cal 25 sailboat data

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Cal 25 Burning Desire and Smitten 

Designed by C. William “Bill” Lapworth, this stout 25 ft keelboat is comfortable below deck and fun to sail.  The Cal-2 25' performs well in light winds, due to its tall rig, large sail area, flat bottom and balanced keel.  Roomy below deck, ruggedly constructed, and fun to helm, the Cal-2 25' sails like a bigger boat, making it an ideal choice for daysailing or coastal cruising with a small family.

Pricing: See current rental price list

Cal 25s are great for day sailing and training and are a perfect beginner boat. Not setup for night time or overnight use. 

Boat Specifications

LOA (Length Overall): 25 feet

LWL (Length at Waterline): 20 feet 

Beam: Approximately 8 feet 

Draft: Approximately 4 feet

Displacement: 4,000 lbs 

Sail Area: 273 square feet 

Mast Height: 32 feet 

Hull Material: Typically fiberglass

Keel Type: Fin keel

Rigging: Masthead sloop rig

Rental Expections

Upto 2 hours of Fuel per day of rental is included in the rental cost. Please refuel to 1 inch below the filler line and provide your receipts if you motor over this. 

Damage Policy

At Afterguard you are responsible for any damage to boats caused during your rental, upto the value of our insurance deductible. 

Tow Insurance

You should carry your own Tow Insurance which should be shown at reception or emailed to [email protected] before rental

Overnight Mooring

We can provide ownership, Insurance and rental documentation and will be happy to work with the marina at your destination to ensure they have the paperwork they need for you to stay. Requires 48 hours notice. 

PFD and Safety Equipment

We provide a personal flotation device (PFD aka lifejacket) and optional other equipment for every member of your crew. We strongly recommend PFDs are worn when outside the cabin while underway. Use it before the boat begins to move to avoid risk when leaving or coming in to the docks.

Cooking on Board

O'Hana has a propane stove and boat gas grill. We supply basic cooking implements - Pots, Pans and tableware as well as basic condiments such as salt and pepper. 

If you have images of Ohana we could use here, please email them to [email protected]

Find a date that works for you

Or give us a call (510) 535-1954 to book, afterguard sailing academy.

1285 Embarcadero Oakland, CA 94606

Phone: (510) 535-1954

Email: [email protected]

Hours of Operation Tuesday 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM Wednesday - Sunday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Closed   Mondays   except long holiday weekends

For website issues please contact [email protected]

© 2024   Afterguard Sailing Academy

• 2024 Annapolis National Championship

Contact Pat Seidel and Alisa Finney for more details Email

• 8 Bells for a Cal-25 legend

Very very sad news ~ Charlie died peacefully at 2:08PM today (March 30, 2024). “Sunshine of Your Love” was playing on the TV music channel.

Jim Pembroke, a long time and dear friend was with him at the hospice care facility when he passed. Please pass on the news to all of those who knew Charlie. I was so hoping he could have gotten his trophy in person. He so loved the CAL25 fleet and all of you.

— Harken7777@aol.com  (Annapolis Fleet)

Sorry to inform you but Charlie Husar passed away today; peacefully while sleeping. As you know he has been afflicted with serious cancer for quite some time.

I was seriously hoping that they would be able to get the trophy change to him while still living but it’s my understanding that they were not. I hope I’m wrong. Too bad.

He was a good man and absolutely loved Cal 25 racing. I vividly remember our first meeting; Brian, Charlie and I met years ago in Las Vegas. At that time the three fleets (Detroit, Annapolis and Long Beach) were doing their own thing in a lot of areas. We met for two days in a Las Vegas hotel room and “homogenized” the rules. We are still guided by those rules today. I’m going to miss him. I can guarantee you that a few Scotches will be consumed tomorrow in his memory.

Please say a prayer for him tomorrow during Easter services and keep him in your thoughts.

–Art Melendres (Long Beach Fleet)

We are sad to hear of Charlie’s passing. We were fortunate to get to know Charlie on three trips to Annapolis to sail the Cal-25 National Championships. His legendary dark and stormies on the Burnside dock and sharing stories was a highlight of the regatta. He was a happy soul and always willing to help with whatever anyone needed. Thankfully we were able to celebrate his induction into the Cal-25 Hall of Fame at the last Annapolis Nationals. Charlie was very touched by this award, and it was a moving experience for all who were present.

