Cape Cod Knockabout
Description
The Cape Cod Knockabout (often called the Cape Cod Baby Knockabout in its early years) is a timeless American one-design daysailer and racer, designed by Captain Charles S. Gurney (founder of Cape Cod Shipbuilding Co.) in 1925. It's an 18-foot centerboard sloop that's been a staple in New England sailing, especially on Cape Cod and surrounding Massachusetts harbors, with strong fleets in the 1940s–1970s (often 50–60 boats at regattas) and continuing activity today at clubs like those on Upper Cape Cod and even spots like Lake Champlain. The class transitioned from wood to fiberglass construction (approved in 1960), helping it endure while maintaining strict one-design rules for fair racing. It's praised for its simplicity, stability, shallow draft (ideal for bays and shoals), and fun, forgiving handling — a classic "poor man's yacht" that's rugged, roomy for its size, and great for crew work (typically 2 sailors, but handles 3–4 in light conditions).
Construction Details
| Designer | Charles S. Gurney |
|---|---|
| Builder | Cape Cod Shipbuilding |
| Length | 18.000 ft |
| LOA | 18.000 ft |
| LWL | 15.500 ft |
| Beam | 6.000 ft |
| Displacement | 650 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.170 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.750 ft |
| Year Built | 1925 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | 19.50 ft |
| e | 13 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 19.50 ft | 13 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Cape Cod Knockabout - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 19.167 ft - (5842 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 15.083 ft - (4597 mm) |
| Leech | * 21.22 ft - (6468 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 76 ° |
| Diagonal | 21.33 ft - (6501 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 2 in - (51 mm) |
| Area | * 141.58 ft² |
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Cape Cod Knockabout - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 14.5 ft - (4420 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 4.67 ft - (1423 mm) |
| Leech | 12.83 ft - (3911 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 4.05 ft - (1234 mm) |
| Area | * 29.36 ft² |
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Cape Cod Knockabout - GENOA
| Luff | 17.5 ft - (5334 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 6.45 ft - (1966 mm) |
| Leech | 16 ft - (4877 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | 5.89 ft - (1795 mm) |
| Area | * 51.55 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.