Catboat

A catboat (alternate spelling: cat boat) is a sailboat with a single sail on a single mast set well forward in the bow of a very beamy and (usually) shallow draft hull. Typically they are gaff rigged, though Bermuda rig is also used. Most are fitted with a centreboard, although some have a keel.^[1] The hull can be 3.7 to 12.2 metres (12 to 40 ft) long with a beam half as wide as the hull length at the waterline.^[2] The type is mainly found on that part of the Eastern seaboard of the USA from New Jersey to Massachusetts.^[3]: 92

Advantages of this sail plan include the economies derived from a rig with a limited number of component parts. It is quick to hoist sail and get underway. The cat rig sails well to windward, especially in calmer water. As a working boat, the forward mast placement gave ample room in the cockpit for fishing gear. Cruising versions can provide a large usable cabin space in a relatively short hull.^{[4]: 92-93 [5]: 7}

Disadvantages of the rig include the limited deck space around the mast, which can be problematical when raising or lowering sail, or when reefing; halyards are often led back to the cockpit, so partially mitigating this problem. It is usually wise to reef early in a rising wind to avoid an excess of weather helm. The weight of the mast in the bow has to be allowed for in the hull design – if this is got wrong the bow may be "buried" when sailing downwind. The narrow beam where the mast is stepped makes it difficult to gain any benefit from shrouds, so the mast has to be stronger, and so heavier. Despite the simplicity of the rig, a good level of skill is required to design a balanced catboat, since there are limited options to correct any slight errors.^{[4]: 92–93}

Some catboat one-design classes in current use include the Beetle Cat, the Redden Catboat,^[6] the Nonsuch, the Inland Cat, the Zijlsloep,^[7] the Cape Cod Cat,^[8] Com-Pac Trailerable,^[9] Marshall,^[10] Menger,^[11] and the APBY cat boat.^[12]

From the 1850s to the early 1900s catboats were the dominant inshore boat on the New England coast, both for work and for pleasure.^[2] They were used for fishing and coastal transportation. Their popularity declined in the commercial world where they were replaced by motorized boats. In boat racing the tendency was for larger sails, which favored other rigging styles.^[13]

A typical New England style has a very long boom that extends over the transom and may carry foresails stayed from a bowsprit.^[14]