It is unfortunate we did not get the Cal-25 National Trophy to him before his passing as it was unanimously agreed upon to dedicate this trophy in his name. Charlie’s memory will live on with the passing of this Trophy and in the hearts of all who knew him.

Click here to see Charlies generous university gift …

Please feel free to leave a comment or a Charlie story on this site for all to enjoy and commemorate Charlie…

–John McAllister  (Detroit Fleet)

• 2022 Cal-25 National Championship

Detroit MI   Aug 26 — Aug 28

2022 CAL25 National Champions Never Alone #758 Paul & Ross Nuechterlein, Ken Sewtka, Ron Sherry, Tom Dawson Gallery of Champions

The Cal 25 National Championship could turn out to be voted the number one regatta of the summer. With 18 boats loaded up with some of the best one design sailors in Detroit, the competition was stiff,

Matt Bounds the PRO found a way to give us ten well managed races sailed in sunny skies and fair sailing conditions. He only needed to go the “I” flag to control the fleet and line. He has always been a PRO that maintains great communication with the fleet as to what he is anticipating his next move to be. The postponements were perfectly timed with his usual words, “smoke em if you got em”.

The Cal 25 championship started off in the most unusual manner. The night before the regatta, the Hollerbach’s boat went missing and no number of calls to crew or Bayview sailors could account for its whereabouts. Final answer, Mike Hoey, our MC of ceremonies and legendary Cal 25 sailor and also a pirate, accidentally took the wrong boat to Crescent that he was planning to sail in the regatta. It gets better, he washed the bottom on the way.

The first day, the boat “Never Alone” sailed by Ross and Paul Nuechterlein, put on a clinic with a 1,2,1,1. Mike Hoey, our pirate, came in second with his new claimed boat called “Artemis”, and then “Thor”, sailed by the Ziegler’s, was third at the end of the first day.

Saturday, day two, was the toughest with increased powerboat traffic adding a new variable to the underpowered Cal 25 conditions. Keeping a Cal 25 going “fast” in those challenging conditions will make most sailors want plenty of grog. We had 3 kegs of DragonMead microbrew beer waiting on shore.

On day three, “Patriot” sailed by the McAllister’s showed its prowess in race 9 with a dominant first place finish. Also, one of the great memories for us was to sail all the way to the finish line right next to Sandy Svoboda on “Hercules Mulligan”. They had their boat flying.

For us on race 7, we had our bow out at the start but the pressure dropped for about 10 seconds which was plenty of time for the fleet to roll us and launch away. We took everybody’s stern on port tack and came off the line in 18th place. Even though we wanted to be left, we were the far-right boat. We got some nice pressure and a small rightie and we were back in the top ten at the first mark, thank you Art Melendres (previous champion) for praying for us in church all the way from California! On day three, “Artemis” and “Pepper” sailed by the Rozelles were changing positions all day for second and third.

“Never Alone” ended racing with an exclamation point by winning the final race. Coming into the final upwind mark, I heard the conversation every sailor wants to hear. “Kenny, talk to me about traffic”. “Ross, there is no traffic”. Ron Sherry was asked about sailing on the boat. “The “Never Alone” team had a regatta dreams were made of. The boat was well prepared with a BOD win and practicing Tuesday before the regatta to choose sails and get the rust off. Clean starts, being able to sail on the sides of the course we wanted, and minimizing tacks were the keys to victory”. By the end, six boats had first place finishes. My congratulations to all the sailors who came out and competed in this luminary event.

We want to extend a special thank you to John & Tracy McAllister for going above and beyond in planning this outstanding regatta.

