Hi everyone. new here and possibly renewing with sailing soon. I would class myself as a novice. Haven't sailed in 40 years and only small open wet sailing. I have the opportunity to secure a cav 32 , it would be my first foray into this realm. It's in good condition but has not been moved in 18 months. Rigging is at least 10 years old , sails the same but all look fine. Plan would be to sail around Sydney harbour with the odd excursion up the coast as experience and confidence grew. I now have the time to spend at least one day a week on it and sometimes three but I realise the romance may out way the reality and I would probably only use it once a month.
having done quite a bit of research they appear to stack up pretty well as a all-rounder but I would be interested in getting some feedback from the brains trust here. Also I would like to bring it up to speed with some much-needed TLC and was looking for suggestions for servicing of the Bukh engine and also slipping and antifouling. Located in Sydney harbour
thanks in advance
welsh
Welcome. Search this forum for posts from jbarnes85 he has refurbished a Cav32 and before that a Northerner28 and those posts will provide excellent info. Assume he will chime in soon.
Of course not possible from your post to comment on the condition of the yacht but in short - just do it. Budget in standing rigging renewal in the next 5 years and in the meantime treat it right with corrosionx as needed. For diesel servicing suggest give Ian at humemarine.com.au a ring. Numerous other diesel mechanics around the harbour.
Slipping and antifouling - if you want to do it yourself with their preparation help Balmain Slipway and Marine Services (under new management as per April Afloat magazine page 8) is your slipway. I have slipped there in the past under previous ownership as a DIYer and had no problems - you need to make a good plan for the work flow you want to do and get a team of mates and hope for good weather.
www.balmainslipway.com.au/
Else go to your local slipway wherever you are in the harbour.
If you want dive services to address the growth of the last 18months before slipping UWDS is excellent.
www.underwaterdiveservices.com/
Have you got insurance covered? search this forum for insurance advice.
Thankyou. Great advice and info. On the search now. tbh I oscillate between jumping headlong in and running. Just need to get my head around the actual numbers but I can't stop thinking about it ??
but I can't stop thinking about it ??
That is half the fun, Welsh.
Go with the flow.
gary
Welsh,
I've had a Cav 32 for 15 years, they're a good all round boat, not perfect but no boat is, regardless of what some blokes will tell you. I cant comment on similar size or age boats as I have had no experience with any other. Perhaps a bit slow by todays standards but they are a dry boat and will usually get you home.
Bukh's are a good engine, they're easy enough to work on, change impeller and anode yearly. I doubt technology and Bukh are too words you'll see together to often, access to the engine is OK. I've found Glen at Bukh Taren Point very helpful.
Sails aren't overly big so they wont break the bank when its time to pay off a sailmakers BMW
If the rigging is more than 10 years old, most probably your insurance company will want it replaced, perhaps about $4-5k (see above, replace sailmaker with rigger)
Ive either replaced, repaired or reconditioned most of what is on my boat, from stern gland to the anchor winch, be prepared for it, its part of owning a boat.
Cav's have been around for 40 or so years so there's no surprises with them, but as with all boats you need to maintain them, look after your boat and she'll look after you.
As Gary says, just go with it.
Boats are the greatest waste of money going around, but they are so much fun!!!
Mike
Not a bad boat and the Bukh is a good engine. If you use that boat once a week you will be an unusually active yachtie! I would love to see some figures for the number of active yachts on Sydney harbour and the local area. I suspect the average is about 6 days a year.
Hi Ramona. I've just semi retired. Only working 2 days. Luxury. I'm hoping to catch up on lost time ??
Thankyou magpie. Sounds like the cav is the way to go. I am fully prepared for the ongoing maintenance and $$$. I think. The learning curve is steep atm and I'm enjoying filling the memory bank with new info. I rang an insurance broker and he said the rigging would def have to be replaced, so that's factored in lots more to learn
just waiting on a reply to have it slipped and surveyed
regards to all
welsh
Welsh,
Bryce Edwards form Infinity Rigging, 0415231791, has only just redone my rigging, I found him to be very good and would have no hesitation in using him again.
