cape dory 31 sailboat data

CAPE DORY 31 Detailed Review

If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of CAPE DORY 31. Built by Cape Dory Yachts and designed by Carl Alberg, the boat was first built in 1983. It has a hull type of Long Keel and LOA is 9.55. Its sail area/displacement ratio 15.88. Its auxiliary power tank, manufactured by undefined, runs on undefined.

CAPE DORY 31 has retained its value as a result of superior building, a solid reputation, and a devoted owner base. Read on to find out more about CAPE DORY 31 and decide if it is a fit for your boating needs.

Boat Information

Boat specifications, sail boat calculation, rig and sail specs, contributions, who designed the cape dory 31.

CAPE DORY 31 was designed by Carl Alberg.

Who builds CAPE DORY 31?

CAPE DORY 31 is built by Cape Dory Yachts.

When was CAPE DORY 31 first built?

CAPE DORY 31 was first built in 1983.

How long is CAPE DORY 31?

CAPE DORY 31 is 7.09 m in length.

What is mast height on CAPE DORY 31?

CAPE DORY 31 has a mast height of 10.67 m.

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• Sailboat Guide

Cape Dory 31

Cape Dory 31 is a 31 ′ 3 ″ / 9.6 m monohull sailboat designed by Carl Alberg and built by Cape Dory Yachts between 1983 and 1985.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

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Review of Cape Dory 31

Basic specs..

The Cape Dory 31 is equipped with a long keel. A long keel provide a better directional stability than a similar boat with a fin keel; on the other hand, better directional stability means also that the boat is more difficult to handle in a harbour with less space.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.45 - 1.55 meter (4.76 - 5.06 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Cape Dory 31 is 1.73, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.5 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Cape Dory 31 is about 141 kg/cm, alternatively 790 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 141 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 790 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is a Ballast Ratio?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 16m 2 (172 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Cape Dory 31 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

Extraordinary boats: Cape 31

• May 23, 2022

The Cape 31 is a one-design yacht originally created for racing in South Africa, which has rapidly expanded with fleets around the world. Andy Rice reports

Thirty-foot keelboats come and go all the time. Most arrive with a short-lived fanfare, only to fade gradually out of sight and memory. Not so the Cape 31, which looks set to be the ‘must sail’ boat for the foreseeable future. With 25 boats sold into England and Ireland in little more than a year, this Mark Mills one-design seems to have hit the sweet spot.

Dave Swete is part of the small team promoting the Cape 31 out of a small office in Port Hamble in the UK. Swete is a Volvo Ocean Race veteran and the sole professional sailor on Sunrise , Tom Kneen’s Fastnet-winning JPK 11.80. Asked why the sailing world needed another 30-something keelboat, Swete replies: “I think it’s because it just ticks a lot of boxes. We believe that it’s the only class boat that’s winning on IRC and other rating systems at the moment.

“You can get this boat straight out of the box and go and win races. The Cape 31 won overall in Les Voiles de St Tropez last year, as well as a whole host of local events in the Solent.”

Whereas some 30ft keelboats might like to describe themselves as a ‘big dinghy’, Swete insists the Cape 31 is “a small keelboat”. He explains: “We can take this boat out in 25 knots wind against tide in the Solent and have a really nice day, then come back in and the boat’s in one piece, it’s not full of water. We haven’t been broaching out and nosediving all day, we’ve just been bow-up, doing 20 knots downwind and 7.5 knots upwind. It’s fair to say it’s a proper yacht.”

Working with his R&D partners KND/Sailing Performance, Mark Mills produced a hull with low freeboard and aggressive chines designed to maximise form stability in a breeze while maintaining a low wetted surface area when upright in the lighter stuff. The chine running forward to the bow helps produce the Cape 31’s distinctive bow-up attitude at speed downwind.

Bow-up, crew weight aft and the potential for 20+ knot downwind speeds. Photo: Rick Tomlinson/Cape 31 Class

For some, the Cape 31’s upwind speed – even more than its electric downwind pace – is the most impressive statistic.

“The real head-turner is that this is a 30ft boat that goes upwind at a similar speed to a Performance 40. Then you turn it downwind and really put the hammer down,” says Swete.

Having previously owned a Corby-designed cruiser/racer, Lance Adams was looking for something sportier when he got into the Cape 31 class. He’d considered the J/70 but didn’t gel with it; and had watched the Fast 40 s battling around the Solent but didn’t fancy getting into what looked like an arms race. After a conversation with Swete, Adams bought a Cape 31 without ever having sailed one. “It sounded like the boat that the Solent has been needing for a while,” says Adams.

