The spacious Bavaria 34 from 1999 immediately struck a chord with the boat-buying public, with the first year’s production selling out before the prototype left the factory.

When I tested one of the first examples to reach the UK it was easy to see why.

For a start, a huge investment in production engineering made this a surprisingly low-cost boat, especially as Sterling was much stronger then compared to European currencies today.

At the same time, it offered excellent accommodation for a boat of this length, yet sailed well compared to many.

When I visited the Bavaria factory in 2001 all plywood for bulkheads and other furniture was automatically cut and lacquered using CNC machines, before being assembled into modules that could be dropped straight into a hull.

Keels were lined up using a laser-guided jig to ensure they were fitted in exactly the right place.

Equally, on board systems were well engineered, with key service items such as shower sump pumps and filters located where they can be easily reached.

This was a recipe for both quality production and saving so much labour time that unit costs dropped dramatically.

By 2007 the firm was building around 3,500 boats per year – far larger than Westerly ever was – and changed hands that year for a figure widely believed to have been in excess of €1 billion.

Designed by J and J, the Bavaria 34 was offered with a choice of two or three double cabins, with the latter being an excellent choice for families with older children, although most examples have two cabins.

These benefit from a forward owner’s cabin with decent stowage and ample standing space, even if the forward end of the double berth is a little on the small side.

Three-cabin boats have the heads to port ahead of the saloon, which means there’s only half the floor area in the forward cabin compared to the two-cabin option.

While the saloon is a good size, and there’s a large proper forward-facing chart table with its own seat, the galley is on the small side, with only a single bowl sink, while the cool box lid fridge takes up most of the available worktop space.

As standard, Bavarias of this era had minimal equipment – even the anchor was on the extras list – although Furlex headsail reefing gear was fitted as standard, as was Seldén single line mainsail reefing.

By now all examples will have gathered many extras, but don’t be surprised to find wide differences in the inventory of otherwise similar boats.

If possible it’s worth seeking out examples with updated electronics and other systems.

Both shallow and deep fin bulb keels were offered, with 1.35m and 1.85m draughts respectively and additional ballast in the shallow version to maintain a similar level of stability.

The two-spreader 9/10ths fractional rig was designed for large overlapping genoas, rather than the non-overlapping jibs of more recent designs that are easier to handle and tend to be more efficient upwind in stronger winds.

The cockpit feels safe and secure, with enough space to move around easily, without being so large that it is difficult to brace yourself when sitting on the windward side.

Primary winches are located near the wheel, so it’s possible to tack the boat from the helm.

However, the mainsheet is handled via a clutch on the coachroof, which makes even minor adjustments to sail trim a two-person affair, unless the boat has a decent autopilot.

For a boat aimed squarely at the cruising market, the Bavaria 34 handles well under sail, with no undue vices, particularly in deep draught format.

Two engines were offered, both driving a sail drive – the standard model 20hp Volvo Penta 2020 is arguably a little undersized and a good number were fitted with the 28hp 2030.

While this design will never have the cachet of a Hallberg-Rassy or Contessa, it understandably remains a popular choice thanks to the spacious accommodation and ease of maintenance, even if some elements such as the small central wheel now look dated.

The model was variously called the Bavaria 34 or 34 Cruiser, but should not be confused with the later Farr-designed Cruiser 34.

It was part of a wide range of cruising yachts, with more than a dozen models from 31-51ft and was in production for almost a decade.

Other second-hand alternatives to the Bavaria 34

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 34.2

Bavaria was up against stiff competition from other boatbuilders who were also rapidly industrialising production processes and therefore producing yachts at surprisingly affordable prices.

As a result, the average size of new yachts moved upwards, as did expectations for comfort and passage-making speed.

This Jacques Faroux design from 1998 is a slightly smaller boat than the Bavaria 34, with 20cm (8in) less beam, although the static waterline is a little longer and the maximum beam is carried well aft.

Nevertheless, it was offered with a three-cabin layout, without the forecabin being compromised by squeezing a heads compartment into the space forward of the main bulkhead.

This was achieved through the use of a linear galley along the port side of the saloon, with a curved seat and oval table opposite.

This gives a much larger galley area than the Bavaria 34, though it’s much more of a challenge to use at sea, while the saloon is smaller and lacks a proper sea berth.

Two-cabin versions have a very large double berth in the aft cabin, while also gaining a larger heads compartment and a useful hanging locker accessed from the saloon.

