Cape Dory 30C
Cutter · Full Keel · 1976–1987
A cutter-rigged cruiser with a full keel and a 1.27-metre draft, built for steady performance between 1976 and 1987
Designed by Carl Alberg.
- LOA
- Beam
- Draft (max)
- Displacement
- Ballast
- Hull type
- Full Keel
See her sail
The Cape Dory 30C, 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 33Sea-kindly
CoastalCapsize 1.67Bluewater
LightD/L 375Heavy
EasygoingSA/D 15.1Powered-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 5 times across one channel of the fleet.
On the water
The Cape Dory 30C 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
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.1
Displacement / length
375.2
Comfort ratio
33.1
Capsize screening
1.67
Hull speed
6.4 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
734
Hull
Hull type
Full Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1976–1987
Units built
363
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.
Pacific Seacraft Orion 279.42 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA heavy-displacement cutter designed by Henry Mohrschladt for offshore stability and traditional long-keel handling
Sea Sprite 309.20 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 9.2-metre cruiser with a 41% ballast ratio, delivering a stiff and steady motion for coastal passages
Cape Dory 288.56 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruising
Alberg 309.22 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 25-year production classic with a heavy displacement-to-length ratio that remains a capable choice for offshore passages
Elizabethan 319.45 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA David Thomas-designed long-keeled masthead sloop with a 50% ballast ratio, built for stability and offshore comfort
Allied Boat Co. Seawind9.30 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Thomas Gillmer-designed masthead ketch with a long keel, marking both the beginning and the end of the Allied Boat Co.
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 30KA masthead ketch variant of the Alberg-designed 30-footer, featuring a full keel and a 40% ballast ratioCape 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 dieselCape Dory 28A classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruisingCape Dory 30 MK IIA Clive M. Dent-designed masthead sloop featuring a long keel and high comfort ratio for stable, traditional cruising
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