27.03.2024
Sailing Area Mallorca - information & tips
Chines and V-Bow - The designer interview about the new BAVARIA C42
The BAVARIA C42 sailing yacht is the logical progression from the BAVARIA C-Line, but has its own distinct character. A modern, innovative hull shape with chines and a V-shaped bow developed by BAVARIA YACHTS guarantee both the best sailing performance and an unusually large amount of space below deck. But what really are the advantages of chines and V-Bow? We’ve talked to BAVARIA YACHTS product manager Pascal Kuhn and yacht designer Maurizio Cossutti.
BAVARIA YACHTS: Maurizio, we know chines from racing yachts like the Volvo Ocean Race boats. How do they influence the sailing characteristics of a series-produced boat?
Maurizio Cossutti: „Chines increase stability under sail at an heeling angle of 15 to 20 degrees. When designing the underwater hull, you can also use the dynamic effect of the chines for faster water drainage on the hull. With a regatta yacht these effects are easy to use due to the higher boatspeed. For cruising boats that are sailing slower than regatta yachts, the position of the kink is crucial. Otherwise negative effects can easily occur.“
BAVARIA YACHTS: Pascal, if you look on a hull with chines through the eyes of a product manager. How do they change the character of a yacht?
Pascal Kuhn: „Of course, boats with chines look very modern and they give character to the design. More stability under sails upwind, more boat speed downwind and an easier control are of course real arguments for chines. Especially with a boat size like the BAVARIA C42 with a hull length of 11.98 meters.“
BAVARIA YACHTS: Pascal, the aft-cabines of the BAVARIA C42 should be impressively large! Did the chines help with the layout?
Pascal Kuhn: „The Chines definitely allow more space in the cockpit and aft cabins, that's right. With the BAVARIA C42, for example, we were able to make full use of this space for the berths in the aft cabins with a full width of 1.60 metres.“
BAVARIA YACHTS: Maurizio, the V-Bow of the C42 looks impressive. How did you come up with the idea for this completely new and special shape?
Maurizio Cossutti: „Modern sailboats often have a very wide stern and therefore a lot of volume in the rear of the hull. When the sailboat gets more wind and the heel increases, the hull gets out of balance. The stern comes further out of the water and the bow is pushed further into the water. As a result the pressure on the rudder increases. A V-Bow with more volume compensates this effect and the boat is easier to steer. It was important for us to keep the bow narrow at the waterline so that the dive into the wave is not too hard when the boat is upright.“
BAVARIA YACHTS: Pascal, how does the V-Bow affect the interior?
Pascal Kuhn: „It is amazing how much more space was created by the V-Bow in the front cabin. We were able to bring the double berth to a width of 1.80 metres and a length of 2.30 metres. And all this with maximum headroom in the entire cabin, including large lockers.“
BAVARIA YACHTS: Maurizio, what do you love about the BAVARIA C42 personally?
Maurizio Cossutti: „At Cossutti Yacht Design we love challenges, and the BAVARIA C42 is exactly such a project: keeping the C-Line style but with a lot of new features that makes her different. Together with Pascal and the BAVARIA YACHTS team no stones were left unturned. So it’s really a new starting point, an Italian-German way for BAVARIA YACHTS.“
Pascal Kuhn (front) Product manager BAVARIA Sailing Yachts
Cossutti Yacht Design Team