Paul Nuechterlein US758 Never Alone Commodore Cal-25 Club Detroit

Click here to see regatta promotion…

Click here to see more …

2021 Cal-25 National Championship

Chesapeake Bay, Sep 4 – 6

The event was attached to the Annapolis Labor Day Regatta for the weekend and then parlayed over to a race committee made up of various entities associated with Eastport YCs for Monday’s racing.  Three days in all.  A total of fourteen boats were entered and no less than thirteen of them made it to the starting line.  Two boats (Thor and Patriot) came from Detroit.  Keith Ziegler (Thor) had been competitive all year in Michigan and John McAllister (Patriot) is a former National Champion having won his title in the waters of Chesapeake Bay. Does anyone need to say more? Art Melendres and son Scott trailered their boat from Long Beach, CA , a distance of 2672 miles, but who’s counting.  And then, or course, they had to trailer it back.  An interesting note pertaining to “One More Time” is that it is Hull #1.  The very first Cal 25 off the assembly line out of a total of 1848 built during its production run between 1964 and 1976. “One More Time” has been totally restored by the Melendres’ and is looking beautiful. Rounding out the competition were ten solid competitors from the Annapolis Fleet. (Note: You can read about the restoration project at another part of this website).

Now on to the racing: Anyone who has ever raced on the Chesapeake knows that you best expect anything and everything because there’s a good chance you will get it. Wind, no wind, chop, current, heat, humidity and now just to top things off the racers had to deal with debris coming down from some dam opening up North.

Saturday’s racing was cancelled due to no wind. Read zero. The weather was hot, humid and STILL. The local competitors went to their favorite bar. “Towners” went sightseeing. I have often heard that “Annapolis is a drinking town with a sailing problem.” True?

Sunday’s forecast was for more breeze. We indeed got more breeze but not much more. I don’t believe the velocity got up to seven knots and, if it did it didn’t stay there very long. The committee got two races in and Patriot ended up winning the day albeit by a tiebreaker as they were numerically tied with Thor and One More Time.

In the first race Kyle and Lee Bollhorst’s “One Eyed Jack” was motivating to the weather mark and got there first. They had a hiccup however and didn’t negotiate the offset mark as clean as they would have liked. The mistake cost them dearly. It wasn’t a problem though for Tim Bloomfield’s “White Cap” as he got around everything in fine shape and took the regatta’s first bullet. Thor was second. Patriot who took a fourth in the first race came roaring back to take a bullet in the second. John McAllister is tough in all conditions but excels in the light stuff. Again, another race in very light air. One More Time was the second boat to finish. Upon returning to the Burnside dock everyone was treated to a Margarita party courtesy of the Melendres women from Long Beach.

Monday’s forecast was for even more breeze and all the competitors were hoping that it was accurate. After all, there never would be a sport of “sail boat racing” if all we did was just drift from mark to mark. The wind forecast was accurate but to a degree. While the velocity got up above nine or ten knots (some gusts above fifteen) the consistency was not there.

The first race saw the “towners” go up the middle or even left while the knowledgeable locals went right and got rewarded. White Cap again took the honors with another bullet. One More Time was again second and starting to love life a little. Monday’s second race was kind of funny. The “towners” took heed at what happened in the first race and went right as soon as they could. No off set mark problems this time for One Eyed Jack as he got around everything clean and took a bullet. Again, One More Time was second and starting to love life a little bit more.

The race committee (a very good race committee) wanted to get in three races and as per the SI’s no race could start after 1500 hrs. Thus, out of necessity, all races had to be one-lappers. The final race of the regatta encompassed an upwind leg, downwind leg and two reaching legs. Annapolis likes to do that.

It was a pretty clean start and everyone was off for the final race of the 2021 Nationals. Everyone was doing their thing and motivating to the weather mark albeit with a few protest flags tossed along the way. One More Time was protested for a port/starboard allegation but did a penalty turn to absolve themselves. Thankfully, it was on the first leg of the course so they had 3 1/2 legs to catch up. The downwind leg of this race was “class racing” at its best. One Eyed Jack took the bullet without too much of a problem and Patriot took second with relative comfort. Thereafter, Neugen, One More Time and Thor were locked side by side for what seemed to be an eternity. First one, then the next, then the other took their turn at the lead only to lose it. At the finish it was a three way photo finish with Thor taking the third spot. Racing was over. Now the bragging, lying and excuse making could commence.