The design was popular among both private owners and Mediterranean charter companies, with plenty of examples available on the second-hand market.

Dufour 34 Performance

This Umberto Felci design was named European Yacht of the Year in 2003 and was the smallest of a three-model range of performance cruiser-racers.

All have clean hull lines, a near plumb bow, long waterline, an efficient rig and good stability. They tend to appeal to knowledgeable buyers, often with a racing background.

While the interior is generally spacious, finer forward sections restrict interior volume compared to more cruising-oriented designs.

One consequence of this is that, although a three-cabin version is offered, this is relatively cramped and most owners choose the two-cabin option.

In both cases the central part of the boat – saloon, galley and nav station – are identical. These have good stowage and are well arranged for use at sea.

Forward of the main bulkhead, two-cabin models have a spacious forecabin, with good stowage and standing space.

With three-cabin models, the heads compartment uses some of this space, so the cabin is more cramped.

The cockpit layout is ideal for short-handed sailing, whether racing or cruising, with mainsheet, traveller and primary winches all within easy reach of the wheel, which is large enough to see the luff of the genoa easily when close hauled.

The set-up also works reasonably well when sailing fully crewed.

Two keels were offered, with a deep draught of 1.92m and a shallow version of 1.49m.

I was able to sail one of the early boats, equipped with laminate sails, on a gusty day, with true wind speed varying from 19-39 knots.

With full main and 105% headsail, we consistently made over 6 knots to windward, with the true wind speed hovering between 20-27 knots the helm was finger light and perfectly balanced, with only the slightest touch of weather helm except in the very strongest gusts.

Catalina 34

This is an older design built in California that stayed in production for an incredible 23 years, during which some 2,000 examples were built, making it probably the most popular sailing boat of its size ever produced.

In later years UK agents were appointed and a good number were sold on this side of the Atlantic.

Nevertheless, the yard is still best known in North America, having produced an astonishing 70,000 boats since 1969.

The Mark ll version launched in 1996 had an updated interior, new deck mould and a slightly redesigned hull shape to increase beam aft at deck level.

The feeling of space below decks belies the age of the original design, although a three-cabin version was never offered.

There’s generous headroom of 6ft 4in (1.95m) and berth lengths are a full two metres, although the bed in the aft cabin is arranged transversely across the boat.

This is another boat I tested in gusty conditions, with winds ranging from 12-23 knots.

When close-hauled it sailed comfortably with full main, plus two rolls in the headsail, in up to 17-18 knots of apparent wind.

Above this level, the boat became over-pressed, with weather helm building quickly. However, it would only round up if not depowered in the strongest gusts.

Easing sheets and bearing away onto a close reach speed rose from around 5.6 knots to a shade over 7 knots, with the boat having a very solid feel.

An optional shoal draught (1.3m/4ft 3in) wing keel was offered, which has an extra 480kg of ballast to maintain the same level of stability

Legend 340

This is one of the earlier Hunter Marine (branded as Legend in the UK) designs to sport what became a trademark backstayless rig, plus a mainsail with a large roach.

Mounting the mainsheet traveller on a distinctive stainless steel arch above the cockpit was a novel idea at the time, and wouldn’t have been an inexpensive solution, but it kept crew in the cockpit safe from the sheet in a gybe, while still offering excellent control of sail shape, including the ability to depower easily in gusty conditions.

As with the Catalina, the Legend 340 offers excellent interior volume in a wide beam, high freeboard hull, including a galley of a size that’s rarely seen on a 34ft boat, even today.

In many respects, the accommodation is similar to that of the older Legend 335, but with the heads moved aft of the saloon near the companionway, where it’s more easily accessed from on deck and is also in the part of the boat with the least motion at sea.

The Legend 340 was built from 1997 to 2003 by Florida-based Hunter Marine Corporation, which also had a UK factory from 2001 to 2006, which built 600 of the 2,000 Legends that were sold in the UK. In total, around 40,000 boats were sold worldwide.

Beneteau First 35/345

These older performance cruisers offer an interesting lower-budget alternative and were regarded as being among the best designs of their era, with handling to match.

The First 35 was launched in 1980 as a cruiser-racer with, unusually for those days, three-cabin accommodation, an impressive galley, a proper chart table and a large saloon with decent sea berths.

Four years later the boat was given a makeover and became the First 345. This had a significantly higher quality of finish, while a radical long Perspex companionway flooded the saloon with light and a good number of opening hatches maximised natural ventilation.

