BoatsCavalier 39

Cavalier 39

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1973–1979

A Bob Salthouse-designed masthead sloop with a skeg-hung rudder, built for offshore stability between 1973 and 1979

Designed by Bob Salthouse, built by Export Yachts New Zealand Ltd.

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

See her sail

The Cavalier 39, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Sailing Learning By Doing

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 narrow beam gives 35 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 35
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.71
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 325
EasygoingPowered-up

18.5 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.5
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

What the fleet has seen

The Cavalier 39, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Cavalier 39 is a Masthead Sloop designed by Bob Salthouse and built by Export Yachts New Zealand Ltd. and Cavalier Yachts (AUSTRALIA) from 1973 to 1979. It measures 11.9 meters LOA, with a 3.5-meter beam, 1.8-meter draft, and 8482 kg displacement. The hull features a fin with a rudder on skeg. The working sail area is 535 square feet.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen sold

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
40.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.5
Displacement / length
325.2
Comfort ratio
35.2
Capsize screening
1.71
Hull speed
7.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1194
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1973–1979
Units built
35
Designer
Bob Salthouse
Builder
Export Yachts New Zealand Ltd, Cavalier Yachts (AUSTRALIA)

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

RM Yachts 118011.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Marc Lombard-designed performance cruiser featuring a wide beam, dual rudders, and a powerful cutter rig
Why This "Wooden" Sailboat Is Faster, Warmer, and Stronger - the RM 11800:47from Practical Sailor
Hallberg-Rassy 3911.85 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthProduced in two versions over twelve years, this cruiser evolved from the 1991 MK I to the extended MK II with a bathing platform
EP#384 Getting Ready for the High Seas Once Again!1:04from Sailing Into Oblivion
C&C Yachts 3911.96 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1971-1974 production masthead sloop with a moderate displacement-to-length ratio, balanced for coastal cruising
Seawater Pro watermaker installed on C&C 39 Sailboat0:49from Epiphany Sailing
Cal Boats 4011.99 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA legendary offshore racer with 160 built, featuring a light displacement and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio
Hank Easom17:41from LIFE ON THE WATER
Comfortina 3911.85 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2007 fractional sloop with a 2.0-meter draft and a 10.88-meter waterline designed for offshore stability
Comfortina 391:29from SVN solovelanet
Dufour Yachts 39 CC11.99 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA center-cockpit masthead sloop designed for comfortable cruising with a balanced 1.88m fin and bulb keel
Dufour 39 with more space for your moneyfrom SEILmagasinet

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.

Cavalier 37A Laurie Davidson-penned fin-keeler with a spade rudder, built for performance between 1985 and 1990Cavalier 32A masthead sloop with a skeg-hung rudder and over 50% ballast ratio, built internationally across three decadesCavalier 36A masthead sloop scaled up from the Ganbare one-ton racer, featuring a Laurie Davidson-designed deck layoutCavalier 28A masthead sloop with a fin keel and transom-hung rudder, offering a stable 27.74 comfort ratio for coastal cruisingCavalier 26An IOR 1/4 ton racer designed by Doug Peterson, featuring a fin keel and spade rudder for competitive performanceCavalier 36 (Moody)A long-keeled masthead sloop with a redesigned aft-cockpit deck layout, built for stable cruising between 1970 and 1972

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The fleet has more to say

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