The top five finishers were as follows: 1. One More Time (14 pts) 2. Thor (17 pts) 3. One Eyed Jack (19 pts) 4. White Cap. (22 pts) 5. Patriot ( 27 pts)

One More Time won the regatta without winning a single race because she was the most consistent boat for the weekend. Keith Ziegler, came to Annapolis and showed everyone he knows his way around the race course. One Eyed Jack and White Cap each won two races but their consistency suffered a bit and couldn’t be overcome. Kyle’s probably having nightmares about “off set marks.” Tim Bloomfield had some equipment breaks that hurt him. John McAllister showed everyone his integrity by calling a foul on himself after finishing a race, thereby giving him a last place finish in that race. The remainder of the competitors fought, scratched, clawed their way around the course and flat out made it a lot of fun.

The dinner and awards ceremony a the Severn Sailing Association were outstanding. The Detroit fleet instituted a new award honoring those persons who have been instrumental in developing and maintaining Cal 25 fleets and racing through the years. The first two recipients of this “Hall of Fame” award were Charlie Husar and Art Melendres. I know I speak for Charlie when I say we are both humbled and honored.  Charlie Husar caught a very bad break when he lost a key crewman to injury the night before the regatta; yet he was still out there competing and doing a fine job at it. Kyle Bollhorst was truly outstanding. His organization skills and continual assistance to visiting yachtsmen were greatly appreciated. Couldn’t have been better. Thank you Charlie and Kyle. The hospitality and camaraderie exhibited by everyone in the Annapolis fleet was as great as could have been hoped for. You should all be proud, you earned it.

In conclusion: Dark and Stormys in Long Beach don’t hold a candle to those made in Annapolis. I keep trying to duplicate the recipe but no luck thus far.

Next year it’s Detroit’s turn. I’m certain they will do a fine job.

— Art Melendres

Click here to see more …    

Restoration Cal-25 #1 - One More Time (Part 3 of 3)

Rebuild of Hull #1 – This is the restoration of the very first Cal-25 hull built !!!

This endeavor started in the summer of 2017 when my son Scott and crewman Pat Graham found hull #1 languishing in a home dock on Naples Island in Long Beach, CA. Once they verified its authenticity as the “first Cal 25 off the assembly line” it was purchased for the grand sum of $600.00. The original plan was to trailer our current boat “One Time” (hull #50) to the Detroit Nationals, sell it there for $6000.00 and utilize the proceeds towards restoring #1. Thus far I have spent slightly north of $23,000.00 on the restore and are still counting, albeit at a slightly slower pace. My business acumen knows no bounds.

I have no intention of misleading you. As I write this somewhat lengthy description I often use the pronoun “we.” I did this because it was convenient to do so. In actuality the entire endeavor was the result of a division of responsibilities. My son did “ALL” of the work and I wrote “ALL” of the checks.

On to the restoration: Upon first inspecting #1 it did not appear to be in too bad of condition. In fact nothing could have been further from the truth. As the old saying goes, “you can’t bid what you can’t see.” Well, in this case we didn’t “see” a whole lot. The bottom was in such a state that it was surprising that it hadn’t already sunk. Blisters were everywhere. Termites infested virtually every piece of wood above the water line. Dry rot and water logged wood were prevalent.

Phase One: The first order of business was to put a bottom on it to prevent sinking.  Thereafter virtually all of the decking had to be torn out, repaired and/or replaced.  The transom had to be totally rebuilt. Ditto with the mast step.  None of the hardware was salvageable. Winches, cleats, chain plates, standing rigging and anything else that is affixed to the boat needed to be replaced. Previous owners drilled holes everywhere and each one had to be filled. New windows of course. There was a huge hatch hole on the front deck that had to be filled. I guess a previous owner had installed an air vent for ventilation or something. At any rate it had to go and it did, although filling the hole so that it was structurally sound was no easy project. The mast was salvageable but just barely. It had to be refurbished and and then painted. Not so lucky with the boom. It was tossed in the trash heap and replaced with a new one.

Most of this work was done while the boat was in the water which, as it turns out, caused some of our neighbors (unknown snitches) to complain to marina management that the boat was an eyesore and detrimental to the neighborhood. We were prime candidates to be piled on. Fortunately, the marina people worked with us and cut us some slack. In the end we didn’t disappoint them.

