25 YEARS OF POWER
25 YEARS OF POWER
25 YEARS OF POWER: FROM BMB TO BMW TO THE BAVARIA SR-LINE
At the end of the 1990s, the BAVARIA YACHTS production facility in Giebelstadt, near Würzburg, was expanded to become the most modern series production yard in the yacht industry. Covering an area of 200,000 square metres, the production halls with a surface area of over 70,000 square metres were equipped with state-of-the-art production machinery. CNC milling machines for processing decks and hulls, four production lines for fitting out the yachts and a painting line for finishing the company’s own furniture are just some of the production techniques that Winfried Herrmann introduced, earning him the respectful title “Henry Ford of the yacht industry”. And the foundation stone was laid for the expansion of production for the construction of motorboats.
In order to give the new motorboat line its own face, the label BMB, BAVARIA MOTORBOATS, was developed with its own logo and its own appearance at trade fairs. The first model was the BMB 27 SPORT. It was constructed and designed by Japec and Jernej Jakopin. J&J Design had already designed many successful BAVARIA sailing boats and had also shown a clever hand in finding the perfect balance between good sailing characteristics and generous space in the first BMB motorboats. And many more BMB models from J&J followed. In 2009, the BMB 30 SPORT was named Powerboat of the Year.
During this time, the 2nd generation of the Sport-Line and the legendary BAVARIA DEEP BLUE 46 were also created in collaboration with BMW Design in San Francisco, a real revolution for the boat market and for BAVARIA YACHTS itself. The press praised not only the extremely modern design, but also the unusually large amount of space with three cabins below deck. BMW Design remained a partner of the BAVARIA YACHTS development team, but in 2013 a new face took over the design of the BAVARIA MOTORBOATS. Marco Casali and his team from Too Design in Rome shaped the 3rd generation of the BAVARIA YACHTS Sport-Line and changed the face of BAVARIA YACHST motorboats for good with new developments such as the BAVARIA VIRTESS 420. In the same year, the VIRTESS was named Power Boat of the Year and was also voted best motor yacht of the year in the UK.
Then things went from strength to strength. The BAVARIA SPORT 360 won the Best of Boats Award (BOB) in 2016, laying the foundation for the success of the new Sportline. The basic values of the BAVARIA S29, S30 and S45 originate from this period and are therefore among the most frequently built motorboats in BAVARIA YACHTS’ history today. The BAVARIA R40 followed in 2017 and rounded off the model range with its unique luxurious concept.
Since 2020, the new BAVARIA SR-Line has stood for a new level of motorboats from Giebelstadt. The BAVARIA SR41 kicked things off and the BAVARIA SR36 a year later not only won important awards, but was also highly praised by the international community. “The best BAVARIA that BAVARIA YACHTS has ever built” was one of the quotes in the trade magazines and shows that in terms of design, layout and quality, BAVARIA YACHTS has taken another major step forward with the BAVARIA SR-Line. This was also the opinion of 30 readers of the French motorboat magazine Moteurboat, who were all able to test the BAVARIA SR33 personally and voted it the best motorboat in France in 2023. Her safe but sporty handling characteristics, the many clever detail solutions on and below deck, as well as the perfect build quality convinced the critical readers.
And how will the history of motorboats from BAVARIA YACHTS continue after 25 years? “First of all, we are very proud of what the BAVARIA YACHTS team, together with the worldwide BAVARIA YACHTS dealer network, has achieved over the last 25 years and we are now a reliable player in the market for powerboats between 29 and 50 feet. I myself have been deeply involved with every new development for more than 15 years and am already looking forward to the next projects,” explains Norbert Leifeld, COO responsible for production and design at BAVARIA YACHTS since 2023.
