Captain's Report by Capt. Steve



With a LOA of 31' (10.06 m) the new 31 fits neatly into a gap between the company's 28 and 34.

Mission Statement

Bavaria's press release on the launch of the new Sport 31 tells us that they created her to provide sporty performance while adding more space and comfort below. But more importantly, Bavaria recognizes that not everyone goes boating in the tropics -- yet most express cruisers on the planet seem to have been designed for fair weather and warm water.

Clearly, Bavaria believes in the enhanced sea-keeping abilities of a high-freeboard boat that will keep the cockpit dry in breezy conditions. Below decks, the high freeboard adds a feeling of spaciousness and affords increased opportunity for storage where there would otherwise be a side deck.



A lot of the distinguishing features of the Sport 31 can be seen here. Can you spot them?

Distinguishing Features

Here are some of the features that jump off the page--

Very high freeboard. I have already alluded to the high freeboard, but certainly it is the Bavaria Sport 31's most distinctive characteristic. In fact, virtually all boats in the Bavaria line have a freeboard height significantly greater than most boats in their size range.

Mid cabin standing headroom and bench seat. Rarely do we see in a 31-footer with a privacy door to the mid cabin, nor do we find standing headroom at the entrance. Usually in this class of boat one must crawl around the companionway stairs to the mid cabin, which is usually separated from the main salon by little more than a curtain, if that.

But that is not all this mid cabin has. The simple fact is you need a place to sit, to put socks on, to put shoes on, and to have a conversation. In the Bavaria Sport 31 you can do all of that, and we can't think of another boat in class that has this kind of room. This attribute, of course, is due to the high freeboard as well as the settee on the deck above.

No windshield walkthrough. Increasingly, many express cruisers, particularly those built in the US, have walkthough windshields, but Bavaria takes a more traditional approach. The rounded Bavaria Sport 31 windshield has a single mullion on the centerline, and one on each side. This provides great visibility with fewer interruptions. Passage to the foredeck is by means of side decks, the traditional way.



By only dropping the bow slightly Bavaria manages more freeboard from stem to stern. Note the open bow pulpit which facilitates boarding when parked bow-in at a dock which is customary in Northern Europe.

High rails. Usually we see low rails or no rails as some think that the boat looks better this way. Unfortunately, this renders the bow area useless. (It is also contrary to ABYC and CE standards.) Bavaria seems to be embracing their bow area with high rails that carry well back to the steps in the cockpit. And, you know what? I think it looks great. It gives the boat a much larger look. You'll also feel that you're in a much larger boat when you come up those stairs and the rail is right there.

Five skylights. With this much light entering the lower decks, who needs electricity? Well maybe at night but this is a huge feature on the Sport 31. In fact, the salon has a massive skylight just behind the windshield. Bavaria is only able to do this thanks to the absence of a walkthrough windshield. This skylight, with its dark smoked glass also knocks down the glare that an all-white dash would reflect back into the windshield.



A very thick window frame makes a great handhold, and notice how high the rails are. Teak decking completes the look. Note the compass to the right of the helm, truly the first time we have ever seen it placed in such a location.

Extendable forward berth. We've seen this once or twice before and liked it. As you're not using the forward berth all the time, it makes sense to shorten it up and provide room to the salon. When you want to sleep, extend it and climb in for the night. A great idea whose time has come.



Main deck of the Bavaria Sport 31 showing its standard radar arch.

The Upper Deck

Let's take a detailed look at some of the highlights of this Sport 31 starting with the upper deck. For starters, take a look at that huge sunpad abaft the cockpit. There's storage underneath for all sorts of water toys, and the space really lends itself to wet storage as the heat from the engines below will serve to dry items out. For the same reason, this isn't where I'd store a carry-on cooler, but the fact is, you can't have too much storage on a boat and this is cavernous.

Another nice feature is that you can access both side decks from the swim platform without having to go through the cockpit. The cockpit has access only to the starboard side deck.



With the optional extended swim platform you have a lot of room, and there's also an hydraulic option. Notice how the reboarding ladder is in clear sight of the helm.



