BoatsCape Dory 270

Cape Dory 270

Cutter · Keel/centreboard · 1984–1986

A Dieter Empacher-designed cutter with a keel-centerboard configuration, later marketed as the Hadley 27

Designed by Dieter Empacher.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

Is it for you?

Character

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

Shoal draftDraws 0.91 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 29 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 29
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.86
LightHeavy

419 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 419
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.5
TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

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

  • Heavier than ~92% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~92% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~82% of boats her size on file

Compared with 568 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
38.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.5
Displacement / length
418.7
Comfort ratio
28.8
Capsize screening
1.86
Hull speed
6.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
698
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1984–1986
Units built
21
Designer
Dieter Empacher
Builder
Cape Dory Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

Morgan Yachts 309.12 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA masthead sloop featuring a keel-centerboard configuration, designed by Charles Morgan Jr. for versatile shoal-draft sailing
Paceship Yachts Westwind 247.29 mSame hull family1.0 m shorterA Ted Hood-designed masthead sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration, built for versatility in shoal waters
O'day 329.63 mSame hull family1.3 m longerA 9.6-metre masthead sloop with a deep-draft keel-centerboard configuration designed for versatile coastal cruising
Maxus 26 (CB)8.40 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2015-launched fractional sloop with a 1.43-metre centerboard draft and a 19.61 sail-area-to-displacement ratio

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.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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