These factors help to explain the boat’s popularity with Mediterranean charter fleets, as well as with owners who valued the boat’s performance as much as the interior comforts.

It’s still one of my favourite boats of its period, even if newer designs benefit from significantly more stability and the relatively narrow transom by today’s standards limits the width of the aft cabin berths, especially towards the foot.

Beneteau Oceanis 361

If a performance design such as the Beneteau 345 could succeed in the charter market, what could be achieved with a yacht that capitalised on the same sense of space and style, but was designed from the outset as a cruiser?

We didn’t have to wait long to find the answer and Beneteau’s Oceanis 350, launched in 1986, was the start of a revolution.

The Oceanis 361 of 1999 was one of the later second-generation models and packed a huge amount of volume into a hull length of 35ft 5in.

It also has a proportionately longer waterline than the Bavaria 34 and a whole 12in (30cm) more beam, making it a significantly larger boat.

Yet prices today appear to be only around 20% higher – so approximately £10,000 – than the German model.

That extra space translates to bigger cabins all round, even on three-cabin versions.

There’s also a larger heads, with a separate shower stall, plus a big galley, chart table and decent saloon.

Most appear to be fitted with a shoal draught keel, although a 1.8m draught option was offered.

Beneteau Oceanis 323

Launched in 2004, this was one of the early models in the third generation of Oceanis designs that benefited from deeper, low-centre-of-gravity keels that improved windward performance and increased ultimate stability, making them more capable offshore yachts.

At the same time, it set new accommodation standards for 32ft cruising yachts.

High freeboard, combined with carrying the beam well aft, plus a stepped coachroof give a lot more interior volume than earlier designs, although a three-cabin version was not offered.

Nevertheless, this is an impressively spacious boat – headroom in the saloon is almost 6ft 6in and the aft cabin berth is nearly two metres square.

Both cabins have ample standing areas with 1.83m (6ft) headroom, as well as reasonable stowage, while the large heads compartment has a separate shower area.

The cockpit is a good size, with a central table, plus a space-saving pivoting wheel and lifting helm seat that gives easy access to the walk-through transom and bathing platform.

But the deck layout is basic, with some gear of minimal size and the mainsheet is out of reach of the helm.

Other boats to consider

Designed by Rob Humphreys, the Elan Impression 344 won the European Yacht of the Year sub-10m category in 2006.

It has a three-cabin layout with a forecabin that almost matches that of the Bavaria 34 but retains a more conventional saloon layout than the Sun Odyssey 34.2.

However the Impression 344 was built in smaller numbers and fewer were sold in northern Europe and the UK, although there are plenty of examples in Croatia, where some are still in service in charter fleets.

Beneteau’s First 36.7 is a direct contemporary of the Bavaria 34 and Oceanis 361, but with more of an emphasis on performance, a number of which were pushed hard as offshore race boats when new.

Today, they are regarded as a moderate design that nonetheless combines speed with good handling characteristics, especially when fitted with a roller furling headsail and mainsail reefing that can be operated from the cockpit.

A narrower beam than that of the Oceanis 361 means a lot less space inside and accommodation is more comparable to the Bavaria 34.

However, these can make an excellent option for someone seeking a faster boat that’s more fun to sail, with a higher specification of deck hardware.

It would certainly be near the top of my shortlist providing an affordable berth for a slightly longer boat was available.

If not, the smaller First 33.7 was also offered with a similar three-cabin layout. Equally, another Beneteau, the slightly smaller Oceanis 331, may also be worth considering.

It has a much better galley than the Bavaria, though the chart table is smaller. Two-cabin versions benefit from a huge aft cabin, but forecabin stowage and standing space are no match for the Bavaria 34 – somewhat surprisingly the First 33.7 is better in this respect, despite being a higher-performance design.

The Dufour 36 Classic was intended as more of an out-and-out cruising design than the Dufour 34, and benefits from a higher volume hull shape that sacrificed some speed, efficiency and handling characteristics – especially upwind – for larger accommodation.

The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 36.2 may also be a good option for some.

This model from the late 1990s is another that appealed to a wide range of buyers, including both private owners and charter companies.

The shallow fin option reduces draught from 1.9m to just 1.37m, while stability is maintained by increasing the ballast by one-third of a tonne to 1,875kg, although it has to be noted that the deep keel version was considered to be relatively lightly ballasted.

There’s also well-proportioned accommodation, within a hull length that’s a fraction under 35ft.

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