BoatsCape Dory 25D

Cape Dory 25D

Masthead Sloop · Long Keel · 1981–1985

A Carl Alberg-designed long-keeled masthead sloop later produced as the Octavia 25

Designed by Carl Alberg.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Cape Dory 25D, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Practical Sailor

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

Shoal draftDraws 1.07 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 24 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 24
CoastalBluewater

1.86 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.86
LightHeavy

333 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 333
EasygoingPowered-up

16.4 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 16.4
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

What the fleet has seen

The Cape Dory 25D, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Cape DORY 25D is a 7.6-meter masthead sloop designed by Carl Alberg and built by Cape Dory Yachts from 1981 to 1985. It features a long keel, a 2.4-meter beam, a 1.1-meter draft, and displaces 2322 kg.6:50 Cape Dory Yachts, founded by Andrew Vavoletis in 1963, produced cruising yachts from 22 to 45 feet, with Alberg contributing 10 designs known for narrow beams, full keels, and conservative lines.3:51 The Cape DORY 25D is a development of the earlier Cape DORY 25, which itself evolved from the Greenwich 24.6:04 After Cape Dory Yachts closed in 1992, its designs and molds were acquired by other companies, and the 25D was later offered as the OCTAVIA 25 by C. W. Hood Yachts around 1996.8:01 These fiberglass hulls are known for robust construction and affordability, supported by an active owner community.8:29

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
40.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.4
Displacement / length
333.2
Comfort ratio
23.8
Capsize screening
1.86
Hull speed
5.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
543
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1981–1985
Units built
189
Designer
Carl Alberg
Builder
Cape Dory Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Flicka 207.32 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Bruce Bingham-designed cutter with a long keel, originally offered as amateur plans before becoming a production classic
S4, Ep51 Sailing Couple Stops Resisting and Starts Living — A Mindset Shift on the Water10:13from Sailing Into the Mystic
Pearson Yachts-USA Triton8.63 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed long-keel fractional sloop that pioneered fiberglass cruising and saw international production.
Takacat 260S Dinghy and Epropulsion Spirit Electric Outboard Demonstrationfrom Atom Voyager
Bristol Yachts 247.49 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Paul Coble-designed masthead sloop with a long keel and over 50% ballast ratio for stable coastal cruising
Learning to Cross the Atlantic With Nothing but a Sextant — Sailing Yabá 2939:33from Sailing Yabá
Falmouth Cutter 229.30 mSame hull family1.7 m longerA narrow-beamed 30-foot cruiser with a shallow 1.07-meter draft and a traditional long-keeled hull
TOP 3 TINY Sailboats You Can Live On! - Ep 346 Lady K Sailing3:13from Lady K Sailing
Vindo 328.95 mSame hull family1.3 m longerA classic Carl Andersson-designed masthead sloop featuring a long keel and traditional build for stable, comfortable cruising
Edvard Hambro - shorthanded pioneer continues double-handed sailing3:14from SEILmagasinet
Vancouver 278.23 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA Robert B. Harris-designed cutter with a long keel, built across two continents to provide a stiff, comfortable passage
Where Have I Been This Past Year??2:23from Sailing Songbird

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Cape Dory 25A George H. Stadel Jr. design featuring the same long-keel hull as the Greenwich 24 but with a unique deck and coachroofCape Dory 27A 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hullCape Dory 28A classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruisingCape Dory 32A short-run 1986-1988 masthead sloop with a 40% ballast ratio, designed for steady, traditional cruisingCape Dory 31A Carl Alberg-designed cutter with a long keel, built between 1983 and 1985 for traditional, steady offshore cruising

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