cd30 vs. cd 31

[steve earley]

Could somebody please tell me the difference between the cd 30 and cd 31 ( and please don't say one foot). Is the 31 that much bigger? How does sail area compare? Any information would be appreciated.
Steve Earley



searley@flashmail.com

[Neil Gordon]

>>Could somebody please tell me the difference between the cd 30 and cd 31...<<

Have you checked out the specs on this site? Info such as sail area, etc., etc., are all available.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[Tom]

Could somebody please tell me the difference between the cd 30 and cd 31 ( and please don't say one foot). Is the 31 that much bigger? How does sail area compare? Any information would be appreciated.
Steve Earley

Steve: This is one of those relative questions. The 31 is quite a bit bigger in a lot of little ways. The cockpit is quite a bit larger with a real stern deck which gives you a big storage area accessed via the hatch across the aft end of the T cockpit. The cockpit lockers port and starboard seem about twice as deep as the ones on the 30. Since access to the aft end of the engine is via these lockers on the 31, having deep lockers makes it much easier when you are checking transmission oil or battery water. The galley area has more storage lockers and the double sink console gives you the u shaped galley that makes it easier to wedge yourself into in heavy weather and stowage under the sink. The head compartment is much larger and above the stool there is a lot of storage area. I don't know if the 30 has a sit down shower bench in the head as the 31 does, but the head compartment is smaller on the 30. On the 31 you have storage below the sink counter. at the back of the counter and above the stool. Between the head and the port bunk you have a hanging locker, with a shelf with 3 drawers in front of it. We could never figure out what to call this, so we finally agreed to call it an "end table". Since the 31 is beamier there is more storage behind the bunks/settes and almost (but not quite) a pilot berth above the storage. Between the main saloon and the forepeak there is another "end table" with drawers below and a storage cabinet above. Across from this on the starboard side there is another hanging locker with more storage on top. Since the boat is a little longer and a little wider the v-berth is large enough to be usable for sleeping if you are not too tall a people.

The 31 is actually 31 feet four inches so it's only 2 inches short of being 31 and a half. Everything is just a little bit more. You carry almost 100 more feet of sail, a little larger engine, a little more beam and a little more water line length (more hull speed). You have wider decks which make it easier to go forward, better access to the engine compartment, a lot more storage including 90 gallons of water. More room to mount a windlass on the foredeck. An 8 foot inflatable will just store under the staysail boom while still inflated. A good sized chain locker. It's not significantly harder to handle or maneuver and fits in the same size slip.

We have a 30 and my 31 in our marina. People always say it's amazing how much bigger my 31 is than the 30. If you're planning to do any serious cruising I'd say it's worth going for all the little extras that added up make it a lot more enjoyable to cruise in. If you're mainly planning weedenders it may not be worth the extra cost since that is the only downside. Just consider -- there must be some reason that 31s sell for so much more than the 30's. If they were essentially the same boat you'd expect them to sell for essentially the same price. I've probably forgotten to mention a lot of things but this is what I think of off the top of my head.



TacCambria@thegrid.net

[Larry DeMers]

Steve,

I have owned a CD30 for 9 years now, and absolutely love her. I chartered the CD31 for 7 days previous to our purchase, and almost skipped Cape Dories completely as a possible boat for us based on that charter.

First off, the Cape Dory 31 was an in-house modification of a Carl Alberg design (according to the information I have gotten from Robinhood Marine sometime in the past). They modified the bilge area, cabin layout and freeboard height from what I can tell, but I did not like the way the boat handled..it was far more rolly in a 3-6 in. wave train than anyone around us. There is a resonant point where the right frequency waves were making it impossible to stay aboard..she was rolling easily through 30 deg. at the dock. She had more windage which made her harder to control in low speed maneuvers at the dock etc. She was not as close-winded as the 30 either. Perhpas due to her greater beam to length ratio??
It's like the CD30 MkII version. Good boat, but it takes someone that falls in love with her to make her happy. None of the CD's are dogs as far as I know, and the amount of difference between a 30 and 31 is relatively small, making any opinion one more of just that ..opinion. Which is not a very solid way to judge something you are thinking about buying. But it's a place to start.

The interior was nice, but so is the 30's. The heads are slightly different, but the stowage remains almost the same I believe.
I would look at both models and sail both if possible. There is something different about the 31 that we did not like..a feel or something. I have not really thought about it much since experiencing that charter, as we sought out and bought our 30.

I do have to admit to a slight predjudice here..obviously in favor of our 30. Now if I could see my way into exchanging the 30 for a 330, that would be a step up for us for certain.

Cheers!

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30

Could somebody please tell me the difference between the cd 30 and cd 31 ( and please don't say one foot). Is the 31 that much bigger? How does sail area compare? Any information would be appreciated.
Steve Earley

demers@sgi.com

[john churchill]

Could somebody please tell me the difference between the cd 30 and cd 31 ( and please don't say one foot). Is the 31 that much bigger? How does sail area compare? Any information would be appreciated.
Steve Earley

A very personal opinion- the cd31 is the prettiest of all the cd's to my eye. obviously, not everyone will agree.
i have seen a few of them, and if i move up from my 26 to another cd, it will be a 31. the aft head is big and the wife likes her "bodily funtions" to be as close to comforts of home as possible.
john churchill

[John Nuttall]

Hey, no design is perfect, so don't get me wrong, but Larry's missed the mark on all points. Larry's a great guy and puts out a lot of great info on this site, but his commentary is just flat out wrong.
I would never judge a boat by a charter. Not unless I had it professionally tuned before I took posession.

If you want some feedback from 31 OWNERS, check the registry and e-mail us folks. Tom, who responded below, is a wealth of 31 knowledge. I ask him questions all the time. I've only owned mine for one year, but feel free to contact me too.

Is it the perfect Cape Dory? No, heck I am already dreaming of a new Robinhood 45. But it is a really great boat with lots of great features and performance that keep it in high demand.

John Nuttall
s/v Aimless
CD31 #28
Oriental, NC



nuttallj@msn.com

[Patrick Turner]

I am a CD30 owner, but there is a CD31 just down the dock from me and I make comparisons all the time between the two. It is a very nice looking boat. It has a lot more freeboard than the CD30. I think we all like to think our boat is the best one out there and that's how it should be.....pride of ownership.....and all that. What exactly are you planning on using the boat for? While the CD31 is only 1 ft longer on paper....it is a lot more boat. And therefore, alot more expensive! You will probably pay about $15,000.00 dollars more for the CD31. That may be "chump change" when talking about boats, but it ain't chump change to my bank account. The CD30 will take you everywhere the CD31 will. There is a CD30 here in the San Francisco Bay area that has been through the Panama Canal a couple of times. It is totally outfitted for cruising....quite impressive!......the CD30 has everything the CD31 has....just alittle less of it. I don't know if this is true, but I heard someone say that the CD30 was the model Alberg desinged for he and his wife to coastal cruise in. I've sailed in the CD31 and didn't notice anything unusual.If I wanted a little bigger boat than the CD30, I'd probably skip right past the CD31 and look at a CD32 (if you can find one) or a CD33. Both of wich you can get for not that much more than a CD31.Feel free to email CD30 owners as well and ask them....

Patrick Turner
"Sasha Oren" CD30 cutter
San Francisco Bay



patturner@earthlink.net

[zeida]

John: you mention the new Robinhood 45!!! Are they making this boat already? Any idea of what kind of price she could be? Probably way too much for me anyway, but really, what a dream!
Zeida



zcecil@ibm.net