His Katabatic was the second boat into the country and Adams raced it regularly throughout 2021. One of the big attractions for Adams was the strict one-design rule. He was looking for close competition and hasn’t been disappointed. “At Cowes Week last year I think we had five different race winners after five days. It’s sensational racing.”

Tokoloshe III was the first Cape 31 in the UK and immediately racked up winning race results under IRC. Photo: Rick Tomlinson/Cape 31 Class

He also likes the fact that the boat goes, in his words, ‘hell for leather’ downwind. “We peaked at 21 knots last season but 2021 was quite a light year for wind. I think the boat has the potential to go quite a bit faster.”

Created for the Cape

The origins of the Cape 31 stem from Cape Town, a sailing venue where prolific Maxi yacht owner Sir Irvine Laidlaw likes to spend time. Laidlaw wanted a new design that could be sailed in the famous ‘Cape doctor’ winds and swell off Cape Town. “His concept was for a ‘no holds barred’ 30-footer for delivering maximum fun,” explains Swete. “It certainly wasn’t designed to be an IRC weapon. It was designed simply to be the best boat it could be in Cape Town, which actually transferred nicely over to the Solent with the wind against tide and the rough conditions we can get here.”

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The Cape 31 is primarily aimed at round the cans racing, or the occasional long distance day race, such as the Round the Island Race . “We’ve got a 90-mile Cannonball Run planned from Antigua to St Maarten,” Swete adds.

Mark Mills was commissioned to design the boat back in 2017, and although initially successful in South Africa, it took a couple of years for it to gain a wider reputation. “Some international teams had been invited down to Cape Town to race the boat which had gone fairly well,” recalls Swete. “It wasn’t until we brought the boat over [to the UK] and started winning races on IRC that it got noticed properly, and that’s when things really kicked off.”

The Cape 31s have a crew weight limit of 595kg, which usually translates to seven on board, with an owner-driver rule and no more than three professionals. Photo: Rick Tomlinson/Cape 31 Class

The centre of gravity of the Cape 31 class has now shifted firmly to the UK, although its handicap performance has given other owners the courage to order boats in different parts of the world.

“The class is very much established in the Solent now, to the point where we’re attracting international teams over here. We’ve got an American team flying in for our local regattas, and a Dutch team too. But we’ll start travelling as a class soon. Next year we’ll travel to the Caribbean, and we’re looking to get some racing going in the Bay of Palma. There’s a fleet starting up in Australia, and the beauty of these boats is they go in a container.”

The aggressively-chined hull shape maximises form stability in a breeze. Photo: Rick Tomlinson/Cape 31 Class

Cape 31 – owner-friendly

Aside from the high-performance and handicap appeal of the boat, Swete and his partner, Dave Bartholomew, have pushed hard to establish a strong class ethos that focuses on having fun first and foremost. It’s an owner-driver class with a maximum of three pro sailors permitted on the crew, although Swete encourages teams to sail with fewer.

“We’re all about matching the fun on the water with fun off the water, and we’ve taken it back to the yacht clubs.”

The clean ramp deck offers ease of movement of sails and sailors. Photo: Tor Tomlinson/Cape 31

Keeping it fun includes avoiding an arms race where teams might be tempted to tweak their boats up to – or beyond – the limits of the class rule. Swete says there is a strong policy in place to keep that in check, and he’s not afraid of chasing the wrong sort of owner out of the fleet if it threatens the overall ecosystem of good, clean Corinthian fun and sportsmanship.

“We are investing in keeping people in line. We have a rules guy, Mike Richards, who’s an IRC measurer. He’s been involved in everything from Swan 45s to Fast 40s, Farr 40s and Mumm 30s. We got him involved very early on, because it can sneak in, where people want to take advantage of a new class and loopholes.”

A 15hp Yanmar diesel engine confirms the Cape 31’s ‘yacht’ (not a dayboat or dinghy) credentials. Photo: Tor Tomlinson/Cape 31

Swete acknowledges that launching a new class is in some ways the easy part. The greater challenge could come in maintaining longevity well beyond the honeymoon period that the Cape 31 is currently enjoying. “It’s about looking after the bottom third of the fleet and keeping them happy. We don’t really want teams to all sail with three pros. When you see team coach boats out on the water, I think that’s a very bad sign. It’s not something we’ve banned, but it’s highly discouraged.”