If you do decide to redo your rigging, ask your insurance company about requirements for servicing the chain plates. I emailed my insurance company asking their requirements and got an answer back that was written in "legalise". I couldn't work out what they required so I removed and Die penned them myself, took lots of photos, before and after, sent some of the photos to the rigger, got his approval, reinstalled them with new stainless A4 bolts. I'm glad I did, I found the back stay chain plate was riddled with fractures and required remaking. I'm certain I would have lost the rig sooner than later. Perhaps overkill, the dollar cost was not great compared to the entire job and I did find a major fault so I feel it was worth it in the end. You here some sad stories when it comes to making a claim with insurance companies, I didn't wish to be one of those sad stories.
Mike
Thanks mike. You are spot on. The riggers I've spoken to all suggested doing the chain plates as well
sounds like solid advice. Get it done properly and sleep easy at night.
cheers welsh
I'll PM you. I'm boatless now but know the harbour pretty well and live in the inner west.
Well gents. I know I've been quiet but I just bought a boat. Been doing lots of homework on it and just sealed the deal today. morningbird , I've been meaning to contact you but didn't want to waste your time till I had her secured. I now need to get a list of immediate jobs needed and not so immediate
happy days. 
Hearty congrats, enjoy the journey and make sure you sail it often. Was it a Cav32 you decided on? If you are renewing the chainplates then consider using the higher strength Bumax grade 8.8 316 stainless bolts at www.stainlesscentral.com.au as replacements for the bolts in there at the moment. Ideally the chainplates are flat bar types (316 ss Edcon Steel) bolted to strong bulkheads. Load the bolts in shear through their unthreaded shank.
Yes it was the cav 32. Thank you r13
making the list now.
first is slip and antifoul.then the rigging. Any recommendations appreciated
Would love to put it on the hard stand for a week to really have a crack at it.
and yes I will be sailing her
Great
Down south;
www.infinityrigging.com/
On the harbour;
HOME | SydRiggingSpecialist
Well as you are aware I've bought the cav 32 and she's a beautiful gal. the owner had a full set of old sails bagged up. I was wondering if they are worth donating to someone
I've now a self furling Genoa and the main is in great condition so I will not be needing these old( I'd say 20+ year sails )
let me know if anyone wants them or whether they could be put to a good use. Im in the ryde area of sydney. cheers to all
welsh
Congrats Welsh and all the best to you!
Keep the water on the outside, her bum clean and the sails in good nick and you'll have a wealth of good times I am sure. Don't forget to sing out here if you get stuck mate, there is a ton of good Sydney knowledge on this forum.
Cheers!
Well done Welsh,
You're about 3 months ahead of me. Hope it all goes well and the rain eases up soon
Select to expand quotewelsh said..
Well as you are aware I've bought the cav 32 and she's a beautiful gal. the owner had a full set of old sails bagged up. I was wondering if they are worth donating to someone
I've now a self furling Genoa and the main is in great condition so I will not be needing these old( I'd say 20+ year sails )
let me know if anyone wants them or whether they could be put to a good use. Im in the ryde area of sydney. cheers to all
welsh
If the old sails are in reasonable condition and the smaller headsails fit the furler (or could be converted for a few hundred bucks) you may want to hang onto them. Unless you have a very good headsail in very good material, once the sail is reefed it has poor shape. They get too deep and can really impede performance. If you are ever facing a decent upwind bash in strong winds, even from just Sydney to Pittwater, you could well be better off dropping the #1 and setting a proper small headsail unreefed. Because it's a specialist sail it should make your trip significantly more pleasant.
Good quality dacron that has not been left exposed to UV or flogged (literally) can have an incredible lifespan, as can some cruising laminates, so even if the sails are old they could still be well worth using.
Thanks Andy. If your up in sydney any time I'd be happy to show you the cav. chris. Great advice. I'll store them away for that rainy day as they are in great shape. Been bagged and ind dry dark storage the whole time. cheers welsh
Gday Welsh - Good luck with the Cav. Can I just put forward a story relevant to you?
