Anyone sail/race an 80 to 85 Capri 25?

Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
I'm looking for a general opinion on the 80-85 Capri 25, mostly performance wise. There is one for sale in my area I may possibly buy.
I went to look at it because it was primarily used as a Beer Can racer its entire life. Always dry sailed, never bottom painted. It has a lifting bracket bolted to the two aft keel bolts, so with the rig up it is a perfectly balanced lift point.

Anyway, for a 1982 its in good condition. Since it was always dry sailed there is no osmotic blistering, the fin keel joint has no issues, not a lick of corrosion on the keel bolts, etc. The gelcoat is original, has some minor scratches but nothing serious and no crazing I could find on the exterior hull... heavily oxidized as expected but it could potentially look beautiful after a healthy wet sand and buff. There is some outdated deck hardware that could use an update, but it all appears functional. Mast, boom, and standing rigging are in good condition for the age. Only thing that really needs replacement is running rigging.

Anyway, enough about my survey... just looking for some numbers. 'I wanna go fast' isn't my only motivation, but I do look at things in terms of performance. I know this boat will be faster than my C-22 and it would be nice to have something competitive to race in the future. What types of cruising speeds and racing speeds (condition dependent of course) could I expect? BTW, the sail inventory is very good, I checked out each sail. Standard main and working jib, plus a 150 genoa and a nice symmetrical Spinnaker. The boat has all the rigging for the chute to include a heavy duty spinnaker pole and brackets on deck. No furling, all hank on.

My expectations for this boat would be local club racing and that kind of small stuff, plus trips to Catalina Island and other excursions north and south to Baja... probably not anything 'offshore'. I know the interior is a bit more cramped than my C-22 because there is no pop-top, but with the wider beam it is roomier in that dimension. The extra cockpit space makes up for that in some ways.

Looking forward to hearing experiences, memories, and performance values. also let me know if there are problems I might want to know about. Thanks!!
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
My club (WYC) has a large OD fleet of Capri 25s; easily the largest in the country. Over 20 of the things hit the line every week. Lots of my friends sail them.

They are pretty quick boats. Like the Merit 25 and the Kirby 25, it was designed in reaction to the J/24. Unlike the other 3, it is a old-school mast-head rig. Like the two other copies; it never did all that well as a OD racing fleet, but it sold OK as a fast-ish 25 footer.

It is not quite as fast as a J/24, but will easily run circles around a Catalina 25 and all other boats of that type/vintage. Its on par with the Merit and the Kirby.

Maybe not an issue for you, but the things (now!) leak like a sieve. From the windows, the deck fittings, and the deck hull joint.

The sump has wood in it and rots. That's a nasty fix when needed.

Overall decent boats. Cramped downstairs due to very low coach roof. But if it works for you, have a go!
 
Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
I think the wood in the sump would be enough to turn me off. Since this particular hull was always dry sailed I doubt it has that issue, but it could eventually. I really wouldn't want to deal with hauling out and hanging in a lift while the keel is dropped to repair that. Even if I did the repair myself, the cost of the equipment/yard time would exceed the value of the boat.

Thanks for the insight. I'll keep this one in mind, but if a J24 came along it would probably be my first choice.

My club (WYC) has a large OD fleet of Capri 25s; easily the largest in the country. Over 20 of the things hit the line every week. Lots of my friends sail them.

They are pretty quick boats. Like the Merit 25 and the Kirby 25, it was designed in reaction to the J/24. Unlike the other 3, it is a old-school mast-head rig. Like the two other copies; it never did all that well as a OD racing fleet, but it sold OK as a fast-ish 25 footer.

It is not quite as fast as a J/24, but will easily run circles around a Catalina 25 and all other boats of that type/vintage. Its on par with the Merit and the Kirby.

Maybe not an issue for you, but the things (now!) leak like a sieve. From the windows, the deck fittings, and the deck hull joint.

The sump has wood in it and rots. That's a nasty fix when needed.

Overall decent boats. Cramped downstairs due to very low coach roof. But if it works for you, have a go!