As sidelight while all of this was going on we actually took the boat out for a race. While heading for the starting line we were still drilling holes for equipment so that we could sail the darn thing. We didn’t win but it made for an interesting topic at the bar afterward.

Phase 2: Once all of the above was completed the boat was in pretty good sailing condition. The deck was laid out exactly the way we wanted it and all of the equipment was in good condition. The problem was that it looked like hell. It’s not within me to own an ugly boat so this condition needed to be rectified. The whole exterior above the rub rail was painted with several coats of the best marine paint we could find. The interior wood of which much was rotted was repaired or replaced. It was then varnished or painted as appropriate. New cushions were purchased and new rugs installed.

Phase 3: Back to the boatyard so we could give her the “racing bottom” she deserved. This meant that we could fare the bottom, eliminate the blisters, long board the heck out of it, put on a primer/sealer coat and then spray paint it to our hearts content. We then smoothed the whole thing out. Smoother then the proverbial “baby’s bottom.” While there we painted the hull. We also attached lifting points on the keel to facilitate lifting it out of the water. Things were looking more then just pretty good.

In conclusion there’s still a few minor things that need to be done to the interior. They’re all cosmetic in nature but as we all know you’re never really done tinkering with a boat. Are you?

Some of you, like my son and I, are in love with Cal 25s and don’t think there’s anything on the water that is better.  We’re proud to be the owners of the first one ever made and even more proud that it is in “mint condition.”

Many names were considered but we settled on “One More Time” because it fit.  Our plan is to trailer it to the Annapolis Nationals in September 2021. If you’re there and you want to take a look then feel free to do so. If you’re ever in Long Beach, CA and want to do likewise then give me a call and I’ll be glad to show you. We might even just take it for a tour of the harbor.

Related posts

• Restoration of hull #1 – Art & Scott Melendres (Part 2 of 3)
• The Very First Cal 25 (Part 1 of 3)

Holmebrew wins the 2020 Detroit Cal 25 Season Championship

US1029 holmebrew

Owner David Holme Club Bayview Yacht Club

Click here to see more …      

One Time tops the Wet Wednesdays Series

The first Wet Wednesday series is in the books (May-20 – Jun-24, 2015). Congratulations to One Time. They came out with their hair on fire with three bullets in the first three races. Tiburon tried to fight back with 2 bullets of their own in the ensuing two races. So it was really a match race between One Time and Tiburon last night. Tiburon had a chance if they could get themselves a victory and beat One Time on the tie breaker. It didn’t happen. One Time took care of business with a bullet to close out the series with an impressive victory. We missed Iguana last night, they were unable to make it out. Story I heard was that Dennis was boozing all day and forgot where he left the boat? I’ve got to give a shout-out to Go Big Daddy. They sailed great last night and almost rounded the weather mark in first place. One Time squeezed by them in first, Go Big Daddy in second followed by Tiburon in third. With the wind holding steady it was a routine finish with no drama in the channel. Click here to see more …

OK we have about seven weeks to go before Nationals (August 15th and 16th). That should give everyone plenty of time to get their boats and crews squared away. If you’re going to make one regatta this year, please make it the Nationals! Talk it up, get as many people fired-up as possible. There are boats that are available should someone want to put a crew together and enter. I guarantee it will be fun!

Long Beach Fleet Captain

— Felix Basadre

• Cal-25 #1 Restored
• DRYA Regatta Updates
• Latest news
• Technical & Go Fast Tips
• Website Improvements
• Where have you sailed your Cal 25?

Recent Posts

• Never Alone Three-peats Bayview One Design
• Never Alone wins again – 2022 Bayview One Design

Recent Comments

• Susan Anderson on Restoration Cal-25 #1 – One More Time (Part 3 of 3)
• William Fitzroy on Restoration Cal-25 #1 – One More Time (Part 3 of 3)
• Patrick Dore on Cal 25 Std Standing & Running Rigging and Spinnaker & Reefing Specification
• Scott Peterson on Restoration Cal-25 #1 – One More Time (Part 3 of 3)
• Liam Hegarty on Taking your Cal-25 mast down

A roomy pocket-cruiser that’s a breeze to sail

It’s not hard to understand why the original Cal 25 appealed to so many sailors. It was relatively inexpensive, easy to maintain, comfortable below deck and fun to sail. Jensen Marine built 1,848 of these compact racer-cruisers between 1965 and 1976, making the Cal 25 one of the company’s most popular boats. But like most things, there was room for improvement and changing preferences among the sailing community resulted in the Cal 25-2, also known as the Cal 25 MkII. 

