BoatsCape Dory 31

Cape Dory 31

Cutter · Long Keel · 1983–1985

A Carl Alberg-designed cutter with a long keel, built between 1983 and 1985 for traditional, steady offshore cruising

Designed by Carl Alberg.

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

See her sail

The Cape Dory 31, on the water

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

Footage from Hold Fast!

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 33 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 33
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.73
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 408
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.9
TenderStiff

38% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 38%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Cape Dory 31, 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 31 is a 9.6-meter cutter-rigged sailboat with a long keel, designed by Carl Alberg and built by Cape Dory Yachts from 1983 to 1985. It has a 3.0-meter beam, a 1.4-meter draft, and displaces 5216 kg. Aboard *Hold Fast!*, a Cape DORY 31 named SV Surprise was delivered from Sailing Associates Marina in Georgetown to Harrington Harbor North via the Chesapeake Bay, stopping in Annapolis.0:02 The owners were selling SV Surprise after purchasing a Hinckley.0:03

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale

  • Being delivered to a marina to be put up for sale by its owners

    from Hold Fast!seen July 20200:03

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
37.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.9
Displacement / length
408.5
Comfort ratio
33.3
Capsize screening
1.73
Hull speed
6.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
810
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1983–1985
Units built
89
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.

Nicholson 329.75 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA long-running production classic with a 55% ballast ratio, built over two decades for steady offshore passage making
GGR 2026 — The race — 2026-09-11 18:00-23:591:15:17from Golden Globe Race Official
Allied Boat Co. Seawind9.30 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA Thomas Gillmer-designed masthead ketch with a long keel, marking both the beginning and the end of the Allied Boat Co.
5 Overbuilt Hulls Proving You Don't Need a $500,000 Yacht0:45from Knot Your Average Boat
Beneteau Evasion 329.70 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA long-keeled masthead ketch that launched the Evasion line and marked a new era for Beneteau
The Cheapest Sailboat That's Actually A Perfect Cruiser 👌0:05from Reversing Entropy
Rustler 319.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a long keel, evolved from the North Sea 24 and sharing lineage with the Twister 31
Air Tools: The Secret to a Perfect Finish | Practical Boat Owner0:07from practicalboatowner
Allied Yachts Luders 3310.06 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA Bill Luders-designed masthead sloop featuring a long keel and heavy displacement for stable, classic offshore cruising
33 Foot Sailboat for Less Than $10,000!0:55from Lady K Sailing
Pacific Seacraft Orion 279.42 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement cutter designed by Henry Mohrschladt for offshore stability and traditional long-keel handling
Small Boat, Big Keel Why This 27 Footer Works3:15from Practical Sailor

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 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 40A Carl Alberg-designed cutter with a long keel, built for steady, traditional blue-water passage makingCape Dory 27A 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hullCape Dory 28A classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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