Cape Dory 27
Masthead Sloop · Full Keel With Attached Rudder · 1977–1985
A 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hull
Designed by Carl Alberg.
- LOA
- Beam
- Draft (max)
- Displacement
- Ballast
- Hull type
- Full Keel With Attached Rudder
See her sail
The Cape Dory 27, on the water
The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.
Footage from Atom Voyager
Is it for you?
Character
Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.
LivelyComfort 30Sea-kindly
CoastalCapsize 1.74Bluewater
LightD/L 419Heavy
EasygoingSA/D 14.8Powered-up
TenderBallast 40%Stiff
Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.
The living fleet
Sailed by the fleet
Where the fleet has filmed this boat.
Seen once across one channel of the fleet.
On the water
The Cape Dory 27 on video
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
14.8
Displacement / length
418.5
Comfort ratio
30.3
Capsize screening
1.74
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
607
Hull
Hull type
Full keel with attached rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1977–1985
Units built
277
Designer
Carl Alberg
Builder
Cape Dory
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.
Alberg 309.22 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA 25-year production classic with a heavy displacement-to-length ratio that remains a capable choice for offshore passages
Sea Sprite 309.20 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA 9.2-metre cruiser with a 41% ballast ratio, delivering a stiff and steady motion for coastal passages
Pacific Seacraft Orion 279.42 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA heavy-displacement cutter designed by Henry Mohrschladt for offshore stability and traditional long-keel handling
Flicka 207.32 mSame hull family0.9 m shorterA Bruce Bingham-designed cutter with a long keel, originally offered as amateur plans before becoming a production classic
Cape Dory 288.56 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruising
Pearson Yachts-USA Triton8.63 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed long-keel fractional sloop that pioneered fiberglass cruising and saw international production.
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 28A classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruisingCape Dory 31A Carl Alberg-designed cutter with a long keel, built between 1983 and 1985 for traditional, steady offshore cruisingCape Dory 32A short-run 1986-1988 masthead sloop with a 40% ballast ratio, designed for steady, traditional cruisingCape Dory 33A 1980s production masthead sloop with a 41% ballast ratio, occasionally factory-fitted with a Volvo diesel
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