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Cape Dory 30 (ketch / cutter)

Built 1976–? by Cape Dory Yachts (East Taunton, MA)

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About the Cape Dory 30 (ketch / cutter)

Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.

Illustration of a Cape Dory 30 (ketch / cutter)
Illustration, not a photo of this model. AI-generated illustration of a typical ketch.
Built
1976–?
Builder
Cape Dory Yachts (East Taunton, MA)
Designer
Carl Alberg
Length
30.21 ft
Waterline
22.83 ft
Beam
9 ft
Draft
4.17 ft
Displacement
10,000 lb
Ballast
4,000 lb
Hull
fiberglass
Hull / keel
full keel
Rig
ketch
Propulsion
inboard
Fuel
20 gal
Water
60 gal
Bow thruster
not fitted
Stern thruster
not fitted
Steering
varies by year · Edson
Tank capacities — where the figures come from
  • Fuel 20 gal
    No builder or owners' association document could be checked. Spec sites repeat 20 US gal (76 L). A 1982 broker listing contradicts itself: 15 gal in its text, 20 gal in its table. A forum owner had an 18-gal replacement tank made by the original tank maker.
  • Water 60 gal
    No builder source was found. The same 1982 listing says two 35-gal tanks in its text but 30 gal in its table, so it settles nothing.
  • Holding unknown
    Only one listing gives a figure (15 gal in its text, 24 gal in its table), and it contradicts itself, so it wasn't used.
  • Water heater unknown
    Practical Sailor's used-boat review says a shower grate was standard but pressure water was an option; it does not mention a water heater.

Tanks are often replaced or added on older boats — check the tank labels or a survey for yours.

Thrusters and steering — where this comes from
  • Bow thruster not fitted
    No source mentions a thruster, so our earlier figure of none has no source.
  • Stern thruster not fitted
    Nothing was found either way; our earlier figure of none has no source.
  • Steering varies by year · Edson
    “The Cape Dory 30 was originally equipped with worm gear steering. This type of gear is powerful, foolproof, and requires” — review, practical-sailor.com · “With the cutter rig, it became feasible to put a more conventional pedestal steerer in the boat.” — review, practical-sailor.com · “Our choice in a Cape Dory 30 would be a latemodel cutter with full-width galley, Edson pedestal” — review, practical-sailor.com · “Baldwin's note records that "tiller or wheel steering available," and both turn up” — spec database, passageboats.com · “CLASSIC PEDESTAL STEERER/TAPERED ... CHAIN & WIRE ROPE KIT W/HARDWARE ... BRONZE QUADRANT” — spec database, edsonmarine.com
    Steering changed over the run: early boats, especially the ketch, had a worm-gear wheel steerer aft with no pedestal (a geared type, not mechanical), while later cutters took an Edson pedestal with chain-and-wire to a bronze quadrant (Edson's Cape Dory 30 data sheet). A secondary source says a tiller was also offered; the change year wasn't found.

Thrusters and steering are often replaced — check the units on your boat before ordering parts.

Offered as masthead ketch (30K) or cutter (30C). Lead ballast inside the keel. Chainplates are cast bronze lugs; deck hardware and seacocks by Spartan. The later Cape Dory 30 Mk II (1987-1990, Clive Dent design) is a different boat.

Engines fitted

Boats of the same model can differ — check which engines yours actually has before ordering parts.

Known problems for this model

Steering

Edson — Pedestal chain-and-wire steering parts: good

Edson (New Bedford, MA) still sells service parts: chain-and-wire kits, sprockets, idlers, pull-pull conduit steering and internal pedestal parts, and keeps steering data sheets by boat model, many decades old.

Parts sources: Edson Marine (service parts)

Common problems (3)
  • Old or slack steering wire steering
    Edson advises replacing steering wire about every five years, checking tension with the wheel locked, and inspecting under load annually; owners often find decades-old stiff wire.
    usna.edu · youtube.com
  • Lubrication and fastener checks steering
    Chain, wire, sheaves and pedestal bearings need regular oiling or greasing, and clevis/cotter pins and bolts should be checked monthly to avoid failures.
    usna.edu
  • Replacing engine control cables in the pedestal steering
    Swapping throttle/shift cables inside an Edson pedestal is a common owner job requiring removal of the wheel shaft sprocket pin.
    forums.sailboatowners.com

Edson — Traditional geared steerers (worm / rack-and-pinion) parts: good

Edson says its traditional wheels and geared steerers are still available, now built with modern materials; rack-and-pinion steerers are offered for transom-hung and inboard rudders.

Parts sources: Edson Marine (traditional steerers)

Model sources (7)

sailboatdata.com · practical-sailor.com · betamarineusa.com · sailnet.com · capedory.org · passageboats.com · edsonmarine.com

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Other Cape Dory models

Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.