Cape 31 specifications

LOA: 9.56m / 31ft 3in Beam: 3.10m / 10ft 2in Draught: 2.45m / 8ft 0in Displacement: 1,770kg / 3,902lb Sail Area Mainsail: 39m² / 420ft² Headsail: 25m² / 269ft² Gennaker: 116m² / 1,248ft² IRC Rating: 1.15

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SPECIFICATIONS

• DESCRIPTION

(SOLD) 1984 Cape Dory 31 Cutter

Truly an amazing boat. This boat has had the best in care and upgrades, New mast, New Yanmar engine, the list goes on. The decks are clean and nice, one of the nicest CD's we've seen. If you're  looking for a boat that's ready to go, this one really is!

• Manufacturer: Cape Dory
• Model: 31 Cutter
• Category: Sail
• Condition: Used
• Location: Freeport US
• Hull Material: Fiberglass
• Make: Yanmar
• Model: 3YM30
• Engines(s): 1
• Engine Type: Inboard
• Fuel Type: diesel
• Horsepower: 29|horsepower
• Total Berths: 2
• Total Heads: 1
• Length: 31 ft
• Beam: 9.06 ft
• Draft - max:
• Fuel Tank: 25|gallon
• Fresh Water Tank: 84|gallon
• Holding Tank: 25|gallon

DESCRIPTIONS

Accommodations

The Cape Dory 31 interior deviates from tradition, which allows for spacious main cabin, galley and stateroom.

Starting aft at the companionway, the "U" shaped galley is to starboard.  Well thought out, double sinks are in the forward facing section, a 2 burner propane stove with an oven is in the middle, and a large ice box is aft.  Storage is abundant with lockers outboard of the stove and under the sink area.  A slide out trash bin is located in the aft bulkhead section.

Opposite the galley, to port, is the enclosed head area.  A vanity with a sink served with pressure hot and cold water is aft, with a mirror over.  A shower faucet connects to the sink faucet, and there is a pump for shower water discharge. The marine toilet is forward, and this is plumbed to a holding tank located in the aft bilge area.  An opening port and an overhead vent provide good ventilation.

The main cabin is next forward, and includes settees port and starboard.  With the backrests hinged up, they easily convert to berths, and the starboard can become a double with a sliding platform moving inboard.  There are shelves and lockers above each berth and book racks between the lockers.  A dining table with two fold down leafs is mounted on the centerline, aft of the keel stepped mast.  Additionally, aft of the port berth, there is a hanging locker and set of drawers adding to the good storage potential.  There are 5 opening ports in the main cabin / galley area, a large Bomar overhead hatch, and two dorade vents, all providing wonderful ventilation throughout.

The stateroom is next forward. First are lockers port and starboard; one being a  hanging locker and the other a bureau of drawers.  V-berths are forward and are wide and comfortable.  A filler cushion creates a double berth.  With the filler in place, there is still plenty of room to change clothes in privacy.  Overhead is another large Bomar hatch, and there are two opening ports for ventilation.  Shelves over the berths and large lockers and drawers under provide excellent storage potential.  A door forward of the berth provides access to the chain locker.

Settee cushions are a blue plaid, and all ports and hatches have screens. The quality and warmth of this boat is amazing!

Sails- New mast!

Happy Days was re-rigged in 2009 for ease of sail handling.  The mast was replaced with a Selden in-mast furling mast, and all standing rigging was replaced at this time.  Winches were upgraded to self-tailing, and all lines were lead back to the cockpit.

• SELDEN Mast for Mainsail in-mast furling reefing 2009
• BONDELL Mainsail 2009
• FURLEX Roller furling systems for both headsails 2009
• Yankee Jib with Sunshield
• Staysail with sunshield
• ANDERSEN # 28 Self-Tailing Sheet Winches
• ANDERSEN # 28 ST Mainsail Set, Reef, Furl, and sheet Winch
• ANDERSEN # 12 ST Staysail sheet winch
• 8 SPINLOCK line brakes
• Standing rigging replaced 2009
• New lifelines in 2017

12 VOLT DC ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:

• Dual Battery Bank Selector Switch
• Circuit Breaker Panel with battery condition meter
• 2  DIE HARD AGM Batteries(2017)
• BALMAR Hi-output Alternator on the engine
• Ample Cabin lights
• Navigation Lights
• Domestic water pump
• Shower Sump Pump
• Electric Bilge Pump
• High Water bilge alarm

