bavaria C57 is equipped with a shallow keel. A shallow keel allow to sail both coastal and inland waters.

This keel is also made of iron.

Bavaria C57 can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.99 - 2.09 meter (6.53 - 6.83 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Bavaria C57 is 2.07, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Bavaria C57 holds a CE certification:

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 9.6 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Bavaria C57 is about 548 kg/cm, alternatively 3070 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 548 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 3070 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Bavaria C57 is 25.2.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Bavaria C57 is 3.06.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Bavaria C57 is 128 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)
Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind:
- Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15
- Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20
- Racers have ratios above 20
- High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24
Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 23.41

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 91m² (979 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Bavaria C57 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.