Cape Cutter 19
Description
The Cape Cutter 19 is a classic-inspired, trailerable gaff cutter sailboat designed by renowned South African naval architect Dudley Dix in 1998, commissioned by Cape Cutter Yachts to compete in the burgeoning market for traditional-style pocket cruisers like the Cornish Shrimper 19. Built primarily in fiberglass by Cape Cutter Yachts (South Africa) and Honnor Marine (UK) until around 2018, with approximately 100-150 hulls produced, it blends the rugged lines of Cape Town workboats with modern performance enhancements, including a lapstrake (clinker) hull, cutter rig for versatile sail handling, and a lifting centerplate for shallow-water access. At 19 feet, this seaworthy micro-cruiser sleeps 2-3 in a cozy cabin, offers a spacious cockpit for 4, and excels as a daysailer, racer, or coastal explorer—capable of 6+ knots in light airs and holding its own against larger boats in breeze. Praised for its "old-world charm with modern comfort," it's a favorite among solo sailors and families for gunkholing, camp-cruising, or club racing, with a reputation as one of the fastest small gaffers. Plans for amateur plywood builds are available from Dix Design, allowing for CNC-cut kits or lapstrake construction.
Construction Details
| Designer | Dudley Dix |
|---|---|
| Builder | Cape Cutter Yachts (South Africa) |
| Length | 19.000 ft |
| LOA | 23.620 ft |
| LWL | 18.040 ft |
| Beam | 7.220 ft |
| Displacement | 2535 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 1.480 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 19.685 ft - (6000 mm) |
| Foot | 13.287 ft - (4050 mm) |
| Leech | 16.732 ft - (5100 mm) |
| Area | * 109.82 ft² |
| Sail Type | STAYSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15.912 ft - (4850 mm) |
| Foot | 7.792 ft - (2375 mm) |
| Leech | 13.78 ft - (4200 mm) |
| Area | * 53.68 ft² |
| Sail Type | GAFF MAIN |
|---|---|
| Luff | 10.663 ft - (3250 mm) |
| Foot | 10.827 ft - (3300 mm) |
| Leech | 22.31 ft - (6800 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 90.45 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 15.256 ft - (4650 mm) |
| Head | 10.827 ft - (3300 mm) |
| Area | * 131.58 ft² |
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.