Cape Dory 36

BoatsCape Dory 36

See her sail

The Cape Dory 36, 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.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 36 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 36

CoastalBluewater

At 1.69 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.69

LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 365

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.7

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 36, 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 36 is a Carl Alberg-designed cutter-rigged sailboat built by Cape Dory Yachts from 1978 to 1990, featuring a long keel, an 11.0-meter length overall, and 7302 kg displacement. Aboard *Atom Voyager*, a Cape DORY 36 named *Swan* completed a solo 10,000–11,000-mile Atlantic circuit, departing Brunswick, Georgia, and returning roughly one year later after stops in Bermuda, the Azores, Porto Santo, Agadir, Cape Verde, Dominica, and St. Thomas. The owner, a solo sailor with no prior offshore experience, undertook an extensive refit of the 1980 model, replacing the inboard diesel with an ePropulsion E-175 electric outboard in a custom tilt-up well, powered by a 175 amp-hour lithium iron phosphate battery and two 200-watt solar panels.0:22 The refit also converted wheel steering to a tiller for a Monitor windvane, installed a dry toilet and a Rego non-pressurized alcohol stove, and simplified sail handling by removing the staysail boom.2:05 During the Atlantic circuit, a Lofrans Royal manual windlass seized, a Harken Mark IV Unit 1 furler drum lost flanges, and the Monitor windvane's rudder latch cracked and required welding.16:26 The electric outboard's cooling fan corroded, and a power plug was damaged.14:31 The genoa's UV strip failed due to a manufacturing defect, and the jib halyard experienced chafe.8:40 The 400-watt solar array powered all house loads throughout the voyage.21:24

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 7 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Cape Dory 36 on video

Solo Bluewater Sailing: Beginner’s Path to an Atlantic CircuitA beginner completes a solo Atlantic circuit on a Cape Dory 36 with an electric motor instead of diesel.Atom Voyager

Solo Sailing the Atlantic: Africa to CaribbeanSolo Cape Dory 36 crosses the Atlantic from Cape Verde to Dominica, managing wind vane failures and wing-on-wing trade wind sailing.Atom Voyager

Cape Dory 36 Refit Tour - Part 6The Cape Dory 36 Swan utilizes an ePropulsion E-175 electric outboard and a Monitor windvane for offshore passages.Atom Voyager

Sailboat Electric propulsion with Gas GeneratorThe PowerSmart 2500 and Honda EU2200i generators provide enough power to sustain electric propulsion at low speeds.Atom Voyager

Cape Dory 36 Sailboat Refit Part 1A 1980 Cape Dory 36 undergoes a refit to replace its inboard diesel with an outboard motor.Atom Voyager

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

InstalledMonitor windvane
A Monitor windvane has been installed for steering.
aboard Atom Voyagerseen August 2024watch
WorkingGarmin
The Garmin chartplotter was used for navigation and became part of the daily routine.
aboard Atom Voyagerseen June 202619:33
WorkinginReach
Two Garmin inReach Mini units provided critical redundant communication.
aboard Atom Voyagerseen June 202622:39

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Cape Dory 36 may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

37.6%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Cutter

Ratios

SA / displacement

15.7

Displacement / length

365.2

Comfort ratio

35.7

Capsize screening

1.69

Hull speed

7.0 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1029

Hull

Hull type

Long Keel

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

1978–1990

Units built

166

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.

Rustler Yachts 3610.77 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Holman and Pye designed masthead sloop featuring a heavy-displacement long keel hull built for offshore stability

Pär Nyman // GGR 2026 & Sailing Spirituality1:52 from 59° North Sailing

Morgan Yachts Out Island 3610.92 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1970s production cruiser featuring a 1.14-metre draft and a heavy ballast ratio for stability in shallow waters

AMAZING MACHINES! How They Make Sailboat Sails12:02 from Practical Sailor

Alberg 3711.33 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA long-keeled masthead sloop produced for two decades with a transition from wood-heavy interiors to molded fiberglass

Carl Alberg’s Family Sailboat for the Ocean - Alberg 371:35 from Practical Sailor

Cabo Rico 3411.28 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA heavy-displacement cutter designed by W.I.B. Crealock, featuring a long keel for steady, comfortable blue-water cruising

Cabo Rico 34 Boat Review from Practical Sailor

Chris-Craft Sail Yacht 3510.67 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA long-keeled masthead sloop from the boards of Sparkman & Stephens, featuring a hull shared with the Caribbean 35

Sailboat Designers that Changed Sailing Forever! Lady K Sailing - Ep 3645:38 from Lady K Sailing

Mariah 3111.28 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA heavy-displacement cutter designed by Henry Mohrschladt with a long keel and a signature extended bowsprit

Young Sailing Couple Explore the WILD And RUGGED British Columbian Coast. Ep 46 S313:42 from Breaking Waves

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 40A Carl Alberg-designed cutter with a long keel, built for steady, traditional blue-water passage making Cape Dory 32A short-run 1986-1988 masthead sloop with a 40% ballast ratio, designed for steady, traditional cruising Cape Dory 31A Carl Alberg-designed cutter with a long keel, built between 1983 and 1985 for traditional, steady offshore cruising Cape Dory 33A 1980s production masthead sloop with a 41% ballast ratio, occasionally factory-fitted with a Volvo diesel Cape Dory 27A 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hull

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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