Cape Dory 30 (ketch / cutter)

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.

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

none

Stern thruster

none

Steering

mechanical

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.

Known problems for this model

• Hull-deck joint not through-bolted; no backing plates on some hardware hull
  Practical Sailor notes the hull-to-deck joint relies on a bonded putty joint with only stanchion and chainplate bolts through it, and stanchions have washers rather than backing plates.
  practical-sailor.com
• Head sink, shower and icebox drain to the bilge plumbing
  Original plumbing drains the head sink, shower and icebox into the bilge; owners commonly add a sump pump. Early boats also had split water tanks plumbed separately to galley and head.
  practical-sailor.com
• Balsa-cored deck deck
  Solid hull with balsa-cored deck; nonskid discoloration was the main deck complaint in the owner survey.
  practical-sailor.com

Other Cape Dory models

• Cape Dory 27 1977–1985
• Cape Dory 28 Flybridge
• Cape Dory 33 1980–1985
• Cape Dory 33 Flybridge 1988–1994
• Cape Dory 36 1978–1990