Cape Dory 25D

BoatsCape Dory 25D

See her sail

The Cape Dory 25D, on the water

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

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 with a long keel, designed by Carl Alberg and built by Cape Dory Yachts from 1981 to 1985. It displaces 2322 kg with a 1.1-meter draft and a 2.4-meter beam.6:50 The Cape DORY 25D is considered a capable traditional full-keel boat, though it may be less efficient for extensive motoring compared to boats with longer waterlines. Cape Dory Yachts, founded in 1963 by Andrew Vavoletis, produced a range of cruising yachts, with Carl Alberg contributing 10 designs known for narrow beams, full keels, and conservative lines.0:49 The company's designs, including the Cape DORY 25D, are recognized for robust fiberglass construction and affordability, supported by an active owner community.8:01 The Cape DORY 25D was later offered as the OCTAVIA 25 by C. W. Hood Yachts around 1996.8:17

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.

Contessa 267.77 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA David Sadler-designed long-keel masthead sloop, built in both England and Canada with a 25-year production run

5 Overbuilt Hulls Proving You Don't Need a $500,000 Yacht3:13 from Knot Your Average Boat

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 Water10:13 from 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.

Shadetree Sailboat Awning0:08 from Atom Voyager

Bristol Yachts 278.28 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed masthead sloop with a long keel, built for over a decade as a stable, traditional cruiser

Marcelo the Sailor: "I am driven by challenges"4:34 from Podcast Maré Sonora ®

Compass 288.59 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA long-keeled masthead sloop and Australian favorite, developed from the Northerner 28 with a Duncanson-designed deck

Offshore Sailing legend and Rocna inventor Peter Smith.3:32 from Sailing Learning By Doing

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 2939:33 from Sailing Yabá

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 coachroof Cape Dory 27A 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hull Cape Dory 28A classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruising Cape Dory 32A short-run 1986-1988 masthead sloop with a 40% ballast ratio, designed for steady, traditional cruising Cape Dory 31A Carl Alberg-designed cutter with a long keel, built between 1983 and 1985 for traditional, steady offshore cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Cape Dory 25D, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Cape Dory 25D

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue