Design and Construction
The Capri 14 is a recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim. It measures 14 feet loa with a 6-foot beam and displaces 525 pounds.
Its fixed fin keel draws just over two feet and carries 250 pounds of lead ballast, producing a ballast-to-displacement ratio of nearly 48 percent. The hull has a spooned, raked stem and an angled transom, giving it the purposeful profile of a small daysailer rather than a stripped-down racing dinghy.
As a fixed-keel version of the centerboard Lido 14, the Capri 14 traded the earlier boat’s retractable board for a stable underwater profile suited to trailering and straightforward ramp launching.
Rig and Handling
The Capri 14 carries a fractional sloop rig with 110 square feet of sail area. Its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is about 27—lively for a boat of this weight.
A tiller controls the transom-hung rudder, giving the sailor a direct connection to the helm that suits the boat’s daysailing purpose. Its capsize ratio is 2.98, placing the Capri 14 in the stable end of the small-keelboat spectrum and making it reassuring for casual crews on protected water.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The Capri 14 was designed for daysailing rather than overnight trips. Its 14-foot length and 6-foot beam define an open cockpit instead of enclosed living space. The wood trim reflects the boat’s period styling more than any attempt at cabin accommodation.
Verdict
The Capri 14 is a tidy, trailerable example of early-1960s small-boat design: a fiberglass daysailer with a fixed fin keel, derived from an established centerboard dinghy. Its light displacement, lead-ballasted keel, and forgiving capsize ratio make it an approachable pocket cruiser for lakes and sheltered coasts, while the fractional rig keeps handling simple. Its later development into the Harbor 14 confirms the soundness of the basic concept.
Pros
- Fixed fin keel with 250 lb of lead ballast on a 525 lb hull, providing stable, trailerable sailing
- Fractional sloop rig with 110 sq ft of sail area, manageable for a small crew
- Direct tiller steering through a transom-hung rudder
- Developed from the established Lido 14 platform
Cons
- Its 14-foot length limits it strictly to daysailing
- No longer in production; the Harbor 14 became its successor in 2004
