Cape Dory Typhoon Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Three configurations exist on the used market, though the overwhelming majority of boats you will encounter are Weekenders. The Weekender is identifiable by its small coachroof, a single bronze portlight on each cabin side, and a three-quarter fractional rig. Below, it offers quarter berths to port and starboard and a V-berth forward — spartan accommodations by any modern measure, but functional for a night or two at anchor. The Weekender also has a self-bailing cockpit, which the Daysailer does not.

The Daysailer variant features a larger cockpit with teak seating and a smaller cuddy cabin with no portholes and a masthead sloop rig. It is the less common find and lacks the self-bailing cockpit that the Weekender provides. A third open-cockpit version built by Naugus Fiberglass is rare enough that most buyers will never encounter one. When you do find a Daysailer, weigh the absence of a self-draining cockpit carefully if the boat will sit on a mooring unattended.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Most used Typhoons present with the basic original equipment complement — teak coaming boards, teak toerail, bronze fittings, and aluminum spars. Because the boats are small and the sailing simple, owners have not typically lavished them with electronics. Autopilots and chartplotters occasionally appear as owner additions, though many Typhoon sailors sail without them by choice. The boat rewards simple seamanship over gadgetry.

The most useful upgrade to look for is a conversion from the original roller-reefing boom to slab reefing. Early production used a rotating boom for reefing — workable in theory, untidy in practice, especially in a building breeze when you actually need it. A slab-reefing conversion is a worthwhile find and has been a common owner improvement over the years. Internal halyards led aft to the deckhouse came standard; later or upgraded boats may have rope clutches or jammers rather than the original cleats, which is an improvement worth noting. Genoa tracks are standard on all models. A few examples carry a retrofitted mainsheet traveler across the cockpit seats, though most experienced owners find this clutters the cockpit without adding meaningful upwind performance. An outboard bracket on the transom is essentially universal — the Typhoon was designed for outboard auxiliary power, with a small number of early production boats fitted with inboard diesels. A four- to six-horsepower four-stroke outboard is the practical choice for most sailing areas.

What to Inspect

The Typhoon's solid hand-laid fiberglass hull is its foundation of longevity, but the balsa-cored deck requires careful attention. Deck crazing and cracking, particularly in the cockpit and around the chainplates, is one of the most commonly documented structural concerns on older examples. Probe suspect areas carefully — wet core in the deck is a repair project that can become expensive. The cabin top around the mast step is another area that warrants close inspection; mast depression of the coachroof indicates a compression post that has either failed or was never adequate, and this problem appears with enough frequency that it should be on every surveyor's checklist. The fix — reinforcing or replacing the compression post — is manageable, but you want to know about it before purchase rather than after.

Portlights on older boats typically need periodic replacement; factor this into your assessment if the existing ones are cracked or leaking. The teak coaming boards and toerail are maintenance items: teak left untreated will check and split over time, and owners who have lived with these boats suggest the coaming boards have a service life that requires replacement on a long-term ownership cycle. Standing and running rigging on any older example should be presumed in need of replacement unless you have documentation to the contrary. Check the hull-to-deck joint for signs of weeping — this joint is an occasional source of slow leaks on older examples. Osmotic blistering below the waterline, while not specific to the Typhoon, is worth checking on any boat of this vintage; construction quality varied across the production run, given that multiple builders were involved and conditions changed considerably over the years, so a pre-purchase survey is money well spent.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Typhoon appears with reasonable frequency across the United States, with concentrations in New England — where the design originated and where its shallow draft is well suited to the tidal creeks and protected harbors of the coast — and in the mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regions. The boat also turns up in Australia. Its trailerable dimensions mean examples occasionally surface far from salt water on inland lakes, which can be a source of well-preserved hulls with lower hours on the hull laminate.

The Cape Dory Sailboat Owners Association (capedory.org) is an active resource and a useful starting point for locating boats, understanding common issues, and connecting with owners who have worked through the typical maintenance cycles.

Before you make an offer, work through this checklist:

• Confirm the model variant (Weekender vs. Daysailer) and verify self-bailing cockpit function
• Inspect the full deck surface for crazing, soft spots, and water intrusion in the balsa core
• Examine the mast step and coachroof for any sign of compression or deformation
• Check chainplate areas for cracking in the laminate or deck
• Assess the teak coaming boards and toerail for condition and any structural compromise
• Test portlights for leaks and inspect glazing condition
• Verify standing rigging age and inspect for broken strands or corroded terminals
• Confirm whether the boom has been converted to slab reefing
• Check the hull-to-deck joint around the full perimeter
• Commission a professional survey, particularly given the range of construction quality across the production run