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Wilmington Marine Center was the first marina in Southeast North Carolina to receive the “Clean Marina” designation from the NC Marine Trades Association. We are dedicated to sound management practices and are committed to safeguarding the environment.

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Cape Fear Boat Works

Welcome aboard, fellow boating enthusiasts! If you're looking for the perfect marina experience in Leland, North Carolina, look no further than Cape Fear Boat Works. Situated on the picturesque Cape Fear River, our marina offers everything you need for a memorable day on the water.

From our state-of-the-art facilities to our friendly and knowledgeable staff, Cape Fear Boat Works is dedicated to providing an upbeat and unforgettable experience for all boaters. Whether you're a seasoned sailor or a first-time boater, we have something for everyone.

Cape Fear Boat Works - The Ultimate Marina Experience

Welcome to cape fear boat works, unparalleled facilities.

At Cape Fear Boat Works, we pride ourselves on our top-notch facilities. Our marina features a wide range of amenities designed to enhance your boating experience. With over 200 slips, we can accommodate boats of all sizes, from small fishing boats to luxurious yachts.

Our slips are equipped with modern utilities, including water and electricity hookups, ensuring that your vessel is well taken care of. We also offer a fuel dock, so you can easily refuel before heading out on your next adventure. Additionally, our marina boasts clean and well-maintained shower and restroom facilities, so you can freshen up after a day on the water.

Expert Staff

When you choose Cape Fear Boat Works, you're not just choosing a marina – you're choosing a team of boating experts who are passionate about what they do. Our staff members are knowledgeable and experienced, ready to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.

Whether you need help with docking, maintenance, or simply want some advice on the best fishing spots in the area, our friendly staff is always here to lend a hand. We believe that building a strong relationship with our customers is key to providing the best marina experience possible.

Endless Recreational Opportunities

One of the best things about Cape Fear Boat Works is the endless recreational opportunities it offers. From boating and fishing to kayaking and paddleboarding, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The Cape Fear River is a haven for water sports enthusiasts, with its calm waters and stunning scenery.

For the fishing enthusiasts, the river is teeming with a variety of fish species, including bass, catfish, and trout. Cast your line and reel in the catch of the day while enjoying the peaceful surroundings. If you prefer a more leisurely activity, grab a kayak or paddleboard and explore the river at your own pace.

Events and Social Gatherings

At Cape Fear Boat Works, we believe that boating is not just a hobby, but a way of life. That's why we regularly host events and social gatherings for our boating community. From boat shows and fishing tournaments to barbecues and live music nights, there's always something happening at our marina.

These events provide the perfect opportunity to meet fellow boaters, share stories, and make lasting memories. Whether you're a solo sailor or part of a boating club, you'll feel right at home at Cape Fear Boat Works.

Nearby Attractions

While Cape Fear Boat Works offers a world of excitement within its marina, there are also plenty of attractions to explore in the surrounding area. Just a short drive away, you'll find the charming town of Leland, with its quaint shops, delicious restaurants, and friendly locals.

If you're in the mood for some retail therapy, head to the nearby Mayfaire Town Center, where you'll find a variety of shops and boutiques. For nature lovers, the Brunswick Nature Park is a must-visit, with its scenic trails and breathtaking views.

Safety First

At Cape Fear Boat Works, safety is our top priority. We have implemented strict safety measures to ensure that all boaters can enjoy their time on the water without any worries. Our marina is equipped with security cameras and well-lit areas, providing a safe environment for both you and your vessel.

In addition, our staff members are trained in boating safety and are always available to offer guidance and assistance. We also provide access to life jackets and other safety equipment, so you can have peace of mind while exploring the Cape Fear River.

Convenient Amenities

When you're out on the water, convenience is key. That's why Cape Fear Boat Works offers a range of amenities to make your boating experience as smooth as possible. Our marina features a ship store where you can stock up on essentials like snacks, drinks, and boating supplies.

We also have a boat repair and maintenance service on-site, so you can easily take care of any unexpected issues that may arise. And after a long day on the water, why not relax and unwind at our waterfront restaurant, where you can enjoy delicious food and stunning views?

Book Your Adventure Today

Are you ready to embark on the ultimate marina experience? Book your adventure at Cape Fear Boat Works today and get ready for a day filled with excitement, relaxation, and unforgettable memories. Whether you're a local or visiting from out of town, our marina is the perfect destination for boating enthusiasts of all kinds.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to explore the beautiful Cape Fear River and all it has to offer. Contact Cape Fear Boat Works now and let us help you plan your next boating adventure!

