Cape Dory 25 and 25D, Two Very Different Classics Compared

Cape Dory, the builder that never chased fashion

Cape Dory Yachts was founded by Andrew Vavolotis in 1963 in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, later moved to Taunton and folded in 1992. In between it built thousands of boats, from the Cape Dory 10 dinghy and the Typhoon to cruisers up to 45 ft, most of them drawn by Carl Alberg with long keels, keel-hung rudders, narrow beam and pretty sheerlines. Practical Sailor described Cape Dory as one of the most conservative firms in the industry and noted fierce owner loyalty, with many owners trading up within the line rather than changing builders.

The Cape Dory 25 is one of the few Cape Dorys that is not an Alberg design, and that is where confusion starts. Two different boats carry the 25 name, and buyers who do not know the difference can end up paying a 25D price for a 25, or dismissing a 25D as a cramped weekender.

The original 25, a Stadel hull from Allied's Greenwich 24

George Stadel designed the hull, which Allied Boat Company built as the Greenwich 24. Vavolotis bought the molds during one of Allied's business troubles (Wikipedia dates the sale to 1972), raised the freeboard for headroom, which also added about 7 inches to the length and waterline, redesigned the deck, coachroof and interior, and put the Cape Dory 25 into production in 1973. Cape Dory built 845 of them in East Taunton through 1982.

Good Old Boat points out that early and late boats differ. Boats before about 1979 had plastic or aluminum non-opening ports, no bridge deck and a lower aspect rig; later boats gained a substantial bridge deck and bronze opening ports. If you plan to sail in open water, a later boat with the bridge deck is the one to buy.

Tender at first, then locked in

With a 7 ft 3 in beam and slack bilges, the 25 heels quickly, but its 1,700 lb of lead and short, low rig make it stiff once it settles. Good Old Boat's test sail in 15 to 20 knots with a reef and a working jib found it heeled to about 15 degrees and then stuck there, while keeping up with 30 footers. Owners report average speed for the size and say a 150 percent genoa is essential in light air.

The original boom uses roller reefing, which Practical Sailor criticized for poor sail shape and binding in a rising wind. Converting to slab (jiffy) reefing is one of the most worthwhile upgrades.

Living with the outboard well

The 25 has an outboard well at the aft end of the cockpit. It accepts engines up to 15 hp, but most owners use a 9.9 hp unit, which is plenty. Practical Sailor's owner survey was frank about the drawbacks: the engine compartment cover must stay open for air, the well resonates loudly, and with the propeller aft of the rudder there is no prop wash to help steering at low speed. Many owners said the boat barely maneuvers in reverse.

Modern four-stroke outboards are heavier and taller than the two-strokes the well was designed for, and some need modification to fit with the lid closed. Measure before you buy a new engine.

The 25D, Alberg's miniature cruising yacht

In the fall of 1981 Cape Dory introduced the 25D, and the D stands for diesel. Practical Sailor stressed that the only thing it shares with the 25 is overall length. Carl Alberg designed it: it is about 9 inches wider at 8 ft, 6 inches deeper at 3 ft 6 in, carries about 350 lb more ballast, displaces 5,120 lb and has a mast about 4 ft 6 in taller with a higher aspect mainsail. It cost about 50 percent more than the 25 new, and Cape Dory built 189 through 1985.

Power is a raw-water-cooled Yanmar 1QM of 7.5 hp, weighing just 154 lb, fed from a 13 gallon tank that Practical Sailor estimated would give over 50 hours of running, or roughly 250 miles. The 25D also has a full molded liner, a compression post under the deck-stepped mast, jiffy reefing, an anchor well and seacocks on all underwater through-hulls.

The 25D's reputation reaches beyond coastal sailing. Wikipedia records boats singlehanded across both the Atlantic (New York to Ireland) and the Pacific (California to Australia).

Inside each boat: stooping room versus real headroom

The Cape Dory 25 interior is honest about its purpose. Practical Sailor called it a minimal short-term cruiser for two adults and two children, with stooping headroom, a sharply tapered V-berth too small for two adults, a cramped toilet compartment separated by a curtain and folding doors, and settee berths without backrests. The galley is two small platforms at the foot of the settees, with the sink over the port berth and a small icebox under the companionway step.

The 25D is a revelation by comparison. By dropping the sole into the bilge, Alberg found about 5 ft 11 in of headroom, and he eliminated the forward cabin entirely in favor of a large head compartment with 5 ft 9 in headroom, two hanging lockers and space for a shower. The main cabin has properly angled, padded settee backs, ash hull lining, a quarter berth and four opening bronze ports. Its weak spot is the galley, with a sink tucked under the bridge deck and an alcohol stove that Practical Sailor disliked.

• Cape Dory 25: 24 gallons of water, outboard, V-berth plus two settees
• Cape Dory 25D: 20 gallons of water, 13 gallons of diesel, no forward cabin, big head forward
• Both: teak toerails, handrails and coamings, bronze hardware by Cape Dory's Spartan Marine division

Construction strengths and the usual problems

Both boats have solid mat and roving hulls, lead ballast cast into a hollow keel molding and glassed over, and balsa-cored decks. Practical Sailor rated workmanship very good and called the 25D probably one of the strongest boats of its size. Its reservations were the hull-to-deck joint, bonded with a semi-rigid compound and only incidentally fastened by toerail screws and hardware bolts, and the mix of bronze castings, stainless bolts and aluminum backing plates.

Rudder removal is awkward because the bronze heel fitting must be ground off and the rudder dropped out of the bottom, so check the rudder carefully before you buy rather than after.

Which one to buy, and what it costs to keep

If you want a handsome, inexpensive daysailer and weekender with classic looks, the Cape Dory 25 is hard to fault and costs little to buy. If you want to cruise for a week or more, or sail open water, pay up for a 25D. Good Old Boat reported that the 25D sells for almost three times the price of a 25, and in our view it is worth it for anyone who will sleep aboard.

Annual costs are modest: roughly $3,000 to $7,500 for a mooring or small slip, insurance, haul-out, bottom paint and teak care. The teak trim needs regular attention, and an aging outboard on the 25 or a raw-water-cooled Yanmar on the 25D are the main mechanical risks.