I am purchasing a bavaria 46 and wonder about whether the standard 55 hp volvo sail drive has enough torque and power. The option is the volvo75, which is the same block with a turbo. Also does anyone have experience with fuel consumption for either configuration. Actually have many questions regarding "options" outfitting. So any advice welcome.
engines
- Thread starter tom miller
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We recently purchased a Bavaria 38 and had the same debate over the 29 or 55. We were getting a lot of advice from people to get the bigger engine which we ordered. Due to a mixup the boat came with the 29 prompting me to do a lot of research on the subject. If you are doing a lot of ocean crosings and adding a lot of power consuming extras such as a water maker you could need the larger engine. We do not plan to use our boat that way and some very savy experts who make a living servicing small deisel engines advised me to go with the smaller engine. I don't know anything about the Bavaria 46 but one of these experts told me he never knew of a manufacturer that recommended an engine that was too small. If Bavaria recommends the 55 I would take it very seriously. Here is the problem with bigger engines. Small deisels like to run hot or around 80%+ of full rpm most of the time, unlike gas engines. If you put in too big an engine you might find yourself at hull speed with only 50% of max rpm. Adding more power from their only makes a bigger hole in the watter, makes more noise, and increaces vibration so you will rarely do it. This results in the engine running cooler than it likes to run and this may not be good. We have not yet found ourselves in adverse conditions but after one summer of use we have been pleased with the smaller engine.
I have a 2002 Bavaria 44 (46 foot LOA) which has a standard Volvo 55 HP engine fitted and it is more than ample for the job. I haven't recorded fuel consumption but it appears to be very low on this unit - 6 weeks in the summer up and down the Costa Brava has only made a very small dent in the tank! Are you buying the boat in Mallorca? If so I think they launch them at Empuriabrava - just up the marina from my berth!
thanks
Thank you Justin for your message. Yes, I am buying the boat in Mallorca and dealing with a Mr. Lothar Kloss. I am going to take possession in August, vacation for four weeks and then take it to the Canaries for the ARC rally.
Thank you Justin for your message. Yes, I am buying the boat in Mallorca and dealing with a Mr. Lothar Kloss. I am going to take possession in August, vacation for four weeks and then take it to the Canaries for the ARC rally.
Voyage to the ARC
The advice on engiones sounds good; however they do NOT run hotbut they are best worked "hard" for technical reasons. I am delivering a Bavaria 50 for a friend soemtime in October on the second leg down to Canaries from Gib; another skipper is bringing her from Athens; Keep in touch on this; we will then know each other is out there!.. Dates will be known in a few weeks time. Grahgam Wood
The advice on engiones sounds good; however they do NOT run hotbut they are best worked "hard" for technical reasons. I am delivering a Bavaria 50 for a friend soemtime in October on the second leg down to Canaries from Gib; another skipper is bringing her from Athens; Keep in touch on this; we will then know each other is out there!.. Dates will be known in a few weeks time. Grahgam Wood
keeping in touch
Sounds real good to me. I will be taking the boat to the canaries in late August. Will leave it there and come back for the trip in late November. Love to talk with you about it. I live in the US but can phone you to talk at some point. tom miller
Sounds real good to me. I will be taking the boat to the canaries in late August. Will leave it there and come back for the trip in late November. Love to talk with you about it. I live in the US but can phone you to talk at some point. tom miller
We own a Bavaria Ocean 42 with a 59 hp Volvo. Kokomo displaces 20,000 pounds and the 59hp is a good size for this yacht with plenty of reserve power. You should consider the optional engine if you are going offshore or plan to cruise.
Engine advice
Hi John Thank you for your thoughtful message. I think you are correct and will find the money for the 75 hp volvo. I actually live in California and will be bringing the boat across over a year and a half. Sailing, putting it up on hard, sailing again, etc. tom
Hi John Thank you for your thoughtful message. I think you are correct and will find the money for the 75 hp volvo. I actually live in California and will be bringing the boat across over a year and a half. Sailing, putting it up on hard, sailing again, etc. tom
I have a 1998 Bavaria 46 with 59 hp Volvo + saildrive configuration. I find it's got plenty of torque and power, but I'm not motoring at hull speed (usually 7-7.5 knots). I don't have an exact number on fuel consumption, but during my six week trip last summer it looked roughly like <1.4 gals/hr at recommended cruising RPM. [You can find on the web - I did it once but can't remember where - the Volvo performance curves that show projected fuel consumption by RPM for different engine models]. PS - As you think of propulsion options, I'd recommend you consider a folding prop (eg, MaxProp or similar). We put one on our boat and it backs up like it's on rails ...
thanks Scott
Thanks, good to here. what is your hull speed and corresponding rpm. I am outfitting the boat from a distance and would value any advice. In November I am going to do the ARC crossing. thomasmillerphd@yahoo.com
Thanks, good to here. what is your hull speed and corresponding rpm. I am outfitting the boat from a distance and would value any advice. In November I am going to do the ARC crossing. thomasmillerphd@yahoo.com
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