110 VOLT AC ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:

• 50' Shore Power Cord
• Circuit Breaker Panel
• Cabin outlets
• ISOTHERM water heater
• PRO MARINER Pro-sport 20 plus battery charger

Mechanical and plumbing systems

• Yanmar 3YM 30 Diesel, installed 2010
• Fresh Water Cooled
• Prop Shaft and Cutlass Bearing replaced 2010
• Fuel / Water separator fuel filter
• Fuel shut-off Valve
• 25 gal aluminum fuel tank
• Seawater Intake Strainer
• Edson Pedestal Steering (2009)
• Engine controls on the pedestal
• Guard and Wheel Brake
• Force 10 Propane Galley StoveLocker with solenoid valve for above
• Marine Toilet
• 25 gallon holding tank
• Overboard discharge system for holding tank / head
• Hot and Cold pressure water system at head and galley
• ISOTHERM  water heater
• 3 water tanks totaling 84 gallon capacity
• Manual bilge pump
• Electric bilge pump

Electronics

• AUTOHELM Knot / Log
• AUTOHELM Depth
• ICOM M-422 VHF Radio
• SONY DCX-M10 AM/FM/CD Stereo
• RITCHIE SP-5 Compass on Pedestal
• Weems & Plath Ship's clock
• WEEMS & PLATH  Barometer
• Garmin GPS Plotter-New
• Moor Apparent wind indicator-new
• BRUCE 33# Anchor w/ 20' chain, 150' line
• MAXWELL Electric Windlass (2012)
• Teak Bow Sprit with anchor roller
• Double bow and stern rails
• NEW - Double life lines and gates
• Stern mounted swim ladder
• Edson Pedestal Steering
• Varnished Teak cockpit table and drink holder
• Boarding step
• 6 Dock lines
• 4 Life Vests
• Spray Dodger (2012)
• Bimini  (2012)
• Ensign and staff
• Screens for ports, companionway and hatches

Additional Information

"Happy Days" has had great love and care, also included is a new Fairclough cover and frame! She is currently ready to go in the water and start her next adventure. If you're looking for a spectacular boat, Happy Days are here again! 

Disclaimer The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.

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Cape Dory 31 - Sailboat Data, Parts & Rigging

Sailboat data, rig dimensions and recommended sail areas for Cape Dory 31 sailboat. Tech info about rigging, halyards, sheets, mainsail covers and more.

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• Sailboat Reviews

Cape Dory 30

Our pick of these boats is a cutter-rigged late model with full-width galley and pedestal steering..

When the Cape Dory 30 entered production in 1976, it was the largest boat in the expanding line of the Taunton, Massachusetts boatbuilder. In 1986, when production ceased, over 350 Cape Dory 30s had been built, and what had been the largest boat in the company’s fleet was one of the smallest.

In 1986, Cape Dory introduced the Cape Dory 30 Mk II, an entirely different boat, designed in-house (rather than by Carl Alberg), longer on the waterline, 1 1/2′ wider, and with a far roomier and more modern interior.

The old Cape Dory 30 was designed as a ketch, with cutter or sloop rigs optional. In the middle of the production run, the more efficient cutter rig replaced the ketch as standard. The ketch remained an option.

The Cape Dory line always consisted of traditional- looking, long-keel cruising boats, and their appeal has been strongest on the East Coast, particularly in New England, a well-known hotbed of sailing reactionaries.

Sailing Performance

No one buys a Cape Dory looking for a flashy speedster. The original ketch rig has a lot of windage, and relatively small, inefficient sails. The rig does, however, give the boat a distinctly “shippy” traditional appearance.

A PHRF rating of about 220 shows the ketch to be a slow boat. By way of contrast, the old original C&C 25 carries about the same rating. The cutter-rigged Cape Dory 30 is about 15 seconds per mile faster.

The Cape Dory 30 was originally equipped with worm gear steering. This type of gear is powerful, foolproof, and requires no steering pedestal in the cockpit. The wheel will also hold the rudder in position without a brake. The disadvantage is that there is almost no rudder feedback, so that it’s hard to tell when the boat is properly balanced. Worm gear steering will not make you a better sailor.

The worm gear steerer is especially compatible with the original ketch rig. Since the mizzen is stepped in the middle of the cockpit, it’s nice to get the steering wheel back aft where it won’t take up any usable space. The top of the steering gear box also serves as a good helmsman’s seat.

