BoatsCape Dory 27

Cape Dory 27

Masthead Sloop · Full Keel With Attached Rudder · 1977–1985

A 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hull

Designed by Carl Alberg.

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

See her sail

The Cape Dory 27, 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 moderate beam gives 30 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 30
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.74
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 419
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.8
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Cape Dory 27, 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 27 is a full-keel, masthead sloop designed by Carl Alberg and built by Cape Dory Yachts from 1977 to 1985. With an LOA of 8.2 meters, a beam of 2.6 meters, and a draft of 1.2 meters, it displaces 3401 kg. Atom Voyager refitted a Cape DORY 27 for offshore sailing, upgrading its electrical system to a dual-voltage 12V and 48V setup with a 1,000-watt inverter and an ePropulsion 3kW electric outboard that regenerates 50 watts at four knots.5:21 The refit included a Harken Mark 4 unit 0 roller furler, a Dyneema solent stay, and a Tides Marine low-friction mainsail track.16:50 A Cape Horn windvane provides self-steering, and a 6hp Tohatsu gas outboard serves as a backup.18:46 Atom Voyager installed the windvane to accommodate an outboard motor well, using a stainless steel Z-shaped rod to transfer motion.4:12 Knot Your Average Boat notes the Cape DORY 27's bronze hardware and bridge deck, but points out that its cockpit scuppers are undersized, with many bluewater owners enlarging them to two inches.6:37 Atom Voyager used a Ford F-250 to haul a Cape DORY 27, positioning the keel 28 inches from the aft axle for proper tongue weight.1:00

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 4 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Cape Dory 27 on video

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.

  • FailedCape Horn windvane

    The speaker recounts a past experience where a Cape Horn windvane disengaged due to seaweed.

    aboard Atom Voyagerseen May 202310:03

  • InstalledGarmin

    A Garmin chart plotter was installed on a swing-out bracket for viewing from inside or the cockpit.

    aboard Atom Voyagerseen December 20238:09

  • InstalledHarken

    A Harken Mark 4 Unit 0 roller furler was added.

    aboard Atom Voyagerseen December 202316:50

  • InstalledDyneema

    Old plastic-coated lifelines were replaced with Dyneema.

    aboard Atom Voyagerseen December 20239:59

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Cape Dory 27 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
40.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.8
Displacement / length
418.5
Comfort ratio
30.3
Capsize screening
1.74
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
607
Hull
Hull type
Full keel with attached rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1977–1985
Units built
277
Designer
Carl Alberg
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.

Pacific Seacraft Dana 248.31 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement W.I.B. Crealock cutter designed for offshore stability and serious coastal cruising
3 Tiny Sailboats You Could Actually Live On3:54from Lady K Sailing
Bristol Yachts 278.28 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Carl Alberg-designed masthead sloop with a long keel, built for over a decade as a stable, traditional cruiser
Marcelo the Sailor: "I am driven by challenges"4:34from Podcast Maré Sonora ®
Alberg 309.22 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA classic Carl Alberg long-keeled masthead sloop built for over two decades, offering a stable and comfortable motion
Towing a Fixed Keel Sailboat: Trailer Setup and Transport tips0:04from Atom Voyager
Sea Sprite 309.20 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA 9.2-metre cruiser with a 41% ballast ratio, delivering a stiff and steady motion for coastal passages
S/V SeaSprite Refit Update - Phipps Boatworks Getting Busy on the Interior2:25from Hold Fast!
Pacific Seacraft Orion 279.42 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA heavy-displacement cutter by Henry Mohrschladt, built for offshore stability with a long keel and conservative rig
Small Boat, Big Keel Why This 27 Footer Works3:15from Practical Sailor
Bristol Yachts 247.49 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA Paul Coble-designed masthead sloop with a long keel and over 50% ballast ratio for stable coastal cruising
Learning to Cross the Atlantic With Nothing but a Sextant — Sailing Yabá 2939:33from Sailing Yabá

The family

Boats like this

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

Cape Dory 28A classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruisingCape 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 diesel

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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