BoatsCape Dory 28

Cape Dory 28

Masthead Sloop · Full Keel · 1974–1988

A classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruising

Designed by Carl Alberg.

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

See her sail

The Cape Dory 28, on the water

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

Footage from Sam Holmes Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 32 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 32
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.71
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 367
EasygoingPowered-up

15.0 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 15.0
TenderStiff

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

Ballast 39%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

What the fleet has seen

The Cape Dory 28, 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 28 is a masthead sloop with a full keel, designed by Carl Alberg and built by Cape Dory Yachts from 1974 to 1988.8:25 It measures 8.6 meters LOA, has a 2.7-meter beam, a 1.2-meter draft, and displaces 4082 kg.7:39 Some units were fitted with Farymann or Universal diesel engines. The design features a narrow beam and a cutaway forefoot for cutting through heavy seas, with bulkheads and berths fiberglassed directly to the hull.4:23 Sam Holmes sailed his Cape DORY 28 across the Atlantic twice and covered 30,000 miles.17:30 A delivery captain motor-sailed a 1983 Cape DORY 28 named *Sonrisa* 100 nautical miles from Oxnard to Dana Point, California, in 20 hours, maintaining six knots.4:36 Aboard *Sam Holmes Sailing*, the crew used a portable air conditioner that ran for 2.5 hours on its battery.12:32 The Cape DORY 28 offers 60 gallons of water capacity and a practical interior layout for long-term living.7:55

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 4 times across 4 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Cape Dory 28 on video

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
38.9%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.0
Displacement / length
366.7
Comfort ratio
31.7
Capsize screening
1.71
Hull speed
6.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
704
Hull
Hull type
Full Keel
Construction
FG solid lamine hull/ cored deck.
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1974–1988
Units built
388
Designer
Carl Alberg
Builder
Cape Dory Yachts

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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 27A 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hullCape 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 cruisingCape Dory 33A 1980s production masthead sloop with a 41% ballast ratio, occasionally factory-fitted with a Volvo diesel

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