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Cape Fear 38

• By Peter D’anjou
• Updated: July 22, 2002

Production boat builders limit options on new boats to keep costs down and target the purpose of the boat. When the options expand to the level of those available on the Cape Fear 38 by Cape Fear Yacht Works, builders reach semi-custom territory and the price naturally escalates as well. For a new organization like Cape Fear, which has produced its first boat and initially plans just a couple of new boats a year, being open to a prospective owner’s desires can help attract clients who’d like to have a hand in their new boat.

For boating writers like myself, defining the racer/cruiser, cruiser/racer divide, can be confusing: What is it, who’s the target buyer, how do I describe a moving target to readers? Well, I guess I just did, the Cape Fear 38 is a moving target, albeit a fast one, waiting for an owner’s final touches. Want a wheel instead of a tiller, inboard or outboard chain plates, deep draft or shallow and a cruising or stripped out racing interior, great! Even the company’s vision: “Designed to Race, Outfitted to Cruise, Built to Last” promises choices.

I sailed the prototype twice, once in October of 2001 during Boat of the Year testing on the Chesapeake and again this spring on the Cape Fear River near the company’s boatbuilding operation in Wilmington, NC. The second sail was arranged because the rudder was slightly mis-aligned in the rush to get the boat to the US Sailboat show in Annapolis and steering wasn’t optimal–as a matter of fact it was awful. I’d originally been excited to see the boat’s open stern, tiller steering, and racing cockpit and had high expectations but when sea trials came around I masked my disappointment by suggesting another sail when the problem had been addressed.

With the alignment problem fixed, Hill Goodman, the company’s Director of Sales and Marketing, called and invited me to try again. I was to sail with Bruce Marek, the boat’s designer, Goodman and Sailing World mid-atlantic sales manager Ted Ruegg. Jammed for time we elected not to take the three-hour trip down the Cape Fear River from Wilmington to the ocean, but instead tacked up the river’s narrow ship channel.

Under overcast skies with a 12-knot breeze blowing straight downriver we raised the main and 100 percent jib on the aluminum Charleston spar and with Marek trimming main we tacked upstream. One side of the river has commercial docks for ocean going ships and the other is an undeveloped tidal estuary dominated by saw grass and wading birds. Along this far shore local fisherman had set a line of crab pots right on the edge of the ship channel’s deep water, so it was easy to know where and when to tack back towards the civilized shore.

As a kid, I grew up sailing on the Achushnet River and while the vegetation didn’t match my Massachusett’s home waters, the wind variations caused by sailing into the shadow of large ships and piers felt quite natural as we tacked almost 50 times to travel the two or three miles upstream to the city’s center. The exercise gave me a good feel for the boat’s handling characteristics. It tracked to weather exceedingly well, turned almost in its own length and at 11,000 pounds carried momentum through the tack well enough that a sudden blanketing of breeze didn’t faze us.

At one point a tug and barge heading downstream forced us to wait between two piers. I headed the boat into the wind and current, feathering and maintaining position for several minutes like I was Russell Coutts on the start line of the last America’s Cup match. Well, no one will confuse me with Coutts or the Cape Fear 38 with an AC boat but I was pleased enough with the performance to at least keep my fantasies in play.

We reached the downtown bridge and turned with the stream’s flow. Heading downwind we unfurled the a-sail tacked to the pulpit, rolled up the jib and with the narrow channel restricting jibe angles, went wing-and-wing at almost 10-knots through the water. Not bad, considering we weren’t on our optimal jibe angles, but I couldn’t help feeling the boat was more oriented to cruising despite the speed.

Two regattas showed the challenges ahead for this boat. At Charleston Race Week the boat was last, albeit with a rookie crew, in an 11-boat fleet and in the Wrightsville Beach to Beaufort race the boat was last in each of three light-air races–finishing fifth, and in the one race with 10 to 12 knots of air, they took a third.

The rating was changed from a 57 in Charleston to a 63 in NC, but far from the designer’s expectation of a fair rating–69 to 72. Goodman feels that hull No. 1 is a prototype and a transition boat which has brought them to a fork in the road. And that they have tried to make hull No. 1 something that’s inherently a compromise–a shallow draft racer/cruiser. According to Goodman, Cape Fear Yacht Works will be showing two distinctly different boats in Annapolis this year. One will be the fast cruiser, much like the one I sailed, with a less aggressive rig, a wheel, and roller-furling themes, possibly lazy jacks for the main, easily handled by one or two people. This family friendly version will be for those who aren’t real serious about racing. The cockpit will be more traditional, with seats and an enclosed transom. This version will hit the water mid-summer.

The other boat will be the CF-38 “regatta” version which will be a somewhat stripped out 10,000 pound displacement and will be set up to race. It will draw seven feet with a retractable pole for asymmetric chutes. It will have the open cockpit I test sailed, a big wheel and modified deck layout, higher sheer, and lower cabin top profile. The good news is that sometimes allowing a target to move helps focus a boat and I’ll be looking forward to the next two versions of the Cape Fear 38.