C. William “Bill” Lapworth designed both sloops and successfully incorporated suggestions into the updated model. He widened the beam from 8 feet to 9 feet, beefed up the toerail height, increased the cabin standing room, added privacy to the head, and made it possible for buyers to opt for an inboard diesel instead of an outboard engine.

From 1977 to 1983, Jensen Marine, which in 1965 was purchased by Bangor Punta Marine in Cosa Mesa, California, built 392 Cal 25-2s, many of which can be found sailing in California, Texas, the Great Lakes and the southern reaches of the Eastern Seaboard.

First impressions

The Cal 25-2 is Lapworth’s second-generation cruiser. Unlike the original Cal 25, which featured a trunk cabin and was recognized for its flat-top deck, the Cal 25-2 has a raised cabin and a distinctly different profile.

At first glance, the newer design incorporated wider side decks that made it easier for sailors to move fore and aft, and the shrouds were attached inboard rather than to the outside of the hull, further clearing the side deck passageway. The toerails were beefed up to a height of nearly 2 inches. 

More surprises were in store below deck. The interior was reconfigured with 5 feet 10 inches of headroom in the saloon, and 5 feet 6 inches in the head, which previously had no privacy screen. The V-berth was made roomy enough for two full-size adults, so it became possible for a small family to cruise comfortably for more than an overnight. 

Construction

The Cal 25-2 was constructed using the traditional hand-laid fiberglass layering process. It is considered a sturdy boat that has withstood the test of time. The design featured a fin keel with spade rudder and tiller steering. The keel encapsulated 2,000 pounds of lead, eliminated concern about failing keel bolts and giving the well-balanced hull a displacement of 4,500 pounds. 

What to look for

Like any older boat, the Cal 25-2 may exhibit wear from general use, repeated seasonal haul outs and relaunchings that cause the hull to flex or distort, and lax maintenance. Some owners have expressed concern about excessive mast compression as evidenced by fiberglass crazing at the maststep on deck or near the interior cabin liner just beneath it. Potential buyers should inspect for cabintop sag in that area. Indicators of excessive compression also include slack standing rigging and failure of the sliding head privacy door to operate smoothly. Through-hull fittings should also be inspected for wear and standing rigging checked for swage cracks. Based on reports from owners, the electrical system may also require attention if it was improperly installed after the original purchase. 

Any spongy areas on the foredeck could be the result of water infusion in the fiberglass layers and subsequent delamination, often caused by leaky chainplates. 

“Cal did a very good job with delamination by getting the excess resin out during production,” said Tennessee yacht broker Chris Rooke who has two Cal 25-2s in his inventory. 

The Cal 25-2 is a well-designed and nicely equipped masthead sloop. Although only 25 feet long it has the appearance of a larger boat, partially due to its 9-foot beam that allows for wide decks. The traveler is located on the bridgedeck just before the opening to the companionway, where it doesn’t interfere with those seated in the cockpit. 

The boat has tiller steering. Stainless bow and stern pulpits along with stainless stanchions provide a rugged support system for the boat’s lifelines. A stainless swim ladder is attached to the stern. 

Although the original winches are not self-tailing, they are strategically positioned and adequate in number, as are the cleats. The cabintop features wooden grabrails, the foredeck a hinged hatch. 

Rooke has sold several Cals over the past 20 years and he’s quick to point out the main cabin in the Cal 25-2 “isn’t simply big, it was laid out to be lived in.” He noted, for example, the head compartment closes with a sliding door, ensuring privacy without sacrificing valuable cabin space. The boat has five full-size berths—two settees, a quarter berth and room for two adults in the V-berth. The galley is laid out efficiently with a 4.5-cubic foot icebox, two-burner alcohol stove, single-basin stainless sink, and a 21-gallon freshwater tank. Dinner is served on a fold-down dinette table.

