Cal 2-30 Buyer's Guide
The Cal 2-30, also listed as the Cal 30 Mk II, is a Jensen Marine cruiser-racer designed by C. William Lapworth and built from 1971 to 1974 in roughly 300 to 400 examples. For a shopper scanning the brokerage pages, it is a Southern California–bred fractional sloop with a solid fiberglass hull, fin keel, and skeg-hung rudder — a step up in tracking from the original Cal 30's spade rudder. Its heavy-cruiser displacement and high comfort ratio make it a steady coastal weekender rather than a sprightly daysailer.
Layouts on the Used Market
Most Cal 2-30 boats on the market reflect the original cruiser-racer brief aimed at small families or couples, with the accommodations tuned for weekend trips and extended coastal voyages. The 30.2-foot hull with 9-foot beam and 5-foot draft suits marina berthing and moderate-depth anchorages. Because the design was built in a single short production run, layout variation between individual boats is minimal; differences you see will come from owner refits rather than factory plan changes.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market a spinnaker is commonly fitted, supporting the boat's symmetric 699-square-foot and asymmetric 565-square-foot kite options for reaching and downwind club racing. Beyond that, buyers should focus inspection on the running rig rather than expect a long list of factory extras: the fractional sloop originally specified 28-meter halyards and 12-millimeter sheets for mainsheet and genoa, and any upgrade to larger genoas or a racing spinnaker setup should match those recommended diameters. Power and energy, canvas, and navigation gear are typically owner-supplied and vary hull to hull, so judge each boat on its own inventory.
What to Inspect
The solid fiberglass hull and skeg-hung rudder carried over as an improvement on the Cal 30's spade rudder anchor demand a close look at the skeg attachment and the fin-keel joint for stress or repair. The fractional rig's standing and running gear — halyards at 10 mm, sheets at 12 mm per the original spec — deserves a close look for fatigue if the boat has seen PHRF racing.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Cal 2-30 boats are typically found in the United States. For a buyer, the takeaway is a durable Lapworth cruiser-racer with comfortable motion and a seaworthy rudder upgrade over its predecessor.
- Confirm skeg-rudder and fin-keel attachment integrity
- Verify rigging diameters match original halyard and sheet specs
- Check for owner upgrades beyond the commonly fitted spinnaker
- Expect minimal factory layout variation; assess refit quality per hull
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Cal 2-30. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 4 | $3,995 | — |
| May 26 | 3 | $14,800 | +270.5% |
| Jul 26 | 2 | $5,948 | -59.8% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $3,995 | -32.8% |
Where they're listed
Cal 2-30 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 9.
Country view
9 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $7,900 | 9 | 2 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
5 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beneteau First 30 (Mauric) | 29.36' | $ 79,546 | 44 | 12 |
| CS Yachts 30 | 30' | $ 24,499 | 27 | 5 |
| Judel/Vrolijk J/30 | 29.83' | $ 14,500 | 26 | 8 |
| Pearson 30 | 29.79' | $ 7,000 | 20 | 8 |
| Jensen 2-30You are here | — | $ 5,948 | 10 | 3 |