Hi Guys,
I have been reading the forum for a long time but not actively participating. I used to sail a compass 28 back in the day and have been looking to get back into sailing. I have been looking for a boat my budget is around 30-40k. One boat that has poked my interest is the Cavalier 32. I have found this one on Ebay, I had a look at it this morning and it looks like a decent boat, probably needs a couple of grand spent but all the nasty and expensive work seems to be done. Does anyone here have any experience on the Cavalier 32 how do they sail? Would they be a good boat for weekends up to Pitwater?
Here is the link to the boat:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Yacht-Cavalier-975-32-Cruiser-Sailboat-28hp-Diesel-New-Rigging-New-Antifoul-/201441299910?hash=item2ee6d64dc6
Thanks,
Jason
It looks ok, in fact a good buy. You would have to ask why it is being sold on ebay for a low price rather than seeking a better price. It might all be good but I note he has one very negative review which might be pertinent to this sale.
Cav 32s are good boats and very suitable for coastal and weekend trips.
yes i agree. In general the cavalier are a good yacht . i haven't looked at this boat though. like anything until you crawl all over them you wont know.
Looks like a good buy, but still has some time to go, be interesting as to what it brings, also note that his negative report was for NOT going through with a sale because the winning bid was too low !!!
Hi .Jason
i am proud Cav 32 owner and have seen this boat advertised before
price is much below current market but looks a bargain if sound,as lots of work appears to have been done
worth a keen inspection
great boats,but I am obviously biased
no vices
not fast but ok
comfortable in seaway
happy to discuss if you will to email me
regards
Thanks for all the feedback guys. I spoke to the seller again this morning and made an offer. He was rather nice about it but politely declined saying he has had several other offers from people who have viewed the boat and they are going to put it down as a bid. All I can do now is wait out the auction and see if I win. I tend to agree with Ramona that a lot of good boats do get sold on eBay. I have sold a number of expensive items including cars and boats on eBay that have sold sight unseen. I do agree a lot of crap does end up on there but if you want to sell and are happy to accept what people are willing pay then it is often a quick easy way to sell. As a buyer it is good but you have to be smart, I always bid in the last 15 seconds the absolute maximum amount I am willing to pay, that way if I win I only pay what someone else was willing to pay due to the proxy system and if I loose it was more than I was willing to pay so no harm done.
i've always found it curious that many buyers are happy to make high auto-bids well before the end of the auction, which tends to push the prices up. good for sellers though...
Totally agree Fish Monkey. As a buyer it is rather frustrating I suppose it can be put down to the fact that most people don't really understand the proxy system advantages and disadvantages. I have lost count of the number of buyers that send me emails after an auction to say that some blocked their bid or that they didn't have a chance to respond to the final bid. The best system for sellers was in NZ when I lived there for a couple of years, they have a auction site called trade me and the auction automatically extends for a period of time from the last bid placed.
Theres a few programs that will win on ebay
You register and add the ebay item number and add your highest bid
It sits there and wait for the last millisecond and places your highest bid
There are options also
But ive never lost when ive used it
You just place what you are willing to pay and it plaves it and if your bid is higher than the last other bid you win just above what the other bidder placed
Are you certain you're not just the higgest bidder HG? I'm fairly certain that a higher auto bid within the eBay platform would come up trumps..
High bidder always wins. The programs HG02 mentions place your highest bid in the last second meaning no one else has time to place a higher bid. For example say someone bid $30 for an item and you place a bid for $28 the bidder who bid $30 will win the auction for an amount of $28. If you placed a bid in the last second for $40 you would win the auction at $30. These programs are referred to as bid snipers and are quite common, I personally prefer to do it myself within the last 5 seconds as it usually has the same outcome. (This all assumes no one else is doing the same thing, but the highest bid received will still always win regardless of what method is used to place it)
Here's one that you might consider, <a http://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/compass/innovator-33 </a> a nice 33 ft compass innovator in pretty good condition, located Gawley Bay on the Georges River.
I believe the owner is very motivated to sell 
Cheers
Select to expand quoteHG02 said..Toph said..
Are you certain you're not just the higgest bidder HG? I'm fairly certain that a higher auto bid within the eBay platform would come up trumps..
they work dont worry about that 
there's no doubt that the snipers work, but your snipe amount still has to be higher than everybody else's maximum auto-bid to win.
the sniping software just automates the process of bidding in the last few seconds...
