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Cavalier 32 difference’s


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Looks like the first few Cavs had the taller rig, the reviews were done and then the following boats had the shortened mast for rating purposes. Does anyone know if there’s much difference? The reviews of the tall version sound great. Did they loose much in the light airs?

the Australian version appears to be the tall rigs and also a lot have wheel steering and the interiors are possibly a better layout.

Is it worth trying to find a tall one? And or an Aussie one?

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I had the tall rig, with one reef and number 2 i was back to the standard rig. Standard  rig powered up at 18kn, mine at 13kn. Difference was night and day.

Can't see any point in wheel steering on a boat that size.

Standard layout was full of beds for a racing crew. We started afresh.

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Wheel steering is a waste of time as the cockpit is too small. We had the small rig on ours but a bigger main with the roach clipping the backstay. Also had a full hoist battened No 2 made by Steve Trevursa. Full hoist made a big difference.

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Thanks BP, I was hoping you would comment. I suspected  a difference, didn’t think it would be that big. Just starting the search for a first keeler (had a ty). Looking for a mix of family boat and also solo/offshore capable and with enough budget for extras. They certainly look to fit the brief. 

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The other big hassle with the original was a vee drive that extended way forward into the accommodation.  Solved by going to a sail drive and pushing the engine back under the cockpit a bit. Also went smaller (13hp) which was plenty.

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Most of them were the shorter rig to fit the half ton rating. Definitely underpowered in the light but it did make them very good upwind in a breeze.

Our boat - Confederate also did a circumnavigation with a later owner.

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2 hours ago, Chewing Gum said:

Most of them were the shorter rig to fit the half ton rating. Definitely underpowered in the light but it did make them very good upwind in a breeze.

Our boat - Confederate also did a circumnavigation with a later owner.

That Cav was once owned by Ken Feder who later owned a Farr 38 which he named Club Fed. He sold the Farr to Gary Best who sold it and bought the Elliot 13 Simply the Best. How's that for a lot of useless information.

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40 minutes ago, chariot said:

That Cav was once owned by Ken Feder who later owned a Farr 38 which he named Club Fed. He sold the Farr to Gary Best who sold it and bought the Elliot 13 Simply the Best. How's that for a lot of useless information.

groan... Dad puns everywhere!

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We built Confererate from hull and decks and installed a Yanmar single cylinder YSE12 12hp with a briski folding prop. it was useless upwind in a breeze - only do about 3knots in those conditions. Really needed around 15 - 20 hp. I guess fixed prop may have been better but sailing performance would have suffered.

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Had a 25hp Izuzu in ours with 2 blade folder. Was a good setup but the V-drive was not so good. Could still do 6kn upwind in a good breeze.

Sorry if my last post offended you AV10. All to their own I guess. Lighten up fella.

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I had Cautelle with a small rig that has done all but the Tasman to complete a circumnavigation. Last heard of in Port Douglas. RIP Gary - he had a Harmonic originally and then went to the dark side after Simply  the Best.

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3 hours ago, Jono G said:

I had Cautelle with a small rig that has done all but the Tasman to complete a circumnavigation. Last heard of in Port Douglas. RIP Gary - he had a Harmonic originally and then went to the dark side after Simply  the Best.

After Simply The Best he said there was only one way to go and that was the dark side to get better performance. Did a 2 handed around the Gulf with him once. Trouble was he sailed the race the night before the start, had it all planed. Conditions on start line were a lot different to what he had bargained for. Always had a good laugh when Gary was around.

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I have a Cavalier 32 in Australia that has a builder's plate indicating it was launched as Cavalier 1, by Cavalier Yachts, Sydney, in October 1974, and completed the 1974 Sydney to Hobart race under that name. It has the racing fit out, with all plywood interior. I always assumed it was built in NZ, having been told they all were prior to Mr Muldoon's 20% tax on boats in 1978, despite my boat's builder's plate. But I recently received an email from Peter Smith, who built the Cavaliers in NZ, suggesting my boat was built in Australia, because it has stainless steel keelbolts. He says that all the Cavalier 32s that he built had bronze or copper keelbolts, and had ports, or apertures, in the lead keel, to access the bolts' nuts, allowing the keelbolts to be removed for inspection or replacement. I have not taken my keel back to the lead to see if it has apertures for the nuts, but info online suggests they are j-bolts cast into the lead, and therefore  cannot be replaced, a horrible idea. I don't trust my keelbolts after 50 years, especially since they pass through what appears to be a timber keelson glassed into the bilges. There are similar-looking structures under the side decks to which the Genoa tracks are bolted. I'd appreciate any illumination. Graham Cox.

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