About 20 years ago a friend who had helped me out with my own boat build bought a Cav 32 from Sydney. He hadn't sailed offshore so asked if I could help him bring it the 35 miles back to Lake Mac - no worries, least I could do.
So on a typical summer day we left Brooklyn and headed home. The wind slowly building from the noreast but giving us enough easterly to get us around Norah before we needed to start tacking onto port - all good.
Now the boat was not that well maintained (it had just been bought by my friend) and we were being pretty gentle. We started to try and use the motor to check it out for the bar but it kept sucking air (we weren't heeling that much) and overheating. That's okay I said, we will cross the bar on a broad reach anyway, so we will keep full sail up and keep her powered nicely. (The bar conditions weren't at all bad - it was quite a nice summer's 15-18 knot noreaster - postcard weather)
So we bear away around Moon Island to a starboard broad reach and my mate is on the helm, I am next to him, talking to him about holding the boat on course in the swell. We get closer to the spot where the waves steepen up, "Hold her down" I tell my mate. Main eased, genoa filling nicely, the boat is in control. We get a couple more waves and each time my mate holds her down fine as the waves lift her stern. Then we get the largest swell yet, all good - sunny day - no chance of pooping - I am feeling fine - when BANG! We lose the steering.
So we are spinning around about 75 metres off the end of Moon Island, reef slightly inshore, breakers about 75 metres off our right and the breakwater just beyond. Not an ideal place to lose the steering. But here is where the Cav shone.
She ended up tacking around, with the genoa backed. I quickly pulled the main on hard and she hove to. What a relief. She could heave to. I hadn't ever sailed a Cav before but the nice traditional underbody allowed me to get her to sit quietly while I worked out what to do. There was not point asking for help. We had about 2 minutes before we ended up on the island, reef or breakers.
But I noticed the Cav was very sedate hove to and she was inching along. So I eased off the genoa and pulled more main on and she started sailing along at about 1 knot. With genoa backed and no rudder we headed towards the island. I told my mate (and his son) we could sail her out.
After a minute or so I released the genoa and pulled it to the correct side. The Cav tacked beautifully and then we were on starboard, hove to again, heading towards breakers but away from the island at 1 knot. Then genoa to the correct side, she tacks and back onto port and so on, back into the breeze, swell and to the safety of the open ocean.
As soon as we were clear my mate went inside to find the emergency tiller. It was about 30cm long, to fit between the rudder shaft and the binnacle. We had a bit of a play with it and found the only way to steer quickly was to have one of us each side and talking the movement - "To me - to you - to me" etc. Then we radioed marine rescue. Could we please have some assistance once OVER the bar? I did not want to be towed through the bar. Then we dropped the main, to reduce weather helm and went through again. This time no problem and to a tow (the motor was now dead).
What I liked about the Cav was that it gave me time - I only needed a few seconds for me to work out what to do and get us out of there but I have been on a dish like half tonner with no steering and I would not have been able to get her out of there. The Cav has a good balance of manouvrability and directional stability. Heaving too is a nice ability to have in your pocket - try it out. Your boat does it well. But the real reason I wanted to say something is CHECK THE CHAIN! Old steering chain is dangerous. Stainless can break just when you need it most, and in crowded Sydney Harbour, you don't want it breaking just as you do a big bear away or similar.
Cheers
Phil
Select to expand quoteKankama said..
Gday Welsh - Good luck with the Cav. Can I just put forward a story relevant to you?
About 20 years ago a friend who had helped me out with my own boat build bought a Cav 32 from Sydney. He hadn't sailed offshore so asked if I could help him bring it the 35 miles back to Lake Mac - no worries, least I could do.
So on a typical summer day we left Brooklyn and headed home. The wind slowly building from the noreast but giving us enough easterly to get us around Norah before we needed to start tacking onto port - all good.
