Design and Construction
Lapworth widened the beam from 8 feet to 9 feet and beefed up the toerail to nearly 2 inches, changes that read as quiet but consequential upgrades over the original Cal 25. The newer design incorporated wider side decks that made it easier for sailors to move fore and aft, and the shrouds were attached inboard rather than to the outside of the hull, further clearing the side deck passageway. The hull itself was constructed using the traditional hand-laid fiberglass layering process, with a solid fiberglass hull and deck. The keel encapsulated 2,000 pounds of lead, which eliminated concern about failing keel bolts, and the design featured a fin keel with spade rudder and tiller steering. Yacht broker Chris Rooke noted that Cal did a very good job with delamination by getting the excess resin out during production anchor.
Rig and Handling
The Cal 25-2 is a well-designed and nicely equipped masthead sloop carrying 314 square feet of sail area on a tall rig. The mainsail is on the small side, making it easy to handle, and the boat has a traveler and boom vang to help tweak the sails, with the traveler located on the bridgedeck just before the companionway opening where it stays clear of cockpit seating. The deep keel and wide beam make it less tender, and the boat performs remarkably well in light winds due to its tall rig, generous sail area, flat bottom and balanced keel anchor. Test sailors found her well-balanced helm a defining trait; she points nicely, though testers also found she pounded as they headed upwind in a chop. Owners say the tiller is so balanced a 60-pound person can easily handle the boat in 25 knots of breeze.
Accommodations
The interior was reconfigured with 5 feet 10 inches of headroom in the saloon and 5 feet 6 inches in the head, a real gain in standing room over the earlier boat. The V-berth was made roomy enough for two full-size adults, and the boat carries five full-size berths in total—two settees, a quarter berth, and that V-berth. The head compartment closes with a sliding door, ensuring privacy without sacrificing valuable cabin space, a fix for the original which previously had no privacy screen. Dinner is served on a fold-down dinette table, and the galley is laid out efficiently with a 4.5-cubic foot icebox, a two-burner alcohol stove, and a single-basin stainless sink, backed by a 21-gallon freshwater tank.
Known Issues
Some owners have expressed concern about excessive mast compression as evidenced by fiberglass crazing at the maststep on deck or near the interior cabin liner beneath it anchor. Potential buyers should inspect for cabintop sag in that area, and indicators of excessive compression also include slack standing rigging and failure of the sliding head privacy door to operate smoothly. Through-hull fittings should also be inspected for wear, and standing rigging checked for swage cracks. Based on reports from owners, the electrical system may also require attention if it was improperly installed after the original purchase. Any spongy areas on the foredeck could be the result of water infusion in the fiberglass layers and subsequent delamination, often caused by leaky chainplates.
Refits and Ownership
Many owners have added self-tailing winches, replaced the portable toilet, upgraded the stove to non-pressurized alcohol, added self-steering, and brought control lines back to the cockpit. The boat was offered with an optional inboard diesel instead of an outboard engine, and specific options included a 15-horsepower gasoline OMC Saildrive, an 11-horsepower Universal 5411 inboard diesel, or an 11-horsepower Yanmar inboard diesel. Jensen Marine is no longer in business, and another version under license was built and sold in Brazil as the Martinique 25, which had a shoal draft of 3 feet 5 inches.
The Verdict
The Cal 25-2 is a mature redesign of a classic Lapworth small cruiser, trading the original's flat-top austerity for a roomier, safer, and better-balanced pocket cruiser. Its encapsulated lead keel, widened beam, and inboard shrouds make it a practical and forgiving boat to sail and maintain, while the known compression and chainplate leaks are well-understood and inspectable rather than structural mysteries.
Pros
- Raised cabin and 9-foot beam deliver genuine headroom and easy fore-and-aft deck movement
- Encapsulated 2,000-pound lead keel removes keel-bolt failure from the worry list
- Light-air performance and balanced tiller make single-handed or light-crew sailing realistic
- Five full berths and a private head give real cruising utility at 25 feet
Cons
- Mast compression at the step can craze gelcoat and sag the cabintop if unchecked
- Leaky chainplates can delaminate the foredeck core over time
- Original electrical work may need correction if altered post-delivery
- Pounding upwind in a chop is part of the flat-bottom trade-off