Cape Fear 38 Specs LOA 38 ft. Beam 11 ft. Draft 6.0 ft. Dspl. 11,000 lbs. SA 800 sq. ft. www.capefearyachtworks.com 910-790-1990

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Cape Fear 38

Form follows function on this spirited racer-cruiser from Bruce Marek

Naval architect Bruce Marek has designed plenty of fast boats over the years, and his latest creation, the Cape Fear 38, certainly won't tarnish his reputation. Marek, formerly part of a well-known design team with Bruce Nelson, has worked on everything from America's Cup racers and an Around Alone 50 to the production Morgan 45 and the small rotomolded Cha Cha from Escape. The Cape Fear 38 is Marek's version of a performance cruiser, but don't worry, he hasn't changed his stripes. The accent on this new design is definitely on performance.

The Cape Fear 38 is built in Wilmington, North Carolina, not far from its infamous namesake. Kent Mitchell, owner of Cape Fear Yacht Works, spent years racing and cruising the Carolina sounds and coasts before deciding to build his own version of the perfect racer-cruiser. While many of us fantasize about building boats, Mitchell jumped into the business with both feet. And he is enthusiastic about his product. "If racing is in your blood but you also want some creature comforts, then this is a boat you need to consider," he said as we test-sailed hull No. 1 on a crisp Chesapeake Bay afternoon.

The details Any way you crunch the numbers, the Cape Fear 38 is a light-displacement boat, right on the edge for offshore cruising but certainly viable for coastal hops, which is the way most of us cruise anyway. At 125 the displacement-to-length ratio is less than the J/120, and the slippery hull has a beam of just 11 feet for a high length-to-beam ratio of 3.45. The fine entry has almost no overhang, and the forward sections have a bit of flare, allowing the 38 to cut through the water cleanly while deflecting spray. There isn't much sheer when you view the boat in profile, but the fairly large cabintrunk, which incidentally translates into a nice interior, softens the go-fast look.

Below the water the forefoot and the run aft are very thin, and the buttocks form a nearly straight line. There isn't much wetted surface to slow the boat down, but there also isn't much in the way of hull form to prevent the boat from pounding when sailing upwind in a seaway. Of course, the Cape Fear 38 really flies off the wind. The keel section is a high-lift fin with a bulb, and the draft is just 6 feet showing the cruising side to the design. A ballast-to-displacement ratio of 45 percent will help keep the Cape Fear 38 on its feet when the wind pipes up.

The hull is hand-laid, using vinylester biaxial E-glass with Kevlar reinforcing in high-load areas. Cape Fear Boat Works also offers an optional foam-cored hull. The deck is foam cored between layers of biaxial E-glass with a vinylester top skin. The hull and deck are joined on an inward flange, using an epoxy chemical bond and then glassed on the inside to make it completely watertight. The hull and deck have a smooth gelcoat finish and the overall fiberglass work is extremely well done. Inside the hull, longitudinal stringers and the main structural bulkheads are tabbed in place.

The keel is antimony-hardened lead with an epoxy primer coating, and the keel bolts are stainless steel. The rudder and stock are carbon fiber. All through-hull fittings below the water are flush-mounted seacocks.

On deck The large cockpit is designed for performance. "But today's open-style racing cockpits are also pretty comfortable at the dock or at anchor," Marek said during the test sail. The test boat was fitted with a handsome stainless tiller, perched very far aft as the rudder blade is located as far aft as possible for excellent steering control. Although hull No. 2 has wheel steering, Marek and Mitchell believe most owners will opt for the feel that only tiller steering can deliver. The Harken traveler and 2:1 continuous mainsheet system are just forward of the tiller, and there is a molded, stand-alone pedestal for the compass. The standard primary winches are Harken B48.2STA, and B40.2STAs are standard for the halyards and secondary winches. The test boat was equipped with optional Datamarine sailing instruments, which were mounted over the companionway and a bit hard to see from the helm.

All sail controls are led aft, and although the Cape Fear 38 offers breathtaking performance, it is cleverly designed for easy sail handling. The 7/8 fractional rig with sweptback spreaders does not require running backstays. The standard, keel-stepped mast and boom are aluminum, with carbon fiber offered as an option. Two reefs and a flattening reef are standard, as is a Hall Spars vang. The standing rigging is discontinuous rod. The large main has a bit of roach, and the top three battens are full. The main is the heart of the drive system. The sailplan calls for nonoverlapping headsails, which makes roller furling a sensible option, even when racing. Our test boat was fitted with a 105-percent jib by UK and an optional hydraulic backstay adjuster. The spinnakers are asymmetrical, and a fixed sprit makes both sets and jibes easy. The spinnakers can be flown from the masthead, which adds even more off-the-wind horsepower.