With the cutter rig, it became feasible to put a more conventional pedestal steerer in the boat. However, moving the steerer further forward meant that the old steering box—now a storage locker—was too far away from the wheel to be used as a seat.

In practice, you usually sit to the side of the wheel with a pedestal steerer, not behind it. But this re- quires a wheel that is big enough to let you get far enough outboard to see sail trim. Most helmsmen will only sit directly behind the wheel when the boat is under power and they can see straight ahead, with no sails in the way.

The big steering wheel that’s the easiest to use with pedestal steering almost requires a T-shaped cockpit for easy maneuverability. The Cape Dory 30 stuck with the straight bench cockpit seats, and used a fairly small destroyer wheel. Although you don’t need the leverage of a big wheel on this boat, it will make steering less tiring, and there is room between the seats to fit a larger-diameter wheel. It would make it necessary to climb over the seats to go forward, however.

Most owners report that the boat—with either rig—is easy to balance under sail. The percentage reporting difficulty in balancing the boat complain of excessive weather helm on a close reach.

Hard steering when reaching is a common complaint on boats with attached rudders and a lot of rake to the rudderpost. The Cape Dory 30 does have a relatively efficient Constellation-type rudder, even if it is located about 2′ further forward than it would be with a comparable fin keel and spade rudder underbody.

Weather helm when reaching is frequently caused by overtrimming the main. On a boat without a vang, the boom tends to lift quickly as the sheet is eased, and the top of the sail twists off and begins to luff. Thinking they’ve eased the sheet too much, many sailors will at that point overtrim the main, shifting the draft of the sail aft and creating weather helm. Under those conditions, the proper thing to do with the Cape Dory 30 is use mainsheet tension to create a fair leech, then ease the traveler down to keep the whole sail working.

On both rigs, the mainsail is controlled by a traveler over the main companionway.

With the ketch rig, the mast is stepped further forward than the cutter, and the mainsheet attaches to the boom about two-thirds of the way aft, giving reasonable leverage. With the cutter, the mast location means that the mainsheet attaches almost exactly at the boom midpoint, reducing leverage and making the sail somewhat harder to trim.

In either case the traveler location at the forward end of the companionway is out of the way, but it makes installing a cockpit dodger more difficult.

The cutter’s main boom is at a reasonable height, but the taller helmsman should still watch his head when tacking.

With the advent of modern headsail reefing systems, the cutter rig is really superfluous on this boat. The small gap between the forestay and headstay makes it difficult to tack a big genoa, yet you really need a big genoa if this fairly heavy boat is to be properly powered in light air. The double head rig is fine in breezes over 15 knots, but in lighter air it’s much slower than a good number one genoa.

According to owners, the boat’s only sailing weakness is light air. With a lot of wetted surface and an inefficient foretriangle, the boat is simply not going to be fast in very light air. All in all, though, owners say the boat is faster than they expected it to be in all conditions.

With a 40% ballast/displacement ratio, the Cape Dory 30 is reasonably stiff despite the very narrow beam. You can get stability with a lot of ballast down low, or with a lot of beam. The Cape Dory 30 gets it from a lot of ballast, placed low in the hull.

With less weight aloft, the cutter should be slightly stiffer than the ketch.

Both the ketch and cutter rig use simple, untapered aluminum masts, stepped on deck. With a stiff section and double lower shrouds, these rigs are fairly foolproof.

Unlike many builders, Cape Dory put diesel engines in every inboard-powered sailboat they built after 1975. You won’t find an Atomic 4 here.

What you will find, unfortunately, is an engine installation and selection that is somewhat less than ideal.

Because this is a narrow boat with slack bilges, it wasn’t possible to get the engine far enough down in the bilge to be out of the way in a normal installation. Instead, the engine is mounted under the cockpit, using a V-drive. The engine is kept out of the way, but out of sight in this case means poor access for servicing. Getting to the alternator belts for adjustment, for example, requires crawlingunder the cockpit through a locker.

The original engine was a single-cylinder Yanmar diesel rated at 12 hp. This engine is too small for the boat, and single-cylinder engines are notorious for their vibration.

Starting with 1977 models, the Yanmar diesel was replaced with a Volvo MD7A, rated at 13 hp. The Volvo engine has more displacement, and has two cylinders. Nevertheless, some owners still complain that the boat is underpowered with the Volvo diesel.

