Cape Dory 45 Sailboats for Sale & Market Overview

Hull Type

Monohull · full

Rig

Ketch

LOA

45.25' · 13.79 m

Disp.

24,000 lbs · 10,886 kg

First year

1982

The Cape Dory 45 represents the ultimate evolution of the Cape Dory brand, serving as the flagship of the fleet during the yard's final years of production in the late 1980s. While most of the company's legacy was built upon the fullkeel, traditionalist designs of Carl Alberg, the 45 was a distinct departure. Commissioned from the board of naval architect Dieter Empacher, the 45 was designed to compete with highend European cruisers and the "goldplated" American yachts of the era, such as those from Hinckley or Bristol. Unlike its smaller siblings, which emphasized traditional heavydisplacement stability, the Cape Dory 45 was engineered as a performanceoriented bluewater cruiser, featuring a more modern hull form and a more sophisticated underbody.