Under the sunpad is deep storage for whatever you'd care to put inside, such as fenders, a small rolled inflatable, and water toys.

The cockpit features an entertainment center and a large settee with storage underneath. A forward facing observer's seat can be swapped out for an optional flip-back seat that allows dual use... facing forward or facing the table.

Helm

The helm on the Sport 31 is over to starboard and is quite nicely laid out. It's also quite long so the gauges are well ahead leaving plenty of room for a multifunction display. Bavaria has partnered with Garmin for their electronics provider for factory installation, and of course you're free to install whatever brand you choose on your own.

Just ahead of the throttles is the joystick, and forward of that are trim and thruster controls. Above those controls are the twin Volvo Penta EVC engine displays. Bavaria also offers an integrated autopilot.

The bucket helm seat is a large single. There is no traditional companion seat, however the forward side of the settee seat permits facing forward.



Not only is the aft sunpad covering deep storage, there's also a safety rail surrounding it. While we can't say we advocate having people on it during operations, it's nice to see that a rail is included in the design.

Power

For powering your Sport 31 you can opt for a pair of sterndrive 260-hp 5.0 MPI or 320-hp 377 Mags from MerCruiser. Either will accommodate the Axius joystick for easier docking.

If you're a fan of Volvo Penta, then you have even more choices. For gas, there are twin 320-hp 5.7 GXiE's, and with diesel, choose from either a single D6 in either the 320 or 370-hp version, or twin 220-hp D3's or 260-hp D4's. All are sterndrive installations. Of course if you go with twins, then you can opt to add the Volvo Penta joystick.

Lower Decks

Here's a good recipe for a roomy 31 footer: Take three sections from a 34, and one from a 28...combine and serve.



In this over and under look at the skylights you can really see how they allows so much natural light into the salon below. Notice how this also serves to break up the glare of an all-white dash panel.

Keeping with Bavaria's goal of providing more space, it's not hard to see how well the 31 compares with her larger sister, the 34. In fact, most of the features of the 34 are incorporated into this 31 with the notable exception of the mid cabin.



The Sport 31 forward berth, dinette and galley. Notice the abundance of natural light overhead. You can see the seat back for the dinette is in a notch in the berth, which can be extended when sleeping. Note the cabinets on the hull sides up against the overhead. This is where the side decks would be on a conventional express cruiser.

Berth space. The forward berth has an expandable section that abuts the dinette seating. In this manner, Bavaria makes great use of space since it's unlikely that the berth and dinette will ever be used at the same time. In the center of the berth I measured 4'4" (1.04 m) of headroom, so clearly, sitting up in bed will not cause a concussion. The foot of the bed is an astonishing 8'4" (2.55 m) across.

Salon and galley. The dinette and galley area is a bit cramped when you compare the Sport 31 to her larger sister, the 34, or even other boats in class. The settee, of course, makes into a bed in a pinch. The galley has the normal equipment you'd expect on a 31-footer.



The mid cabin with its filler removed, and inserted, as well as the bench seating just across. This is an unusually generous amount of room in this size boat.

Mid Cabin

The mid cabin has its own privacy door, as well has having standing headroom at the entry with 6'4" (1.93 m) of overhead clearance. This is a remarkable aspect of this boat, and it is made possible because of the high freeboard.

The two twin berths are easily converted to a double with the insertion of filler cushions. Most notable is that because this stateroom is full beam, Bavaria was able to add a bench seat against the port side. A small portlight is just above. What a nice place to sit and watch the evening moon reflecting off the water before you turn in. And it's a great place to put on your socks.

We assume that this cabin will be used as the master stateroom, and the forward berth will be given over to guests or kids.

Observation

I think the Sport 31 should be a serious contender in the express cruiser market for customers in northern latitudes in particular, and everyone in general. Her high freeboard gives great standing headroom below, while adding to her seaworthiness and dry ride.

We have not tested the boat, but we'd sure like to in snotty conditions, because we think she would be a sterling performer. When we compare her to other boats in class, we find that she is beamier on deck, and somewhat heavier than most. Those two aspects should also aid her rough water capabilities.