Now the boat was not that well maintained (it had just been bought by my friend) and we were being pretty gentle. We started to try and use the motor to check it out for the bar but it kept sucking air (we weren't heeling that much) and overheating. That's okay I said, we will cross the bar on a broad reach anyway, so we will keep full sail up and keep her powered nicely. (The bar conditions weren't at all bad - it was quite a nice summer's 15-18 knot noreaster - postcard weather)
So we bear away around Moon Island to a starboard broad reach and my mate is on the helm, I am next to him, talking to him about holding the boat on course in the swell. We get closer to the spot where the waves steepen up, "Hold her down" I tell my mate. Main eased, genoa filling nicely, the boat is in control. We get a couple more waves and each time my mate holds her down fine as the waves lift her stern. Then we get the largest swell yet, all good - sunny day - no chance of pooping - I am feeling fine - when BANG! We lose the steering.
So we are spinning around about 75 metres off the end of Moon Island, reef slightly inshore, breakers about 75 metres off our right and the breakwater just beyond. Not an ideal place to lose the steering. But here is where the Cav shone.
She ended up tacking around, with the genoa backed. I quickly pulled the main on hard and she hove to. What a relief. She could heave to. I hadn't ever sailed a Cav before but the nice traditional underbody allowed me to get her to sit quietly while I worked out what to do. There was not point asking for help. We had about 2 minutes before we ended up on the island, reef or breakers.
But I noticed the Cav was very sedate hove to and she was inching along. So I eased off the genoa and pulled more main on and she started sailing along at about 1 knot. With genoa backed and no rudder we headed towards the island. I told my mate (and his son) we could sail her out.
After a minute or so I released the genoa and pulled it to the correct side. The Cav tacked beautifully and then we were on starboard, hove to again, heading towards breakers but away from the island at 1 knot. Then genoa to the correct side, she tacks and back onto port and so on, back into the breeze, swell and to the safety of the open ocean.
As soon as we were clear my mate went inside to find the emergency tiller. It was about 30cm long, to fit between the rudder shaft and the binnacle. We had a bit of a play with it and found the only way to steer quickly was to have one of us each side and talking the movement - "To me - to you - to me" etc. Then we radioed marine rescue. Could we please have some assistance once OVER the bar? I did not want to be towed through the bar. Then we dropped the main, to reduce weather helm and went through again. This time no problem and to a tow (the motor was now dead).
What I liked about the Cav was that it gave me time - I only needed a few seconds for me to work out what to do and get us out of there but I have been on a dish like half tonner with no steering and I would not have been able to get her out of there. The Cav has a good balance of manouvrability and directional stability. Heaving too is a nice ability to have in your pocket - try it out. Your boat does it well. But the real reason I wanted to say something is CHECK THE CHAIN! Old steering chain is dangerous. Stainless can break just when you need it most, and in crowded Sydney Harbour, you don't want it breaking just as you do a big bear away or similar.
Cheers
Phil
That's got to be the post of the year so far, thanks for sharing.
You should join my Cavalier 32 facebook group:
www.facebook.com/groups/456245725922078
Thank you for all the positive replies
definitely feeling the love in this group
cheers welsh
Welsh,
is the boat in Kogarah bay? I went past a Cav without rig a week or two ago, named Conquest? maybe?
Learning to hove to is a good skill to learn, not only for Cavs but all boats.
To back up what Kandkama says there's been occasions when I've got my sails balanced up and she'll sail along by herself, only thing is if she's pushed a bit off course by a wave she wont correct.
On one occasion I sailed most of the way from Pittwater to Port Hacking with the steering locked on and the sails balanced up, nice little easterly, she'd slowly turn up into the breeze, main would loose a bit then heady would power up push her off the breeze, main would power up and lift her up, and so on. She basically wiggled her way down the coast. Perhaps sailing a bit slower than if I'd had the sails trimmed a bit better but I was in no hurry. Of course all boats can do this its not only Cav's
Enjoy your Cav.
Mike
Hello mike. She is in Gladesville. And happy to say fully rigged. jb I've joined the cav 32 Facebook group. Thankyou.
