Bavaria Yachts 33 Sport for sale

Yachting Address Review — Bavaria 33 Sport, S33 and SR33: three boats under one name

The Bavaria 33 Sport is Bavaria's best-kept secret — not because it is rare or obscure, but because most French and European boaters associate Bavaria exclusively with sailboats. This is a mistake that causes many buyers to overlook one of the best-built 10-metre motorboats on the second-hand market in its price range.

Bavaria is not just the world's second-largest production sailboat builder. The Bavarian brand has been producing a motorboat range since the early 2000s under the BMB (Bavaria Motor Boats) entity, generating solid, coherent, well-built models — with the German engineering standards the brand applies to its sailing yachts. Three radically different generations coexist on this page, and distinguishing them is essential before any search.

Three generations under the same name: essential clarification

This is the central point of this page, and the most important one for any buyer searching without knowing exactly what they will find.

The Bavaria 33 Sport (2004-2018, 9.96 to 10.40 metres) is the founding generation — a dayboat-weekender with twin inboard engines, typically twin Volvo Penta D3 190 hp or 320 hp depending on the version, or twin MerCruiser. It is the most represented model on this page, with listings covering 2007-2018 model years between €55,000 and €168,000. It shares the classic architecture of motorboats in its category: open helm station with dual wheel, aft swim platform, two cabins and a heads below. This is the Bavaria that owners know best and which represents the real active market on this page.

The Bavaria S33 Hard Top (2018-2021, 9.61 to 10.06 metres) is a complete architectural break. The "S" designates the Sport Hard Top range — a boat with an integrated rigid hardtop that fundamentally changes the boat's profile and use. The silhouette is lower and more compact, the hardtop protects the helm station and passengers in all seasons, and the philosophy is that of a contemporary sport-cruiser rather than a family dayboat. The two S33 Hard Top listings on this page — €165,000 for a 2019 example in Lazio and €230,000 for a 2021 in Sicily — are in a different price and use segment from the classic 33 Sport.

The Bavaria SR33 (from 2022, 11.40 metres) is the current and most ambitious generation — "SR" designates Sport Runner, Bavaria's new premium motorboat range. At €295,000 for a 2024 example at Golfe Juan, it targets a different buyer profile from the two previous generations. It is not a direct successor to the 33 Sport — it is a larger, more sophisticated boat in a price category that has little in common with the €60,000 of early second-hand 33 Sports.

What the Bavaria 33 Sport offers that its French competitors don't

The natural comparison is with the Jeanneau Leader 8 and the Bénéteau Antares 11 OB — the direct competitors of the same era in the same second-hand price range. And the comparison reveals something interesting.

The Bavaria 33 Sport benefits from superior interior finish compared to the average in its category and era. Bavaria applies to its motorboats the same wood trim and interior fitting quality standards as on its sailing yachts — carefully finished laminated plywood woodwork, quality upholstery, a properly dimensioned heads. Owners who have experienced both confirm that the interior quality of a 2008 Bavaria 33 Sport exceeds that of an equivalent Jeanneau or Bénéteau of the same year.

The Volvo Penta D3 inboard diesel is its main card against the outboard-powered competitors. Twin D3 diesel inboards offer the silence, economy and longevity that outboards cannot replicate in the same way. At 2 × 190 hp, the Bavaria 33 Sport cruises at 22-25 knots with very reasonable fuel consumption — and this economical profile holds over time if the engines have been properly maintained.

The swim platform of the Bavaria 33 Sport is one of the arguments owners mention most frequently — generous, accessible, with an integrated folding step on well-equipped versions. It is a detail that meaningfully changes comfort at anchor.

What the market actually reveals about this model

Reading the 20 listings on this page is revealing in several respects. The Italian concentration is massive — Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Sardinia, Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio, Sicily. The Bavaria 33 Sport has clearly found its audience in the ports of the northern Italian Mediterranean, where finish quality and mechanical robustness are serious purchasing criteria.

The price gap between extremes deserves honest explanation. A 2008 Bavaria 33 Sport at €59,600 in Palavas-les-Flots (with "bellows 2025 and complete engine service") and another at €115,000 in Emilia-Romagna from the same year are not boats in the same condition — and a €55,000 gap on the same model year is never arbitrary. The first explicitly declares its recent work; the second advertises "new 2025 sofas" on a 17-year-old boat whose mechanical condition is not clearly documented in the listing. Vigilance on this gap is the primary skill of the informed buyer in this market.

Engine configurations on the market

The Bavaria 33 Sport was delivered with several engine configurations depending on model year and market.

Twin Volvo Penta D3 — in 190 hp (economy version) or 250 hp (standard version) — is the most widespread and appreciated configuration. It offers the best balance of consumption, performance and maintenance. The Volvo Penta network is dense throughout the Mediterranean.

Twin Volvo Penta D6 320 hp — present on the 2007 example at €88,000 — is the high-performance version. These engines are more powerful but also more demanding to service, with higher revision costs as hours accumulate.

Twin MerCruiser — present on some examples — is a less common configuration in the Mediterranean, with a slightly thinner service network than Volvo. These boats are sometimes slightly less well valued at resale for this reason.

What to check when buying second-hand

Sterndrive bellows are the first check on any Bavaria 33 Sport with inboard sterndrive. As on the Jeanneau Leader 8, these rubber sleeves protecting the engine-to-drive connection are critical wearing parts — their replacement must be documented with date and invoice. The Palavas listing that explicitly states "bellows 2025" is a good example of seller transparency that reassures buyers.

Engine hours — stated on some listings (230 hours for the 2018 Italian example, "approximately 350 hours" for the 2008 in Veneto) — are secondary to service regularity. A well-maintained engine at 500 hours is worth more than a neglected engine at 200 hours.

Hull and underwater condition deserves a haul-out inspection — Bavaria sterndrive inboard models have specific hull areas around the drive legs that require attention.

Interior upholstery on 2007-2010 models now over 15 years old may be at the end of its life — cabin cushions and carpet are the first visibly ageing items. A new upholstery set represents €2,000 to €5,000 depending on condition.

Bavaria 33 Sport market prices in 2025-2026

Indicative ranges, market May 2026. VAT included unless otherwise stated.

Who is the Bavaria 33 Sport designed for?

The Bavaria 33 Sport is the boat for boaters who want German quality in a family 10-metre format, with the reliability of inboard diesel and the quietness that comes with it. It is not the fastest boat in its category nor the most spectacular — it is the boat that lasts, holds its value well, and whose owners speak of it with the quiet satisfaction of those who made a sound choice.

Its resale is slightly slower than an equivalent Jeanneau or Bénéteau — less well-known in France, Bavaria motorboats don't attract the same volume of potential buyers. This is precisely why their second-hand prices are often slightly below their true value. For the informed buyer, this is a real advantage.

Our verdict

The Bavaria 33 Sport is a more interesting boat than its level of recognition in France suggests. Its build quality, reliable diesel inboard and refined interior finishes make it one of the best value-for-money 10-metre inboard dayboat-weekenders on the Mediterranean second-hand market. Vigilance on sterndrive bellows and engine documentation is non-negotiable. For the rest, it deserves serious consideration from any buyer searching in this size and price range.