Cavalier Yachts
Encyclopedia
Cavalier Yachts was a yacht manufacturer in New Zealand
, with production in New Zealand and designs also licensed to Australia
and Japan
. In the 1970s Cavalier were the largest production boat builders in the Southern Hemisphere.
Salthouse and Smith amicably parted company with Smith taking the Cavalier Yachts half of the business. Smith introduced two new partners, Pat Sullivan as administrator and accountant, and Grant Bennet as floor and production manager.
At their peak Cavalier Yachts had eleven designs in simultaneous production, and were the largest production boat builders in Australasia
. Under pressure from the New Zealand government
, a sophisticated fibreglass production unit was developed in Glenfield
, Auckland
to meet the new health and safety regulations for fiberglass construction.
In 1979, Prime Minister Robert Muldoon
introduced a sudden 20% sales tax surcharge to the New Zealand boat-building industry which priced Cavalier out of the international market, leading to cancelled orders and precipitating the collapse of the business.
A receiver was appointed and successfully traded the company out, repaying all of its debts. The business was then purchased by Jim Lawry, who formed Export Yachts Ltd, believing that export was the future for the company, and a number of Cavalier 39s were sent to Australia
and the United States
.
The Cavalier 32 enjoyed great success in Half Ton racing throughout the 70's. Peter Smith's own Conquero won the 200 mile South Pacific Half Ton Trophy ocean race, the Leo Bouzaid Memorial 120 mile offshore race in 1974, and sister-ship Petticoats took out the 97 mile offshore race.
The entire range consisted of:
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, with production in New Zealand and designs also licensed to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In the 1970s Cavalier were the largest production boat builders in the Southern Hemisphere.
History
Cavalier Yachts was created as a partnership between Peter K Smith and John Salthouse, trading as Salthouse Custom Glass Boats Ltd, later changed to Custom Glass Boats Ltd. They initially produced the successful Cavalier 32 as well as the Coronet Trailer Sailer and the Corsair 36 launch.Salthouse and Smith amicably parted company with Smith taking the Cavalier Yachts half of the business. Smith introduced two new partners, Pat Sullivan as administrator and accountant, and Grant Bennet as floor and production manager.
At their peak Cavalier Yachts had eleven designs in simultaneous production, and were the largest production boat builders in Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. Under pressure from the New Zealand government
Politics of New Zealand
The politics of New Zealand take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy. The basic system is closely patterned on that of the Westminster System, although a number of significant modifications have been made...
, a sophisticated fibreglass production unit was developed in Glenfield
Glenfield, New Zealand
Glenfield is a suburb of North Shore, one of several cities in the Auckland metropolitan area in northern New Zealand. It is located to the north of the Waitemata Harbour, nine kilometres northwest of the Auckland city centre....
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
to meet the new health and safety regulations for fiberglass construction.
In 1979, Prime Minister Robert Muldoon
Robert Muldoon
Sir Robert David "Rob" Muldoon, GCMG, CH served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the governing National Party. Muldoon had been a prominent member of the National party and MP for the Tamaki electorate for some years prior to becoming leader of the party...
introduced a sudden 20% sales tax surcharge to the New Zealand boat-building industry which priced Cavalier out of the international market, leading to cancelled orders and precipitating the collapse of the business.
A receiver was appointed and successfully traded the company out, repaying all of its debts. The business was then purchased by Jim Lawry, who formed Export Yachts Ltd, believing that export was the future for the company, and a number of Cavalier 39s were sent to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Models
Cavalier Yachts was one of the New Zealand boat-building industry's early successes, the largest in the southern hemisphere at the time. 170 Cavalier 32s were built, and 84 Cavalier 39s .The Cavalier 32 enjoyed great success in Half Ton racing throughout the 70's. Peter Smith's own Conquero won the 200 mile South Pacific Half Ton Trophy ocean race, the Leo Bouzaid Memorial 120 mile offshore race in 1974, and sister-ship Petticoats took out the 97 mile offshore race.
The entire range consisted of:
- Cavalier 26
- Cavalier 28
- Cavalier 30 with open transom
- Cavalier 32
- Cavalier 36
- Cavalier 39