Bavaria Yachtbau
| Company type | GmbH |
|---|---|
| Industry | Yacht manufacturing |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Winfried Herrman, Josef Meltl |
| Headquarters | Giebelstadt , Germany |
Area served | Europe, worldwide |
Key people | Michael Müller (CEO), Marc Diening (CEO), Norbert Leifeld (COO, from July 2025), Thorsten Gatz (CFO, from July 2025) |
| Products | Sailing yachts, motorboats, catamarans |
Number of employees | 600 |
| Parent | Capital Management-Partners GmbH (since 2018) |
| Website | www |
Bavaria Yachtbau was established in 1978 by Winfried Herrman, originally a window manufacturer, alongside Josef Meltl, who specialized in yacht charter brokerage. By the year 2006, the firm was producing approximately 3,500 sailing and motor yachts each year and had a workforce of 600 employees. It stands as one of the largest yacht producers in Europe and is Germany's leading yacht shipyard, ranking among the top three worldwide for yachts measuring between 30 and 56 feet.
In June 2007, the American private equity group Bain Capital purchased Bavaria Yachtbau from its founders for an estimated sum ranging between 1.1 and 1.3 billion Euros. After the financial crisis in 2008, ownership transitioned in October 2009 to Anchorage Advisors and Oaktree Capital Management, each acquiring a 45% stake.
August 2010 saw Jens Ludmann, previously Chief Engineer at Ford Motor Company, take on the role of management board spokesperson. Later, in April 2013, Constantin von Bülow, who served as senior vice president at Oaktree Capital Management, was appointed as CEO.
Bavaria Yachtbau broadened its product range in July 2014 by purchasing Nautitech Catamarans, a French manufacturer, thereby entering the expanding catamaran segment.
On 1 February 2015, Lutz Henkel replaced von Bülow as CEO while von Bülow transitioned to chairman of the board.
Presently, Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH employs roughly 600 personnel at its Giebelstadt site, including around 150 administrative staff. The facility covers over 656,000 square feet with nearly 230,000 square feet allocated to manufacturing operations.
Facing financial difficulties, Bavaria filed for insolvency on 20 April 2018 after investors withdrew their capital backing. Subsequently, on 16 September 2018, Capital Management-Partners GmbH (CMP) became the new financial investor by acquiring Bavaria. In April 2019, Dr. Tobias Brinkmann was appointed insolvency administrator for both Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH and Bavaria Catamarans Srl located in Rochefort, France. The acquisition agreement with CMP was finalized on 17 September just before the shipyard faced potential closure.
The current executive leadership includes Michael Müller as CEO and Marc Diening who joined as CEO in August 2021. Looking ahead to July 2025, COO Norbert Leifeld—who brought extensive industry expertise when he joined Bavaria Yachts in 2023—will assume leadership of the company alongside CFO Thorsten Gatz.
Range
- Sailing yachts
- BAVARIA C38 -
- BAVARIA C42 -
- BAVARIA C45 -
- BAVARIA C50 -
- BAVARIA C57 -
- CRUISER 34 -
- CRUISER 37 -
- CRUISER 41 / 41S -
- VISION 42 -
- VISION 46 -
- EASY 9.7 -
- 1060, 960 - , 890
- Motorboats
- BAVARIA R40 -
- BAVARIA R55 -
- BAVARIA S29 / S30 - ~
- BAVARIA S33 -
- BAVARIA S36 -
- BAVARIA S40 -
- BAVARIA S45 -
- VIRTESS 420 -
- Catamarans
- NAUTITECH 40 OPEN -
- NAUTITECH 46 OPEN / FLY - ~
- NAUTITECH 47 POWER -
- NAUTITECH 541 / 542 -