Greeting all. I am the new owner of "Cavort", Cavalier 28 hull number 24, if my info is correct. I think there are one or two members here who know the boat. I'm basing that on the research I did here digging through old posts mentioning Cav 28s.

I haven't taken delivery yet but I'm organising things and I am wondering what the actual stated displacement is for the Cavalier 28.

Sailboat data gives a displacement of 9,000lb / 4,082 kg. sailboatdata.com/sailboat/cavalier-28 That seems heavy and you can see that the sailboat calculations based on that displacement aren't that great. That seems a bit heavy for the type of boat. I checked the entry on Sailboat data for the Davidson 28 and it gives the same figures.

The article on the Cavalier 28 Association website, 'The Davidson 28 Story', John Macfarlane (2011) states the displacement of the Davidson 28 as 2,862kg. www.cavalier28.com/history On that same web page is a link to the original Cavalier 28 "pre-release brochure" which gives the displacement as 6,300lb / 2.86t. drive.google.com/file/d/16dlpXwfgvCLK66RPdl66ZSzQ2WxV9806/view

Can anyone offer an opinion on which figure is more correct?

I didn't pay enough attention to the ground tackle when I inspected the boat to remember much about it. It has probably got a plough anchor but it only has 6m of 8mm chain attached. I was once told a rule of thumb for chain is to have twice the length of the boat at a minimum. Obviously if I had a windlass then I could have all chain but I don't. I plan to do short coastal cruises and overnight anchoring. I am sure it has been discussed here before but what suggestions do people have for chain length and for anchors, for use in east coast anchorages?

Also with regard to anchors, my first preference is that they hold, but my second preference is to be able to stow it in the locker as I intend to do a lot of single-handed sailing and would prefer to keep things tidy on the foredeck. I don't think there is a huge amount of room in the Cav 28 chain locker. It seems to me that the size of lot of these modern anchors are designed for them to sit on bow rollers in contrast to the old fashioned folding ploughs.

My previous boat was a Hood 23 and I had a lot of chain on that. I added a lot of 6mm chain to the 8mm that was already on the anchor and I would always put it all out no-matter where I anchored.

6m of 8mm chain with a high holding anchor is more than enough. Finding a high holding anchor of about 10kg that will fit in your anchor well is the next challenge. The Rocna with a rollbar probably wont. The Vulcan might though. I would suggest making a plywood mock-up of the anchor of choice and see how it goes. Depending on how roomy that anchor locker is a double braid rode of about 14mm will be easy on the hands and lay flat in the well.

My Cavalier 32 is about 6t.

I've always thought my Cav 28 was the 2.86t as per the Cav Website.
I can't see it being near 4t.

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jbarnes85 said..
My Cavalier 32 is about 6t.

4.082t here;

sailboatdata.com/sailboat/cavalier-32

Thanks for the responses.

Does anyone with a Cav 28 keep an anchor on the bow-roller? The factory original or a replacement bow roller?

I'll mock up a rocna vulcan and a sarca excel as Ramona suggests and see what fits in the well. Thanks for the tip regarding the 14mm double braid.

I keep my 12kg plough on the bow roller permanently.

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Jormungadr said..
Thanks for the responses.

Does anyone with a Cav 28 keep an anchor on the bow-roller? The factory original or a replacement bow roller?

I'll mock up a rocna vulcan and a sarca excel as Ramona suggests and see what fits in the well. Thanks for the tip regarding the 14mm double braid.

Don't sail with the anchor hanging off the bow, more often than not they aren't secured properly and let go.

I modified my anchor locker. The winch was added by a previous owner. I made the timber cover from a second-hand Merbau plank and some "hardwood" from Hammerbarn (chosen because of the contrast in colour). The geometry was a real challenge. Inside sits a rusty CQR anchor.

Re the previous comment about unsecured anchors on the bow roller, there is a chip in the gel-coat below the second hole in the toe-rail that is just visible in the photo. It was caused by the anchor going AWOL off the roller, and could have been a lot worse. That was the last time I kept my anchor on the bow roller without securing it and it was part of the motivation for the new cover.

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Cockpit said..
I keep my 12kg plough on the bow roller permanently.

Just to clarify, mine is secured with a SS spring clamp and line so it won't go anywhere until I want it to.
But if it's needed quickly it's just a few seconds to unclip it.

Thanks for the responses.