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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Capri 25 Specific Forum

Capri 25 vs Those Others

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dangc
Deckhand

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USA
1 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/21/2009 : 18:39:02

Hi All, I am somewhat new to sailing and looking for that first good sailboat.....and one of the boats I am considering is the Capri 25. It has been a hard boat to find much review information on. Can anyone speak to comparing the beloved Capri 25 to say the Kirby 25, San Juan 24 or say the J24..??? Things like stability,heel,quality of construction...etc. Thank you for your time. Dan

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 11/21/2009 : 20:50:05

Dan,
Welcome to the forum, you'll get lots of advice and opinions here.

From your list, it looks like you're interested in racing. I've raced on a Capri 25, J-boats & owned a San Juan 21 for about six years. I'm not familiar with the Kirby, but the rest of your list will make fine choices as first choices. I'll let the Capri folks talk about their own boats, we've got a C-250 and love it.

Good luck with your search, you might let us know where you live, someone will almost certainly offer you a sail or two on their boat to give you an idea of what you might be getting into.

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joearcht
Navigator

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USA
243 Posts

Response Posted - 11/22/2009 : 07:11:05

Hi Dan,
I was in your shoes about 3 years ago. Wanting to get back into sailing and racing. I was shopping for a under 10k 24-25' boat.
My search narrowed down to the Capri 25, Merit 25 and J-24.
My wife killed the J-24 due to the cockpit design, if she was going to participate it had to be more comfortable. I was also cautioned that the J-24 can suffer from "hidden" rot to a high degree. But I have to concede the J-24 is a fast boat. I race against a couple of them and it comes down to the skipper and crew as to who wins. The only Merit I came across was not a real good value compared to the Capri I found but it looked like a quality built boat. The Capri 25 as far as I know only has one weakness in the hidden rot area and that is the keel attachment (I can elaborate on this more if you want more info). Needless to say I ended up with a good Capri and joined this association. The other more seasoned fellows on this forum have been a great resource for helping me get up and competitive with my boat. I've not regretted my purchase so far. I just finished putting a new bottom coat on my boat and hope to re-launch her today to race the winter series at my club. Good luck with your search.

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otuttle
1st Mate

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USA
31 Posts

Response Posted - 11/22/2009 : 09:25:18

Dan,

I race a Capri 25 at the Wayzata Yacht Club in Minnesota. As far as I know, we have the largest Capri 25 fleet in the world. We also have one-design J24, J22, S2-7.9, Sonar, and others.

I think most of the Capri owners feel the Capri is a great racing boat, and with the mast-head rig, is definitely better in light air. The keel issue is true, although it's a relatively small project to have someone clean up and strengthen the keel attachment. Most of us get it done in our first year.

Although this is subject to debate, I believe the construction of the Capri is probably a little lower quality than a J-boat. Nonetheless, the overall hull seems to be pretty sturdy, and with a few adjustments, it can handle the hard-core racing that we subject them to. We race our boats at least twice a week from late April to October. In general, it's pretty easy to find replacement parts or make the fixes necessary when something goes wrong. If you join our email lists at www.wyc.org, you can get in on bulk purchases, etc.

I'd say the only disadvantage to the J24 is the heavy air handling. Because of the keel position and the mast-head rig, the Capri can be a handful in 18+ knots, but we still love doing it!

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with. Feel free to come to our club and jump on one of the 30 Capri 25's to see for yourself.

Thanks,
Odell

Odell Tuttle
Capri 25 #249 (Lickety Split)
Fleet Captain - Capri 25 Fleet
Wayzata Yacht Club

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SailCO26
Captain

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USA
457 Posts

Response Posted - 11/23/2009 : 09:23:17

Odell's got you pretty well covered there (and I'm jealous of the fleet size!).

If you're looking to race...

I'm not that familiar with the Kirby either, but they rate about the same as the CP25. Both the Merit and the J/24 typically rate a tad faster, but the CP25 is easier to sail fast (IMO). The SJ24's are decent daysailers but are going to be MUCH slower than the others.

Stability, heel, etc are going to be fairly comparable between the CP25 and J/24, with the CP having a little more "power" up front with the larger headsail. Also, the CP25 will carry the spin a little higher.

Quality of construction - CP25s are older boats, you can get a J/24 anywhere in the world with conditions running from slick/hot to already sunk (always lock your laz doors!). Known/common issues for the CP25 are the keel and window leaks. I've seen quite a few with somewhat weak cabintops, as well.

One more thing - you can race the CP25 with one less crew than the J/24. :)

When I bought mine, I was looking for a 24-25' racer and also considered the J/24, Merit 25, Wavelength 24 and Moore 24. I did NOT like the layout of the J/24, but their biggest advantage is lots of boats, easy to find good quality OD fleets. Didnt like the cockpit of the Merit either, nor the toe rail (your crew will HATE you). The WL24 is a great/fast boat, but just not very many around.

You likely wont find any OD racing with the CP25 anywhere outside of Wayzata, but they're great PHRF boats if you dont mind racing handicap.

If you're NOT looking to race...
The CP25 is still a great boat, but maybe not so much of a "daysailer" per se as the cabin appointments are geared more for speed than they are comforts.

Jim

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leebitts
Navigator

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USA
122 Posts

Response Posted - 11/30/2009 : 19:29:32

I had an interesting boat search. In prior years we have had fairly large full keel boats, god blessed us with a mentally handicapped child so after she got too large to carry below we sold our boat; me thinking that period in my life was gone. After a 10 year lapse, I bought, just for yucks a Catalina 22. The freeboard was such that my daughter could go level from the dock into the boat. My wife and I rigged up "lee cloth" on the down table to hold her in place. Fast forward -- I was approached to race. Got hooked! Decided if I'm going to race, I want a race boat! Clearly, my situation is not normal but here's how it went;
- level step from dock to boat
- wide coamings
- easy steps into cabin below
- large area in cabin where cushions can be fashioned to protect child
- fast phrf
- ability to make boat single handed
- look cool

I bought a Capri 25 I really love this boat!

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.