While the original Cal 25 relied on an outboard engine, the Cal 25-2 offered the options of a 15-horsepower gasoline OMC Saildrive, an 11-horsepower Universal 5411 inboard diesel, or an 11-horsepower Yanmar inboard diesel. Like any engine, it should be inspected for oil and fuel leaks, worn belts, tired gaskets, secure mounting bolts and overall alignment. 

The Cal 25-2 performs remarkably well in light winds, mostly thanks to its tall rig, generous 314 square feet of sail area, flat bottom and balanced keel. The mainsail is on the small side, making it easy to handle and pair with a variety of headsails or roller-furling adjustments. The boat has a traveler and boom vang to help tweak the sails. 

We had the opportunity to sail a Cal 25-2 last summer in windy San Francisco Bay. It was easy to see why fans of this boat describe it as nimble and balanced. The deep keel and wide beam make it less tender. Sailing downwind was effortless. The boat also points nicely, as we found during a fast run from the San Francisco Marina to Sausalito and a jog around Alcatraz and Angel Island. Waves splashed the cockpit whenever we were on a beam reach. And since the bay has a strong tide near the Golden Gate Bridge, it wasn’t surprising the boat pounded as we headed upwind in a chop. 

Roomy below deck, ruggedly constructed, affordable and fun to helm, the Cal 25-2 sails like a bigger boat, making it an ideal choice for daysailing or coastal cruising with a small family.

LOA 25’3”; LWL 22’; Beam 9’; Draft 4’6”; Draft shoal  3’6’; Displacement 4,500 lb.; Ballast  2,000 lb.; Sail area   314 sq. ft.

SAILING’s Value Guide

(5-sailboat rating system)

PRICE:  The asking price for a Cal 25-2 ranges from $5,000 to $10,000.  (3.5 sailboats)

DESIGN QUALITY: The Cal 25-2 was designed by C. William “Bill” Lapworth and is often cited for its comfort, efficiency, roominess and ease of handling. The boat features a spade rudder and fin keel, and is known for its well-balanced helm. Lapworth was responsible for many Cal designs, including the most-popular Cal 20 and the much-admired Cal 40.  (3.5 sailboats)

CONSTRUCTION QUALITY: Jensen Marine, purchased by Bangor Punta Marine in 1965, built the boats in California with hand laid-up fiberglass and quality materials, including stainless steel, aircraft-grade aluminum and interior teak.  (3 sailboats)

USER-FRIENDLINESS:  Known for its responsiveness and balance, the Cal 25-2 features roller furling and a boom vang. Owners say the tiller is so balanced a 60-pound person can easily handle the boat in 25 knots of breeze. (3.5 sailboats)

SAFETY: The 9-foot beam and wide side decks with inboard shrouds make it easy for sailors to move fore and aft. The cockpit offers protection from the weather and features a bridgedeck to keep water from entering the cabin.  (3 sailboats)

TYPICAL CONDITION:  The condition of a Cal 25-2 can range from needing only TLC to a boat needing costly upgrades, such as self-tailing winches, upgraded electronics and instrumentation, self-steering system and new sails. (2.5 sailboats)

REFITTING: Many owners have added self-tailing winches, replaced the portable toilet, upgraded the stove to non-pressurized alcohol, added self-steering and brought control lines back to the cockpit.  (2.5 sailboats)

SUPPORT: The Cal 25 Owners Association www.Cal25.org maintains an active presence online. Jensen Marine is no longer in business.  (3.5 sailboats)

AVAILABILITY: Five Cal 25-2s were for sale in the U.S. in early 2019. The boat was in production for seven years from 1977 to 1983, and 392 boats were built. Another version under license was built and sold in Brazil as the Martinique 25, which had a shoal draft of 3 feet, 5 inches. (2.5 sailboats)

INVESTMENT AND RESALE:  Given that a Cal 25-2 in top condition sells for between $8,000 and $10,000 and has all the features of a 27-footer, makes it a great buy for a used compact cruiser. The boat is a great value, as one broker put it, “You couldn’t make a Cal 25 with an inboard diesel today for less than $95,000.”(3 sailboats)

Overall SVG Rating: 3 sailboats

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Specifications CAL 25

Home - Sailboat Listings 1965 - 25.00 ft / 7.62 m - C. William Lapworth - Jensen Marine (USA)