Despite the long keel, the Cape Dory is reasonably maneuverable under power. The exception is handling in reverse, which according to many owners varies from unpredictable to impossible. This is not a characteristic unique to this boat; it is a fault of most long-keel boats with attached rudders. You learn to act as if reverse were nothing more than a set of brakes—not very good ones, at that.

Other than its location, the engine installation itself is pretty good, with dual fuel filters, 1″ bronze shaft, and oil drip pan under the engine. The fuel tank capacity of 20 gallons should give well over 200 miles range under power with any of the engines.

During the 1983 model year, a switch was made to a two-cylinder Universal diesel. We would definitely prefer a boat with either the Volvo or Universal engine over the original small Yanmar.

Construction

The Cape Dory 30 is solidly built, although there is nothing particularly innovative or unusual about the construction. The hull is a solid fiberglass laminate, the deck is balsa cored. No owners in our survey mention problems with either hull or deck construction.

A number of owners have reservations about the hull-to-deck joint, which is not through-bolted. Other owners mention that there are washers but no backing plates on deck hardware such as lifeline stanchions. Although none report problems either with deck hardware or the hull-to-deck joint, their concerns are valid. Backing plates on deck hardware help distribute loads, and reduce the chance of stress cracks around fittings. Likewise, a through-bolted hull-to-deck connection offers a foolproof mechanical backup should the polyester putty bond between the hull and deck fail. Bolts won’t stop leaks, but a through-bolted joint won’t come apart until the surrounding glass fails.

As in most boats this size, the lifeline stanchions are only 24″ high. This is too low for any real security—the lifelines strike most people just about at knee height, the right height for tripping. There are some bolts through the hull-to-deck joint, since both the lifeline stanchions and chainplates fasten through the inward-turning hull flange. We would, however, prefer to see closely-spaced bolts throughout the length of the joint.

Chainplates are cast bronze lugs bolted through the hull and deck flange. As long as the hull and deck are adequately reinforced—and they are, in this case—this type of installation is fine.

We’ve seen the same general type of chainplates on 40′ boats with Lloyds certificates, so they can’t be all bad.

All Cape Dory boats came with deck hardware— cleats, winch islands, bow fittings, seacocks and chainplates—by Spartan, a sister company to Cape

Dory. This is good stuff that will last the life of the boat and then some. The only disadvantages are that it is heavy, being bronze, and is not very well finished.

Going from burnished to polished finish just about doubles the price of a piece of hardware— polishing is very labor intensive—and on most Cape Dory 30s you’ll find burnished hardware. It’s rugged, though.

There’s a fair amount of exterior teak on these boats, including cockpit coamings, toerails, hatch trim, and eyebrow trim around the cabin on later models. This gives the boat a yachty appearance, but it does increase maintenance.

You could get the Cape Dory 30 in any color you wanted, as long as it was Cape Dory white with a nicely-contrasting tan deck. Several owners report discoloration of the colored portion of the non-skid decks. The non-skid itself is quite functional.

Early boats in this series have an unusual water tankage arrangement. One tank is plumbed to the head sink, the other to the galley.

Since you use a lot more water in the galley than in the head, that tank runs out first. Many owners have replumbed these tanks so that you can use the entire water supply.

Some early boats also have the water tank fills located below, which may be fine for keeping salt water out of the tanks, but can make for a fire drill when trying to fill them without making a mess. On later boats there is a 30-gallon water tank under each main cabin settee, and the system is correctly plumbed.

There are proper seacocks on all fittings below the waterline.

The deck-stepped rigs in both the cutter and ketch are well engineered, as no owners in our survey report any deck deflection or stress cracking in that area.

Unlike a lot of 30-footers, the Cape Dory 30 was designed as a small seagoing boat. For example, it has a reasonable bridge deck, although it is lower than the main cockpit seats and the cockpit coamings.There is also a sea hood over the main companionway hatch.

The main companionway is an unusual design. The vertical part of the companionway is fairly narrow and straight sided—good features in terms of seaworthiness. The sliding hatch and its opening are wider, letting more light and air below.

Relatively few owners in our survey report gelcoat blistering. The only glasswork complaints were gelcoat crazing in an early model, and discoloration of the gelcoat in the hull liner, cabin overhead, and non-skid areas in the deck.

Compared to newer 30-footers, the Cape Dory 30 is cramped below. The boat is more than a foot narrower than the typical cruiser/racer built today, and about 2′ shorter on the waterline. There’s no way around it: this is a small boat.

Within these limitations, the interior layout is pretty good. There are V-berths forward, with a dropin insert to form a double. The forward berths are narrow at the foot.

