Design and Construction
Lapworth gave the Cal 25 a spoon bow, a counter stern, and a flush deck running all the way forward, the kind of aircraft-carrier profile that reads as purposeful rather than decorative. The hull is solid fiberglass, described by builders and later reviewers alike as thick and bulletproof — a product of the early days of the material, when nobody yet knew how long it would last. The solid-glass hull rarely gives trouble. What was not solid was the deck and transom, both plywood cored, and those areas are the weak point of the structure. The boat carries 1,700 pounds of lead ballast in a fin keel, a 42.5 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio that, with 4,000 pounds of displacement and an 8-foot beam, places her firmly in the lively small-racer camp rather than the sluggish cruiser bracket.
Rig and Handling
As a masthead sloop the Cal 25 does not carry an excessive amount of sail, and testers noted that this keeps her from blowing over in an unexpected breeze. Her sail area works out to about 286 square feet, and the modest canvas combined with the spade rudder and fin keel gives a PHRF rating around 222. SpinSheet found her a respectable racer who quickly earned a reputation around the marks, and the one-design fleets across the U.S. confirm that the early boat, at least, caught on as a competitor in a way the later raised-cabin Cal 2-25 of 1977 never did.
Accommodations
Below, the Cal 25 is serviceable for a weekend cruise rather than a long passage, sleeping four with a roomy cockpit that offers bench seating for six. Standing headroom is only achieved with the pop-top raised, which tells you everything about the priority placed on the flush racing deck above. The cruising interior was a genuine part of the brief — Lapworth and Jensen marketed her as a racer-cruiser from the start — but the accommodation is functional, not generous.
Known Issues
The plywood-cored deck and transom are problem areas on these boats, and many of the older hulls have needed the decking plywood renewed and a beam fitted beneath the mast step. The solid hull beneath is not the concern; the cored topsides are. Rubrails are a separate known problem on the class, and a buyer should expect both items to feature in any honest survey of an unrestored example.
Ownership
The Cal 25 remains quite affordable and relatively inexpensive to maintain, which is precisely why she entices the sailor short on cash or wanting to downsize. A well-equipped example can be had for modest money, and the simplicity of the outboard-driven, solid-hulled, one-design platform keeps upkeep within reach of a first-time owner.
The Verdict
The Cal 25 is a genuine early racer-cruiser that has aged into a sensible, cheap-to-own entry to keelboat sailing and one-design racing alike. The hull is honest; the deck is the project.
Pros
- Thick, solid fiberglass hull that rarely gives trouble
- Lively, well-mannered rig that resists being overpowered
- Active one-design racing fleets across the U.S.
- Low purchase price and modest maintenance burden
Cons
- Plywood-cored deck and transom prone to rot and needing renewal
- Rubrails are a known problem area
- Standing headroom only with the pop-top up
- Older boats often need mast-support beam work