CAL 25 Sailboat Data

Hull Type: Fin w/spade rudder Rigging Type: Masthead Sloop LOA: 25.00 ft / 7.62 m LWL: 20.00 ft / 6.10 m S.A. (reported): 286.00 ft² / 26.57 m² Beam: 8.00 ft / 2.44 m Displacement: 4,000.00 lb / 1,814 kg Ballast: 1,700.00 lb / 771 kg Max Draft: 4.00 ft / 1.22 m Construction: Fiberglass Ballast Type: Lead First Built: 1965 Last Built: 1976 # Built: 1848 Builder: Jensen Marine (USA) Designer: C. William Lapworth

Information from  sailboatdata.com .

Hull Speed: 5.99 kn

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• Sailboat Guide

Cal 2-25 is a 25 ′ 3 ″ / 7.7 m monohull sailboat designed by C. William Lapworth and built by Bangor Punta Corp. and Jensen Marine/Cal Boats between 1977 and 1983.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Sometimes referred to as CAL 25-2 or CAL 25 MKII. This second version of the CAL 25 with it’s trunk cabin, is a completely different design from the earlier model. A Universal 11 HP Diesel was offered as an option. Thanks to 2-25 owner Rick Shepler for providing updated information. Another version under license was built and sold in Brazil as the MARTINIQUE 25. Shoal draft: 3.5’.

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The Cal 2 25 is a 25.25ft masthead sloop designed by C. William Lapworth and built in fiberglass by Jensen Marine/Cal Boats between 1977 and 1983.

392 units have been built..

The Cal 2 25 is a light sailboat which is a good performer. It is very stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a day-boat. There is a very short water supply range.

Cal 2 25 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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Review of Cal 25

Basic specs..

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The Cal 25 is equipped with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.22 - 1.32 meter (4.00 - 4.30 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case the boat will typically require a power of 0 - 1 hp, alternatively 0 - 1 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Cal 25 is about 99 kg/cm, alternatively 558 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 99 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 558 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is a Ballast Ratio?

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 17m 2 (182 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Cal 25 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

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Opinions on Cal 2-25

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Hi All, This week I am going to look at two 1979 Cal 2-25 boats. One is in very good condition, so I am told, and the other needs a "little TLC", whatever that means. They are both powered by outboards, one four stroke and one two stroke. I'm not real familiar with the Cal 2-25 but I have seen a few at our marina. What I would like to know is what should I look out for as far as trouble spots, known issues or any other inside information? In looking at the rigging of one I saw a few weeks ago, it looked like it has a pretty sturdy top side, plus, given it's beam it looks to have a pretty roomy cabin. I tried to so a search on here for any additional info, but I kept getting no results, so I must be doing something wrong. Anyway any insight that can be given will be appreciated. BTW, I'm pretty much a inland lake and limited coastal cruiser and certainly no racer. Thanks, PB  

Thanks for the input. I did look at both boats but was completely underwhelmed with both of them. I liked the actual boat, but the one that needed some TLC should have been advertised as a "rebuilder", that would have been more accurate. The other boat was all fluffed up, but once you looked beneath the surface, it had too many problems, soft spots, hidden rot and a mast that looked like Swiss cheese. At some point that boat must have had a lot of stuff attached to the mast. Like I said, I like the actual boat and I will keep it on my short list of candidates, but these two were just not what I want right now. I'll keep looking. Next up is a Catalina 27. Thanks, PB  

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Collection: cal 25.

Rig Dimension Provided By Sailboat Data

OEM/Standard Jib - 27.16S

Coastal jib - 27.16s, oem/standard furling jib - 27.16s, coastal furling jib - 27.16s, oem/standard 135% furling genoa - 29.00m, coastal 135% furling genoa - 29.00m, oem/standard 150% furling genoa - 29.00l, coastal 150% furling genoa - 29.00l, oem/standard mainsail - 24.80l-external slides, coastal mainsail - 24.80l-external, mainsail cover - 11.5 ft boom, flexible furler ff4 (max headstay: 33'), c-290 coastal furling system (std headstay: 40'), cruising asymmetrical spinnaker - size 0, storm jib - 14.0.

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