World Premier of the Bavaria Nautitech Open 46 at LGM 2016

Nice boat but the French boat builders have the habit of not protecting the helm in inclement weather (hot or cold) which means whoever is steering the boat gets wet or fried.

Nice boat, thanks for the reviw. Also most monotonous voiceover ever?

The open helm stations don't appeal to me much. Adding a bimini or canopy would take away from the design plus the added windage problems. My favorite cats would be the St Francis 50 Mk 2, and the new Balance 526, which have much better helm stations and sight lines and keeps you out of the weather. But that's just my opinion.

I wish these vids were made with a standard lens rather than wide angle.

La grande motte, c'est banlieue-sur-mer !!! Du béton, BEAUCOUP de béton, et des cons, BEAUCOUP de cons !!!

6.3 knots of boat speed in 6.5 of True wind is impressive however, remember that the boat is totally empty of gear, provisions, extra equipment one would have in cruising mode, plus all tanks are probably near empty. Still impressive.....

+iliohale productions. Thanks for the video, II liked it very much. I'm also looking for a performance cruising cat. I really like the Outremer 45, 51 for the speed you can achieve not these boats, but to also get this boat comfortable, like adding an A/C and other stuff, the price becomes ridiculous. Would you please give me your perspective on how much speed will this boat can do in 15-20 knots of wind on a closed or open reach. Also what about giving up the dagger boards, is that a big sacrifice.
I'm planning to go to Grand matte April 2017, any advice on getting there, and should I contact anyone to book sea trials prior to getting there.

how much is it ??

Always cool to see new cats and hear others perspectives, especially with some experience to back it up. Thanks for the video and all the best with your decision and purchase too.

Have you compared this to a Antares 44i ?

We attended the LGM show as well. Nice overall layout on this boat. Fit and finish was well above what I was expecting for a Bavaria, by far the best of the major production boats. I am in agreement with you that this was my favorite of the production boats at the show. One thing of note, they actually have four showers not two as stated in the video. The two guest heads can be used as a wet head (you can see the drains on floor of each head and the faucet head has a retractable flexible extension hose so that it can be used as a hand held shower head or fixed shower when placed in the bracket on the wall). It took a minute to figure out why they didn't just provide each head with a shower stall but given the size of the shared shower stall it makes a lot sense, one big shower trumps two small showers, plus if you just have to have shower when the shared stall is in use, you can use the one in the head.

A few things that I had concerns with were the lack of a dedicated nav station in the main cabin. Fixable if you opt for the cabinets and relocated freezer instead of the lounge near the companion way. in doing so you also get a helm station where the fridge freezer is currently located. And the outboard helms (it's funny, I prefer dual helms on a monohaul and single helms on a cat). It’s still workable if you double up on everything including dual engine controls and provide one of the helms with decent enclosure. All this of course will increase the cost of purchase and the maintenance.

Overall this boat made my short list primarily because of how well built it is, and the overall sailing performance for a boat designed more as a floating home than an all-out speed machine. As compromises go, is a hard boat not to like.

nice review, but we cut down on the "ah"s?

Just did 6 days on an Open 40 off Phuket. Visibility from the helm is a real issue - it's frankly appalling. Saying that access is good without steps from the cockpit is really struggling to find a positive thing to say about it. Visibility is so poor it is actually dangerous to navigate in marinas or with traffic around. The rest of the boat is fine but the low helm position is a real issue that means I for one would never charter this boat again.

Cool video, just got done spending a week on the open 40(See thumbnail pic). Beautiful boat but the parts I did not like were the open helm stations. You are very exposed to the elements. Of course many may love this about the boat. I did not like the visability. The slope and angle of the lounge area overhead (not the best design). When raining you will get soaked if trying to sit outside. The water runs off and splashes right behind your back. Probably just fixed with the addition of some snap/zip on covers. Lastly when tying off to a mooring ball you line will get snaged in a pinch point between the hull and crossmember on the bow. You can see the space in the video. Otherwise I was really impressed with the open 40 in the protected waters of the BVI. Had a blast sailing it.

Helm station at the stern seems like it might be a bit scary in a larger following sea...? Love the rest though.