Select to expand quotefishmonkey said..HG02 said..Toph said..
Are you certain you're not just the higgest bidder HG? I'm fairly certain that a higher auto bid within the eBay platform would come up trumps..
they work dont worry about that
there's no doubt that the snipers work, but your snipe amount still has to be higher than everybody else's maximum auto-bid to win.
the sniping software just automates the process of bidding in the last few seconds...
That's exactly right fish monkey if you maximum bid is higher you win if not you loose . its fast
E Bay is a good place to buy or sell many things but when it comes to yachts, I would only do it with "play" money, ie money I can afford to lose. It is a punt.
Select to expand quotecisco said..
E Bay is a good place to buy or sell many things but when it comes to yachts, I would only do it with "play" money, ie money I can afford to lose. It is a punt.
I bought a Mercedes E280 off eBay. Sight unseen from an Afghan refugee that had only been in Australia 3 months. Stunning car!
the Cav is up to $25,200 now, with 68 bids.
Since there's still 7 days to go, why would you bother bidding now?
Select to expand quotecrustysailor said...
the Cav is up to $25,200 now, with 68 bids.
Since there's still 7 days to go, why would you bother bidding now?
I think just as at real auctions, not everybody knows how to play the game.
And there are always people that want to be in the lead, if only for a moment.
I use a free "sniper" site. I think it's called myibidder.
The only magic is it puts in the bid with 5seconds to go. So you only beat the person that was willing to pay more, but only after he see's someone else's bid. With 5 seconds, he won't see it.
Hi All, I looked at this boat the day before I bought my Cav. 975/32 "Blue Horizons", Jan./Feb 2014 I drove down from Qld. the broker rang me when I was at Glen Innes to say that they found oil in the bilge and was sending the diesel guy to have a look before I went on board the next day, turned out the tappet cover needed a new seal which was done. The boat was well presented but from memory the standing rigging was due for an overhaul, anyway I had really gone down too look over the boat I bought. I think at that time it was on the market at around $47000.
I had looked at a Cav.32 at Urangan which was the best of the three I had looked at equipment wise, but the price was the deal breaker in the high fifties and little room for movement.
Bill
Select to expand quotecrustysailor said..
the Cav is up to $25,200 now, with 68 bids.
Since there's still 7 days to go, why would you bother bidding now?
So the seller can not legally withdraw the boat from sale. At least one bid anyway. With yachts it pays to have a history of bids on eBay. Very often the highest bidder turns out to be a waste of time and the next highest bidder has a chance.
If the seller isn't happy with the price near the finish he gets his brother, cousin or mate to put a late bid in to take the auction. They then pat each other on the back with great feedback and wait awhile to relist it saying the previous sale fell through.
What some times happens on E bay is a mate will put a early bid on in the first few days with a large maximum bid and it the prices rises and later he retracts the bid and the price stays high . Most of the time its in the last five or ten minuets
Ive seen it happen a few times
the bloke who dreamt up the " auction" idea must have been a very slippery customer ......
To generate a want where no need exists ?
I have never bought anything at auction , and never will . Did sell a property once at auction , what a joke ! Talk about stressful !! Not one bid ..... Thirty people standing around ....... Then he passes it in . and invites interested paries to talk after the auction ...... Puts one bloke in one bedroom anther punter in another ........ And has a mini auction running between the rooms ....... We sold slightly above our reserve on the day ...... Omfg
what a long way around , the bloke could have bought it prior to auction for 10 percent less ......
Its just a crock of crap really .......
In my view Yachts are not something you would buy at auction , especially with out a full inspection .
All valid points. I suppose at the worst the price gets driven up but it would still only sell for what someone is willing to pay. On the flip side I brought a car for 15 grand when my max bid was 20 so I suppose it goes both ways. From speaking to him I think he just wants out due to other commitments. Said he would allow an inspection but a deposit would
need to be paid and only refundable if major issue was there eg osmosis. assured me the bottom was in good condition and showed me some recent photos. I suppose while i would prefer just to make an offer and have it accepted it is still better than dealing with the never ending list of dreamers who act as if you murdered someone for making a reasonable offer.
