BoatsCavalier 32

Cavalier 32

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1970

A masthead sloop with a skeg-hung rudder and over 50% ballast ratio, built internationally across three decades

Designed by Bob Salthouse & Laurie Davidson.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 25 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 25
CoastalBluewater

1.88 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.88
LightHeavy

291 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 291
EasygoingPowered-up

13.9 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.9
TenderStiff

51% of her weight is ballast — very stiff, carrying full sail in a blow.

Ballast 51%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
50.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.9
Displacement / length
290.6
Comfort ratio
25.4
Capsize screening
1.88
Hull speed
6.6 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
836
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1970
Units built
170
Designer
Bob Salthouse, Laurie Davidson
Builder
Cavalier Yachts (AUSTRALIA)

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Spirit 329.48 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop
Islander 329.91 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA J.H. McGlasson-designed masthead sloop that served as the foundational hull for the later Islander 33 and 34 models
Contessa 329.75 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1973 London Boat Show winner with a skeg-hung rudder and a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 47 percent
Beneteau Oceanis 319.66 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Finot-Conq designed fractional sloop balancing a modern hull form with a stable 1.8-meter bulb keel
Maxi Yachts 959.50 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 9.5-metre masthead sloop produced for a decade, featuring a skeg-hung rudder for predictable coastal handling
Hunter Marine 319.55 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Cortland Steck design featuring a B&R rig and a fin keel, built for coastal cruising between 1983 and 1987

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

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