prospective buyer question about CD 28 changes

[scarduner]

The Cape Dory 28 I am looking at is a 1978. I see another for sale ("fair" condition - wrote for clarification) that is a 1974. I know from other boats I've owned that boat builders made adjustments over the years of their production as they discovered flaws, things that didn't work well, etc. I think the CD 28 was first sold in '74? Can anyone tell me if this was true for the CD 28, and, if so, what was changed?

Thanks
Stuart

CD dreaming....

[guy leslie]

My '82 CD 28 is currently listed on Yacht World. It has the MD7A that performed very well for me over the 6 years I've sailed her. The engine is original and always reliable. It has been a fresh water boat since new which may have helped in some areas of engine life. If in warm weather, it will start right up. Cooler weather, it's a bit stubborn. I wouldn't "walk" from a sale if a survey is positive and also if the engine checks out. They're great boats as I believe all the CD's are. The reason I'm selling is that I got the "bug" to move up and now have a 31 that I'll be pouring $$ into, but that's the case with most older boats.
Best of luck!

Guy L.

[guy leslie]

Stuart,
My earlier post was meant to go under your engine question heading. Anyway, I believe the interiors of the 28's were upgraded at some point to offer more teak. Mine has a teak and holly sole and teak bulkheads which I don't think were the case in the earlier models. I'm not aware of any changes on the exterior but there may have been.

Guy L.

[Wayne Grenier]

1974 was the first year for the CD 28. Mine came with a 24 hp 2 cylinder Volvo MD2B which has more horsepower than the later model years. There were some changes to the interior (for the better) over the years. Mine did not come with bronze opening portlights, it came with crappy plastic windows so it was a trade off between the larger engine and crappy windows. If you have photos I can spot a 1974 CD 28 very easily from the interior or from the windows or from the hull number. There never was any difference in the actual hull configuration, so whether its a 1974 or a 1978 its the same boat.

[Stan W.]

The only change that might affect the boat's sailing performance was the bowsprit. On early boats, the sprit rested on a sort of gusset which puts a vertical load on the end of the sprit. On later boats the sprit used a bobstay arrangement which only puts a compressive load on the sprit. The J dimension might also be ever so slightly longer on the later boats. In theory, that might tend to reduce weather helm. In practice, it probably isn't even noticeable. In any event, it would not be a big deal to convert an early boat to the bobstay arrangement.

[scarduner]

For anyone interested, my obsessive searching the web for pics of CD 28s for sale seems to confirm that the early boats had fiberglass cabin soles and fiberglass under the v-berths... Seems the vberth cabinetry was changed to teak around 1978 and a bit later in 1979 the cabin sole went to teak. (Of course boats aren't like cars with model years...)

There are a remarkable number of 28s being sold with original engines... Hard to tell exactly when they went down to the 13hp MD7a - seems to be in 1978 as some are listed with larger engines, some with the 13.5 HP... (I guess this is history as most of you seem to have long since repowered...)

[mgphl52]

We still have the original MD7A in our 1982 CD28 that I first bought in 2002. I have replaced the custom stainless steel exhaust/muffler, the injectors and head gasket (one injector was stuck!). Since it still runs fine, I have no plans to re-power.
However, I would consider doing an overhaul on the engine and MSB which would also give me a chance to make the engine as 'pretty' as some I've seen here... Since I sail year-round, it's tough to do major cleaning projects in the engine bay...

[Pembquist]

I am not sure what year but a big change was the addition of a bridge deck which raised the height of the bottom sill of the companionway. With the older style the sill was below the height of the benches/lockers. This also enabled there to be a sort of counter space below the bridge deck. This would be considered a safety improvement I guess.

The "chain plates" apparently had a fel different designs to carry the load into the hull. Although I am not sure if the 28' did this but mine for instance has the rebar hooks and looking at the literature I see other designs that had unidirectional glass and aluminum backing plate. In case you don't already know this can be a critical area for Cape Dorys and is sometimes overlooked by surveyors if they aren't familiar. The rebar/steel design eventually rusts out. The plates for the fore and aft stay need attention too.

Mine is a 77 and has no bridge deck. The interior floor and stuff up front is all glass cabin liner, the stove is pressure alcohol, only water tank is in the bow, the head had a bag for a holding tank tucked in forward of the head forward bulkhead, the head sink drained into the bilge, the kitchen sink has a seacock. I imagine these arrangements changed over time.