Cape Dory 40 Buyer's Guide
The Cape Dory 40 is a scarce Alberg-designed cutter built by Cape Dory Yachts, Inc. between 1984 and 1990, with only a few hulls produced. A buyer shopping the used Cape Dory 40 market is looking at a heavy, narrow, long-keel cruiser rather than a common production boat, so the usual fleet knowledge does not apply and each hull must be judged on its own condition.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Cape Dory 40 was built as a cutter with a solid fiberglass long-keel hull and a beam near 11.7 feet, a traditional heavy-cruiser arrangement rather than a beamy modern plan. With only a few hulls produced, no distinct used-market layout variants exist beyond the as-built Alberg configuration, so a buyer should assess each vessel as a single-design example rather than comparing trim levels.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The short production run yielded period-correct cutter rigging with sheet lengths around 40 feet for jib and genoa and 100 feet for the mainsheet; any added gear should be evaluated on its own merits rather than treated as standard.
What to Inspect
A full long keel makes the boat more difficult to handle in a harbour with less space, so at a viewing check the keel and rudder for ground contact scars from tight maneuvering. The attached rudder should be tested for free play, and the solid fiberglass hull examined for osmotic blistering or impact damage that a short production run makes hard to benchmark against sisterships.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
With only a few boats ever built, the Cape Dory 40 appears irregularly and demands a patient search and a thorough survey.
- Survey the keel-hull joint for separation
- Check the encapsulated ballast for voids
- Test the attached rudder for free play
- Inspect the solid hull for blistering
- Verify cutter rigging against 40-foot sheet runs
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Cape Dory 40. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26 | 1 | $89,588 | — |
Where they're listed
Cape Dory 40 listings appear across 1 country. Australia has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | $89,588 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island Packet 40 | 40' | $ 154,500 | 56 | 22 |
| Cape Dory 36 | 36.12' | $ 56,075 | 36 | 12 |
| Little Harbor 40 | 40.16' | $ 44,900 | 35 | 11 |
| Caliber 40 | 40.92' | $ 169,000 | 26 | 8 |
| Cape George 36 | 36' | $ 89,500 | 9 | 1 |
| Delphia 40 | 39.21' | $ 113,528 | 7 | 2 |
| Cape Dory 40You are here | — | $ 89,588 | 1 | 0 |