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BAVARIA Cruiser 46vsElan Impression 45.1

BAVARIA Cruiser 46 is 1.3 ft longer than Impression 45.1 (3%). BAVARIA Cruiser 46 is 0.6 ft wider than Impression 45.1 (4%). BAVARIA Cruiser 46 is the heaviest at 27,015 lb, 14% more than Impression 45.1.

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Key differences

Worked out from the published figures below — arithmetic, not opinion.

At a glance

Dark icons are the standard layout; faded ones are what the larger layout adds.

Length : beam is length divided by beam — the higher it is, the slimmer the hull. Multihulls read low by nature.

A figure marked with a quote mark was read from the builder's page. Open it for the exact line, the page and the date.

Model
Bavaria Yachts BAVARIA Cruiser 46

Bavaria Yachts

BAVARIA Cruiser 46
Elan Impression 45.1
Overview
BrandBavaria YachtsElan
ModelBAVARIA Cruiser 46Impression 45.1
GenerationUnknownUnknown
Hull typeSailing MonohullSailing Monohull
PropulsionSailSail
Production statusIn productionDiscontinued
Production start yearUnknownUnknown
Production end yearUnknownUnknown
DesignerUnknownHumphreys Yacht Design
Dimensions
LOA45.6 ft44.3 ft
Hull length44.6 ft42.7 ft
Beam14.3 ft13.7 ft
Draft6 ft–7.2 ft5.2 ft–6.2 ft
Displacement27,015 lb23,788 lb
Accommodation
Cabins3–43–4
Heads32
BerthsUnknownUnknown
Performance & Rig
Main sailUnknown504 ft²
JibUnknownUnknown
GenoaUnknown565 ft²
Upwind sail area1,163 ft²Unknown
Downwind sail areaUnknown1,184 ft²
Engine power51 hp45 hp–57 hp
Engine count11
Materials
Hull materialGRPGRP
Deck materialUnknownUnknown
Mast materialUnknownUnknown
Keel typeUnknownL-shaped keel
Rudder typeUnknownUnknown
Sources

Figures read fromBuilder's page

13 of 15 figures here carry the builder's own words

Size, to scale

Each boat's published length and beam seen from above, and its mast height and draft from the side, all drawn on one scale.

From above — length × beam
0 ft10 ft20 ft30 ft40 ftBAVARIA Cruiser 46: 45.6 ft × 14.3 ftImpression 45.1: 44.3 ft × 13.7 ftBAVARIA Cruiser 4645.6 ft × 14.3 ftImpression 45.144.3 ft × 13.7 ft

Outlines are schematic; the dimensions are the builder's.

From the side — height above and depth below the water
WaterlinePerson, 5.9 ftBAVARIA Cruiser 46: 69.6 ft / 7.2 ft69.6 ft7.2 ftBAVARIA Cruiser 46Impression 45.1: 64 ft / 6.2 ft64 ft6.2 ftImpression 45.1

Speed, power & tanks

What the builders publish about how fast, how strong and how far — each figure on one scale for every boat.

Tanks

One scale per liquid across every boat: a tank twice the height holds twice as much.

  • BAVARIA Cruiser 46

    Fuel55 gal
    Water92 gal

  • Impression 45.1

    Fuel57 gal
    Water79 gal

How they sail, in numbers

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from each builder's published figures. They compare boats; they don't grade them.

Sail area / displacement

How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.

ModestCruiserPerformanceRacing162024BAVARIA Cruiser 46: 20.7Impression 45.1: 20.7
  • BAVARIA Cruiser 4620.7· Performance
  • Impression 45.120.7· Performance
How it is worked out

sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

BAVARIA Cruiser 46: published upwind sail area

Impression 45.1: mainsail + genoa, added up

Displacement / length

How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.

UltralightLightModerateHeavyVery heavy100180270350BAVARIA Cruiser 46: 158Impression 45.1: 201
  • BAVARIA Cruiser 46158· Light
  • Impression 45.1201· Moderate
How it is worked out

displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³

Ballast ratio

The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.

LowModerateHigh3040Impression 45.1: 31
  • BAVARIA Cruiser 46not published: ballast
  • Impression 45.131· Moderate
How it is worked out

ballast ÷ displacement × 100

Comfort ratio

Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.

LightCoastalModerate offshoreHeavy offshoreVery heavy20304050BAVARIA Cruiser 46: 27.7Impression 45.1: 28.2
  • BAVARIA Cruiser 4627.7· Coastal
  • Impression 45.128.2· Coastal
How it is worked out

displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft

Capsize screening

A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.

Below 22 and above2BAVARIA Cruiser 46: 1.90Impression 45.1: 1.91
  • BAVARIA Cruiser 461.90· Below 2
  • Impression 45.11.91· Below 2
How it is worked out

beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓

Hull speed

Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.

  • BAVARIA Cruiser 468.7 kn
  • Impression 45.18.2 kn
How it is worked out

1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots

Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.

Worth adding to this comparison

The boats most like the ones above, by hull form, size and use.