cape dory 28

[mike amoruso]

Can someone please tell me the characteristics of the CD28, how sturdy stable etc. Also what the best thing to do with the club footed jib.

thanks



mikeam@pacbel.net

[Andy Denmark]

As a former long-term (12 years)CD dealer and having sold numerous 28's, my best advice about the club footed jib is to remove it. With a properly cut 130% LP genoa on a furler one really doesn't need the small +/- 90% club footed headsail when reefed down to approx. 110 LP with the furling sail. The operative words are "properly cut." The average "conversion" sail is not designed for the stresses of being reefed down this way not to mention the material is much too light for the wind strengths involved when sailing with that small a jib.

Most lofts can make a furlable genoa with reinforcements at the foot and leech to offset the stresses such a sail sees when reefed down this way. The addition of a foam luff helps significantly with sail shape when reefed down.

To me the biggest benefit of removing the jib club and pedestal is access to the foredeck of the boat. Without the club one can open the forward hatch all the way, handle anchors and ground tackle without climbing all over stuff and give the distaff crew a place to sunbathe, all of which have definite practical and aesthetic advantages.

It is possible to use the small jib without the boom and sheeted to the cabintop blocks by adjusting the luff up and down at the tack until the sail sets properly. One must add a winch and cleat on the portside cabin top but it does work.

Hope this helps.

Andy Denmark
CD-27 "Rhiannon"
Oriental, NC



trekker@coastalnet.com

[Ken Cavd]

Ditto on removing the club foot.My boat came with a Harken Furler system and a l35 genoa from Ulman Sails. Even in winds up to 25 knots, it handles like a dream, and does a number on the knot meter also!

I loaned a hank on 150 genoa to a friend that also has a 28 Cape Dory-and he cannot believe the response that he has with this sail!

As far as I am concerned, the Cape Dory 28 is the best blue water boat out there for its size (but I have only been sailing it for six months!)

Ken Cave



bcave@whidey.net

[Ben Thomas]

Can someone please tell me the characteristics of the CD28, how sturdy stable etc. Also what the best thing to do with the club footed jib.

thanks

Mike, I have a cd30' cutter with the jib boom. I would love more room forward, and have accepted the forward hatch open 6" instead of all the way under way. dockside or at anchor its no problem sheeting the boom to one side or the other for better air below. The jib boom can certainly be a nasty thing if you are forward with a jibe underway that you didn't know was coming. bigger sails, more speed is a great thrill and once you acquire the taste its hard to set them aside.
downside is more stress on running and standing rigging, and on the crew. I single hand 95% of the time sailing. I usually set single reef in main when winds start gusting to 20-25 knots, drop the yankee and run with the reefed main and staysail, trim the sheets and go. the only work is trimming the main traveler port to starboard and back.
the beauty of the jib boom and why its there shines at this point with swells and wind waves..breaking the last thing I want to do is more trimming away from wheel. with crew and roller furler I would feel differently, maybe. Going forward under hard conditions is always a leap of faith. especially with no one manning the wheel except the vane mode on auto.

I would look closely at how you sail and with how many crew members and how you rig all the lines/sheets etc. back to cockpit.
Its hard to go wrong with a cape dory regardless of what your preferences are. one more thing, with the yankee the clew is set very high off of deck even with staysail running visibility is excellent. with the genoa the foot is much lower to deck blocking that view. if you have another set of eyes its no big deal. when alone it can be annoying. good luck



btlandscapers@imagina.com

[mike thompson]

I have had a CD-28 for 3 years. It is a very sea-kindly boat
and I have complete confidence in it. I usually sail
single handed. To raise the sails (with the boat stopped)
I tie the tiller to windward then go forward to raise the main
and after that the foresail. The boat usually remains
hove-to or at least doesn't go very far.
To lower the sails, I tack the boat and hove-to
with the foresail on the wrong side. I then lower the
foresail followed by the main sail.

Shortly after buying the boat I removed the boom for
the club footed jib as a found it dangerous when working
on the foredeck. I use the same sail but with regular sheeting.

Its a great boat!

Mike
CD28 "Haven"

Can someone please tell me the characteristics of the CD28, how sturdy stable etc. Also what the best thing to do with the club footed jib.

thanks

tmike@ma.ultranet.com