Deck hardware is for the most part Harken gear. The 24-inch stainless sprit has a bow roller for the anchor, and there is a small external chain locker. The nonskid surface offers good traction despite a bit of camber to the side decks. Well-placed handrails and double lifelines provide added security while working forward. One interesting feature is the swim step, a novel idea for an open-cockpit boat.

Down below The interior plan is straightforward and functional. Although Marek was constrained by the narrow hull shape and the need to keep the boat light, the interior is surprisingly comfortable. Forward there is a double berth with a hanging locker to starboard and small locker to port. There is a shelf along either side of the berth. The saloon includes settees and a centerline table with fold-up leaves.

One drawback to the interior is an overall lack of storage, but that is the nature of the design. This isn't a boat that you can load up with extra gear. The interior is perfect for a weekend or even a weeklong cruise, but it isn't designed to be an alternative to shore-side living. Thankfully, the Cape Fear 38 is a sailboat first. The cabin sole is teak and holly, and the trim is teak and mahogany. The joinerwork might be called New England spartan, but it's nicely finished and the overall atmosphere below is cozy, especially for a high-performance boat.

An L-shaped galley is to port and includes a two-burner cooker with oven, small stainless steel double sinks, pressure water and an optional fridge in a 7-cubic-foot icebox. There is plenty of counter space outlined with fiddles for cooking at sea. The nav station is opposite, squeezed in forward of the head. The chart desk is good-sized and there is plenty of room for instrument repeaters. The electrical panel is outboard, and the navigator has to be careful not to slide into it when heeled on port tack.

An aft head is practical for several reasons. First, there is less motion for doing your business, and second, it is well placed to serve as a wet locker, although the Cape Fear also has a molded wet locker. The head includes a sink, vanity and shower. A double quarterberth is tucked under the cockpit to port, with a small hanging locker just forward. Eight opening ports provide good ventilation.

Hull No. 1 was fitted with a Yanmar 3GM 30-horsepower Yanmar saildrive diesel. The company has now switched to a comparable Volvo. Access to either engine is terrific from behind the companionway and through the quarter cabin. The saildrive eliminates the need for a shaft and stuffing box, and greatly simplifies engine installation. The aluminum fuel tank holds 50 gallons, which will likely last you the entire sailing season. Two aluminum water tanks also hold a total of 50 gallons. The test boat, which motored smartly into a modest chop, was fitted with an optional Martec feathering prop. Two Group 31 batteries provide plenty of power for the house system, and a dedicated Group 24 battery is used for engine starting.

Under sail The afternoon breeze was a bit a fickle-one minute we'd have 10 to 12 knots apparent, then the wind would drop to 6 to 8. It was frustrating because the day before we'd had an ideal sailing breeze. Taking the helm I quickly remembered how much fun it is to drive a powerful boat with a tiller. The connection between wind and rudder becomes instantly clear. Bringing the boat up on to the wind we found a bit of breeze. The headsail tracks are inboard along the cabintrunk, and once trimmed we banged along near 7 knots. Line-drive adjustable leads would be a nice option. The steering was light and balanced. Marek, Mitchell and Hill Goodman, the company's marketing director, were just relieved to be sailing at last. They had worked furiously to finish the boat for the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, and then just as furiously to rig the boat for sea trials following the show. Considering that this was the maiden sail, the Cape Fear 38 was performing quite nicely indeed.

Although the boat felt somewhat tender initially, dumping the traveler flattened things out a bit. Easing off, the Cape Fear turned on the jets. Once I found the groove, our boat speed topped 7 knots consistently. Like most modern performance hulls, the Cape Fear 38 wants to be sailed on its lines. Flat is fast. Coming through the wind, the boat tacks effortlessly, this is when you will appreciate the small headsail. Acceleration was impressive as we gained way. Unfortunately, the wind went light as we headed off the wind. Still, I can just imagine the thrill of surfing in 15 to 20 knots of breeze-that's what the Cape Fear is made for.

The Cape Fear 38 is an intriguing new boat, capable of delivering thrilling sailing and offering creature comforts as well. There is plenty of competition in the racer-cruiser field these days, as top designers seem to be focusing their energies on redefining the essence of performance. It will be difficult for the Cape Fear 38 to carve out a niche in a field dominated by J Boats and Carroll Marine. But as company owner Mitchell says, "If racing is in your blood but you still want some creature comforts, then this is a boat you need to consider." When you make your way around the boat shows this year, take the time to inspect the Cape Fear 38.

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Cape Fear Boat Works

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1690 Royster Rd NE

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