Ventilation in the forward cabin is provided by two opening ports plus an overhead Bomar aluminum- framed hatch. There are drawers and lockers beneath the berths.

The head compartment utilizes the full width of the boat, the way it should on a boat this narrow. Outboard of the toilet is a hanging locker. Opposite the toilet there is a dresser with sink.

A grate in the head sole for a shower was standard equipment, but the pressure water necessary to use it was an option. If you’re going to spend more than a weekend on a boat, a shower is almost mandatory.

Inexplicably, the head sink and shower drain into the bilge. This is unacceptable. Because of the boat’s low freeboard, the head sink is too low to be plumbed directly overboard if you expect it to drain on port tack. The best solution, although it is somewhat awkward, would be to install a closed sump tank in the bilge. It could be emptied overboard by either a manual or an electric pump. You wouldn’t want your bathroom sink and shower to drain into your basement, would you?

Two opening ports plus a cowl vent in a Dorade box provide ventilation in the head. If it were our boat, we’d also install a small venting hatch or another Dorade box over the head, even though the standard arrangement is better than you find on many larger boats.

The main cabin has settees which double as berths along either side. There are narrow shelves above and outboard of each settee.

Since the water tanks take up most of the volume below the main cabin settees, there is little storage space available in the main cabin.

As in most boats this size, the main cabin table folds down from the forward main bulkhead. It will seat four, although in a somewhat cramped fashion.

In the original layout, the galley aft runs the full width of the boat. On the port side there is a pressurized, two-burner gimbaled alcohol stove with oven.

If you want to stay with alcohol cooking fuel, we recommend switching to a non-pressurized stove such as the Origo. Despite the fact that alcohol fires can be extinguished with water, pressurized alcohol stoves can be dangerous because most people underestimate the volatility of the fuel.

The sinks are aft of the stove, and are somewhat difficult to reach because the slope of the bilge intrudes into the space where you would normally stand.

Opposite the stove there is a good galley dresser containing an icebox, storage bin, and drawers. The icebox drains into the bilge. This is a poor arrangement, since organic matter from the icebox will inevitably contaminate the bilge, even if it is pumped daily. The icebox could either be pumped into the galley sink, or into the sump you install for the head sink and shower.

With this layout, you use the top of the icebox as a navigation table. The lack of a good place to do chart work is a common failing in older designs of this size.

Late in the production run, the interior layout was “modernized” by adding a quarterberth and small chart table. The arrangement takes up a lot of the space that was formerly used for the galley. You get another berth—which you don’t need—at the cook’s expense. We don’t think this layout is an improvement, despite the fact that the navigator gets his or her own workspace.

Headroom on centerline in the main cabin is just over 6′, with slightly less further forward.

Main cabin ventilation is good, with four opening ports—excellent bronze Spartan ports—and an overhead Bomar hatch. We’d add a pair of cowl vents in Dorade boxes on either side of the ventilation hatch. The space is there, and the job is pretty simple. Although the galley has reasonable storage, there is little storage space in the rest of the boat. This makes the boat unsuitable as a long-term cruising boat, unless you want to do a fair amount of modification to the interior.

Joinerwork and finishing detail throughout are of good production boat quality. Since a lot of teak is used for interior woodwork, the boat is quite dark below.

You could brighten this up a lot by finishing the interior with gloss varnish, rather than the standard satin oil finish.

Conclusions

With her narrow beam and short waterline, the Cape Dory 30 is a lot smaller than newer boats of this length and displacement. The boat will have a strong appeal to the traditionalist who places a high value on appearance.

The boats are well constructed, suited for serious coastal cruising, and perhaps for limited offshore sailing.

Cape Dory boats were quite expensive, but they hold their value well. When production began in 1976, the Cape Dory 30 had a base price of about $29,000. By the time production ceased a decade later, the price had almost doubled—but so had the price of just about everything.

Although some might prefer the “shippiness” of the ketch rig, the cutter is both faster and more practical. Some boats were built as sloops, and this would be the best rig of all. Inevitably, the Cape Dory 30 will be compared to the Alberg 30. The Cape Dory 30 is longer on the waterline, wider, heavier, and has a roomier interior. The Cape Dory 30 cutter is slightly faster than the sloop-rigged Alberg 30.

Our choice in a Cape Dory 30 would be a latemodel cutter with full-width galley, Edson pedestal, and the Volvo or Universal diesel. For the money, you get a well-designed traditional boat that is a good coastal cruiser for a couple or a small family. We don’t think the boat is big enough for four adults for anything more than weekend sailing.

