Design and Construction
Alberg's hallmarks are immediately apparent in the CD28: a graceful sheer sweeping forward from a counter stern to a teak bowsprit, teak grabrails and eyebrows accentuating the long trunk cabin, and the unhurried proportions of a boat meant to go somewhere rather than merely look fast at the dock. The designer made one deliberate compromise — the stern overhang was dramatically trimmed back while the bow overhang was preserved, a decision that lengthened the waterline and improved speed potential at the cost of some classical symmetry.
The hull is solid fiberglass in polyester resin, a construction choice that has aged well. Decks are a sandwich of fiberglass cored with either marine plywood or balsa. Cape Dory's reputation for hardware quality is borne out in the details: through-hull seacocks are forged in bronze, the standing rigging and fittings are oversized for a vessel of this size, and teak is used throughout the interior. The full keel carries 3,500 pounds of lead ballast, and the keel-hung rudder completes a profile that communicates solidity from every angle.
Rig and Handling
The CD28 is sloop-rigged with a 42-foot aluminum mast that is deck-stepped and secured by heavy-gauge standing rigging. The defining characteristic of the original sailplan is the self-tending, club-footed jib, which allows the boat to be tacked without touching a sheet — a genuine advantage for short-handed crews. Jiffy reefing on the mainsail rounds out a rig designed for manageable sailing rather than maximum performance.
Under sail, the CD28 rewards its crew with behavior that inspires confidence. One owner described her as stiff, surprisingly quick in light wind, and extremely capable in heavy air. The full keel and attached rudder mean she tracks perfectly and plows through chop with momentum behind her rather than hobby-horsing through it. The self-tending jib is handy on the wind when singlehanding, though some owners find it difficult to trim precisely and eventually install roller-furling gear instead. The mainsheet is attached aft of the cockpit, keeping the working area clear of interference.
Accommodations
The beam of just under nine feet is honest about what to expect below: the CD28 is a compact cruiser, not a floating apartment. That said, Alberg extracted six feet two inches of headroom in the cabin, a figure that shames many boats of this length. The layout sleeps five across a V-berth forward, a single starboard settee, and a port settee that slides out to form a double. A drop-leaf teak table swings between the settees. Forward of the saloon, a dedicated head compartment includes a hanging wet locker and small sink. The galley is positioned aft, with an icebox and stainless sink to starboard and the stove to port. Two deck hatches and eight opening bronze portals move air through the cabin effectively and flood the interior with natural light. Fresh water capacity is 60 gallons, fuel 32 gallons.
Known Issues
Any CD28 will carry the accumulated decisions of previous owners, and a few structural concerns are worth understanding before purchase. Deck delamination is always a possibility given the sandwich construction — probe for spongy feel, particularly around chainplates and hardware fastening points where water can track in along stress cracks or crazing. The internally fastened chainplates are cast iron, which creates problems of rust and corrosion over time; they are accessible from the interior for inspection. Early plastic portals installed through 1978 were of inferior quality and should be evaluated carefully. Fuel tanks are either steel or aluminum: steel tanks can rust from within, while aluminum tanks in contact with their plywood bases can develop pitting. The original Volvo two-cylinder diesel is reported by owners to be loud, smoky, and prone to vibration, and service access is tight.
Refits and Upgrades
The CD28 community has developed a well-worn path through the most common upgrades. Engine replacement is perhaps the most impactful: several owners have swapped the original Volvo for Beta Marine or Kubota diesels and report dramatically quieter operation. Many eliminate the club-footed jib in favor of a roller-furling genoa, finding the latter affords better sail trim while preserving ease of handling. Standing rigging on any older example should be treated as a replacement item. Winches are likely tired and worth upgrading. The bridgedeck, added approximately four years into production, improves safety by preventing cockpit water from reaching the cabin; later production boats include it as standard.
The Verdict
The Cape Dory 28 occupies a clear and defensible niche: it is a traditionally styled, seakindly cruiser that can be sailed by one person, maintained by an engaged owner, and trusted offshore when prepared properly. It is not fast by modern standards — the full keel cannot compete with fin-spade designs — but owners who chose it knew that going in. Fred Bickum's singlehanded three-year voyage aboard a 1978 model speaks to what the boat is capable of in capable hands. The active Cape Dory Sailboat Owners' Association provides a community of knowledge that partially compensates for the manufacturer's absence.
Pros
- Carl Alberg hull with honest offshore capability
- Solid fiberglass hull construction ages exceptionally well
- Self-tending club-footed jib ideal for short-handed sailing
- Bronze seacocks, oversized rigging, and teak throughout
- Six-foot-two headroom in a 28-foot hull
- Stiff and comfortable in a chop; tracks well downwind and to windward
- Active owners' association with accumulated institutional knowledge
Cons
- Cast-iron chainplates prone to rust and corrosion
- Original Volvo diesel is noisy, smoky, and difficult to service in tight quarters
- Sandwich deck construction vulnerable to water infusion at hardware penetrations
- Narrow beam limits interior volume and berth width
- Club-footed jib can be difficult to trim precisely
- Pre-1978 plastic portals are of inferior quality
- Steel and aluminum fuel tanks each carry their own long-term vulnerabilities
