BoatsBavaria Yachts 40 (J&J)

Bavaria Yachts 40 (J&J)

Fractional Sloop · Fin Keel w/bulb · First built 2000

A popular charter-trade cruiser from 2000, offering a balanced 18.88 SA/D ratio and a 1.95-metre bulb keel

Designed by J&J Yacht Design.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin Keel w/bulb

See her sail

The Bavaria Yachts 40 (J&J), on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Patrick Laine

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 24 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 24
CoastalBluewater

2.01 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.01
LightHeavy

169 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 169
EasygoingPowered-up

18.9 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.9
TenderStiff

36% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 36%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

What the fleet has seen

The Bavaria Yachts 40 (J&J), as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Bavaria Yachts 40 (J&J) is a 12.5-meter fractional sloop with a fin keel and bulb, designed by J&J Yacht Design and built by Bavaria Yachts since 2000. It displaces 7901 kg and is popular in the charter trade. A 1999 Bavaria 40 sailed from Panama to Cape Horn, taking a wide offshore route to maintain a 40-degree apparent wind angle and avoid upwind beating.0:54 Aboard this vessel, the in-mast furler jammed due to over-tensioning with an electric winch, requiring a jury-rigged repair.5:53 The boat experienced a knockdown in 50-knot winds and 5-meter seas, destroying the spray hood.27:20 This Bavaria 40 used redundant B&G hydraulic and Raymarine sprocket-and-chain autopilots.35:11 Patrick Laine's Bavaria 40 had persistently leaking forward-cabin hull windows that soaked the V-berth bunk despite repeated re-caulking.1:32 Practical Sailor notes that the Bavaria Yachts 40, with its wider beam and higher sail-carrying capacity, can heel more rapidly than heavier displacement cruisers.5:36

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 5 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Bavaria Yachts 40 (J&J) on video

Ep 70 Sailing to Cape Horn: Leg 1 - The CanalTransiting the Panama Canal requires a mandatory advisor, while hiring line handlers and agents remains optional.Patrick LaineFastnet 2025 on 82 ft Sailboat (Pt 2)An 82-foot sailboat crew uses flaked lines to prevent jamming during the 2025 Fastnet Race to Cherbourg.Patrick LaineFastnet Race 2025 On 82 Ft Sailboat Part 1The 82-foot Grand Mistral *Osprey* completes the 700-mile Fastnet Race with a crew of six.Patrick LaineOur First Adventure as New Sailboat Owners… Reality Hits FastA water pump with loose bolts and diesel in the oil greet new liveaboards in their first weeks aboard.Sailing NomadikaEp 69 Co-Delivering sailing race boat 500NM to Malta with Sports SuperstarA Beneteau Figaro 3 delivery from Croatia to Malta highlights the performance and handling of foiling racers.Patrick LaineHate Heeling? These Sailboats Stay More UprightThe Pearson Yachts 385 and Hallberg-Rassy 40 offer high ballast ratios that minimize heeling for sensitive crews.Practical Sailor

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

  • FailedHarken

    The speaker criticized the design of a plastic plate with set screws in a furler, which failed when overtensioned by an electric winch.

    aboard Patrick Laineseen March 20266:11

  • WorkingRaymarinealongside BNG

    The boat uses a Raymarine autopilot with a sprocket and chain system as one of its two independent systems.

    aboard Patrick Laineseen March 202635:11

  • WorkingNavionics

    The speaker mentioned using Navionics as their navigation software for the trip.

    aboard Patrick Laineseen March 202615:02

  • WorkingSelden

    The speaker noted that their in-mast furling system, like others, has a bolt rope groove for a full-size, full-batten mainsail.

    aboard Patrick Laineseen March 202611:25

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Bavaria Yachts 40 (J&J) may be fitted out entirely differently.

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen sold

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
36.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.9
Displacement / length
169.1
Comfort ratio
23.7
Capsize screening
2.01
Hull speed
8.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1664
Hull
Hull type
Fin Keel w/bulb
Construction
FG w/Divinicell above waterline
Production
Years built
First built 2000
Designer
J&J Yacht Design
Builder
Bavaria Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Dufour Yachts 4012.32 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 12.32-metre fractional sloop featuring a 1.65-metre draft and a balanced 36% ballast ratio for coastal cruising
116. Hans Geilinger. Sailing around the world aboard the Tuvalu.2:49from A Son de Mar
Elan Marine 41012.27 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 12.27-meter performance cruiser with a 2.2-meter draft and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 20.52
Elan 410from SVN solovelanet
Centurion 40S12.35 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA performance-oriented fractional sloop by Berret-Racoupeau, featuring a deep fin keel and a balanced, modern hull form
Alone Through the Night - Sailing to Tenerife | Ep. 154:08from Jakob Lang Sailing
Beneteau Oceanis 41.112.43 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA versatile fractional sloop from Finot-Conq featuring multiple sail plan configurations and a shallow draft option
Four Days, 430NM Upwind: Offshore Passage from St. John to Port St. Louis, Grenada, Plus Some Q&A16:33from Sailing Mirage
Solaris 4212.36 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.36-metre fractional sloop with a 2.5-metre draft and a 19.88 sail-area-to-displacement ratio for balanced performance
SAILING THE ADRIATIC SEA3:32from Adventures of an old Seadog
Beneteau First 40512.40 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.4-metre masthead sloop featuring a deep 2.19-metre fin keel and a balanced displacement for offshore performance
Is the Caribbean Becoming Too Dangerous for Cruisers?27:25from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Bavaria Yachts 39A 12-meter fractional sloop with a 2.0-meter draft and a 37.8% ballast ratio, built for stability and cruising speedBavaria Yachts 40 VisionA 12.7-metre cruiser featuring a 1.75-metre draft and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performanceBavaria Yachts Cruiser 39A high-performance fractional sloop with a 20.61 SA/displacement ratio, designed for speed and ease of handlingBavaria Yachts 41A 1995 fractional sloop with a high 23.59 SA/D ratio, designed for performance-oriented cruisingBavaria Yachts Cruiser 40 (Farr)A Bruce Farr-designed fractional sloop balancing performance and cruising comfort with a stiff fin-and-bulb keel

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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