BoatsCape Dory 10

Cape Dory 10

Gunter · Centerboard Dinghy · 1964–1983

A lightweight Gunter-rigged centerboard dinghy from Andrew C. Vavolotis, built for nearly two decades of versatile sailing

Designed by Andrew C. Vavolotis.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

See her sail

The Cape Dory 10, on the water

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

Footage from Practical Sailor

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.24 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 68 kg of hull, so roughly 650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 68 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.13 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 4 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 4
CoastalBluewater

At 3.07 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.07
LightHeavy

67 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 67
EasygoingPowered-up

38.6 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 38.6

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Draws less than ~79% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~81% of boats her size on file

Compared with 172 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Cape Dory 10, 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 10 is a 3.2-meter Gunter-rigged fiberglass centerboard dinghy designed by Andrew C. Vavolotis. Cape Dory Yachts produced the model from 1964 to 1983.0:49 It was the first boat built by Cape Dory, which Vavolotis founded in 1963 in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.0:49 The company later moved production to Taunton, Massachusetts, and expanded into cruising yachts.2:16 The Cape DORY 10 has a 1.2-meter beam, a 0.6-meter draft, and displaces 68 kg.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Gunter
Ratios
SA / displacement
38.6
Displacement / length
67.0
Comfort ratio
3.5
Capsize screening
3.07
Hull speed
4.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
146
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1964–1983
Units built
2260
Designer
Andrew C. Vavolotis
Builder
Cape Dory

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.

McDougall Waszp3.35 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA one-design foiling dinghy featuring wings and an unstayed rig, built in the thousands for high-performance racing
Asker Sailing Club5:14from SEILmagasinet
Topper International Topper3.40 mSame hull family0.2 m longerAn Ian Proctor-designed polypropylene dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig and three versatile sail-area configurations
Isle of Dogs Sea Cadets race at London Regatta May 25 in blustery conditions,from City Sailing
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.5 m longerThe 1948 Olympic single-handed class, this Uffa Fox design was the first sailboat ever produced by Fairey Marine
Mikkel Thommessen on a long life as a sailor0:53from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Cape Dory 14A 1964-era centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for responsive, spirited coastal sailing

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Cape Dory 10, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Cape Dory 10

The newsletter

New boats, new stories. Every week, everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analysed. No noise.

Report an issue