If you want the looks of an older boat but the construction details and diesel engine found in newer boats, the Cape Dory 30 is a good choice.

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14 comments.

Some photos would be useful in an article like this. Remember a photo is worth how many words? Regards

Agree – at least one picture of the entire boat would’ve been appreciated

Good article. very informative

If you’re a sailor you’re proud to show your boat! Where are the photos of this boat???

Pictures would’ve been great

If readers are accessing this story on-line, a quick search for “Cape Dory 30 Mark II” produces 1.7 million images.

…so even less excuse for not putting a couple here… 🙂

Cape Dory apparently ventured into trying to have a little more modern design by producing around 75 or so boats with a fin keel and sloop rig – Intrepid 9m by Cape Dory. Ours was originally outfitted with the Volvo diesel but was at some point changed to a 27hp Yanmar 3 cylinder. Much of the Cape Dory 30 interior description sounds similar. It’s been a slow project for us with much to do.

This article was previously published in the 6th edition of Practical Boat Buying in 2003, and perhaps in earlier editions as well. Originally, the article included a sail plan and line drawing of the layout.

i have the Cape Dory 31. One foot difference makes a big difference in the layout. I love the boat.

I bought a 1978 Cape Dory 30 ketch a few years ago, my first big boat, in the hopes of coastal and some blue water cruising. I appreciate the comments made in the article, there are many good points made. A few comments/questions: -I agree with the discussion of backing the boat; I cannot claim to do it well, especially in crosswinds out of a slip. Nice to know I am not alone. -Not sure I understand why the ketch would be more tender than the cutter; its mainmast is a foot or two shorter with a resulting shorter lever-arm. -It should be mentioned that the ketch has a longer on-deck space than the cutter, making it possible to carry a small dinghy on deck; I’m not sure this would be possible with the cutter. -The ketch allows flexibility in sail handling: I can sail with furling genoa and mizzen with good balance, raising and trimming without leaving the cockpit. This is a real blessing for single handing, of which I do a fair amount. -I have installed a Schaefer furler for the genoa, replacing the much older poorly functioning furler that came with the boat. I can self tack the genoa using the jibboom that came with the boat, or raise a storm jib with the jibboom and self tack with a sail well back off the bowsprit. Again, nice for cruising, single handing, and heavy air. -It probably should be mentioned that the Cape Dorys have internal ballasted molded in keel. This may be an advantage in an older boat since one does not have to worry about aging keel bolts. The 4 foot draft, with long keel and attached rudder is an advantage in places like the Louisiana Gulf Coast with plenty of shallow, quite muddy water. Yes, unfortunately, I know this from experience. -Recent hurricanes have put a number of boats ashore. Friends from Texas have told me that one of their members’ Cape Dorys went ashore losing mast and rigging, but little damage to the hull. Anecdotal, but the hull is thick with good glasswork. -I agree with the assessment of the bronze steering gear that came with the boat. It seems bulletproof and simple. Any assessment as to whether it would work with an autopilot system? -thanks for the article.

How does this boat look like, no photos, Great article, not.

For those not entirely reading the fine article…

“ By Darrell Nicholson – June 14, 2000”

Solid review.

What the cape dory cutter rig really needs is a Bowsprit a rather long one at that. Put a 3-4 ft bow sprit on it move the head stay out to the end and the move the staysail stay to where the head stay was and you then have a far better sail plan and you would increase the displacement to sail area ratio to quite speedy levels. Also the main needs a boomvang. The mast without a bowsprit is still too far forward for an efficient cutter rig. (Ona cutter the mast should really be center of the sail plan. I can see looking at the standard sail plan why it would have excessive weather helm not enough head sail area to overcome the main and over all not enough sail area. Carl Alberg included a small bowsprit on the Cape dory 28 and looking at the design of the 30 most of the extra length was added aft. Of the keel. I would really like to see what a long bowsprit would do (would also help with anchoring as you could get the bow roller further out)

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Cape dory 33

The cape dory 33 is a 33.04ft masthead sloop designed by carl alberg and built in fiberglass by cape dory yachts between 1980 and 1985., 124 units have been built..

The Cape dory 33 is a very heavy sailboat which is slightly under powered. It is very stable / stiff and has an excellent righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a bluewater cruising boat. The fuel capacity is originally small. There is a short water supply range.

Cape dory 33 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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