Inspired by @Sonny_Lacey build thread here, I thought I’d showcase a few more catboats. While you can order a magnificent Beetle Cat, the round hulls do not lend themselves to plywood/stitch & glue construction unless you develop several planks (scroll up to see the Peapod above).
Over the years, I’ve found several catboats that could definitely be built with the help of a Maslow. While some purists have had stability and handling issues with the various Stevenson Projects designs, I think the Pocket Cruiser might be a bit more forgiving. Knowing their approach, this is probably one of the more simple builds available.
I believe Sonny built his Bolger/Payson project based on the plans and the book (available on Amazon or Payson’s website)
Also, you can’t really discuss stitch & glue catboats without mentioning Sam Devlin’s Wompus Cat. He’s a great designer and I believe modified a Ted Brewer design for S&G construction. I’m lucky enough to live in the PNW, where I attend the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in September every year. Sam is also local, so I’ve been fortunate enough to both see a bunch of his designs in real life and actually get to meet/chat with him.
So now that I’ve made the introductions, let’s discuss what catboats are all about. BTW, there are probably other designs out there that I’m just not aware of. Anyway, catboats are known for having a few distinct advantages. First, they are really beamy (wide) for their length. This does a couple of things. It means you can have a nice roomy cockpit for crew. It also means a ton of reserve buoyancy (the more it heels/tips, the more it resists).
The second advantage of being a catboat is they tend to be very simply rigged. They often have unstayed masts and only a single (albeit rather large) mainsail. This means they’re much more simple to sail, especially if you have a bunch of people in the cockpit. With that being said, there are plenty of catboats out there that the designers/builders have opted for a bowsprit for a jib to help with tacking.
Catboats are great, elegant daysailers (makes me want to wear that white captain’s hat). You could easily be the prettiest boat on the water every day you take her out (don’t forget the pennant on the top of the yard and to paint the top of the mast white).
If I lived on a lake, I would definitely build a small catboat to keep in the slip out back. I guess you could probably figure out a way to make one for camp-cruising, especially since a lot of them have a cabin option.