Catboat Q&A
Catboat Q&A

What is a catboat?

A catboat is traditionally fitted with a gaff-rigged sail on a single mast stepped well forward in the "eyes" of the boat.

A commonality of Catboat design is a beam of one-half waterline length making them very stable and comfortable boats. Cruising catboats have cabins and normally range in overall length from 16 - 26 feet. Others are fully or partially decked and suitable for day sailing and camp cruising.

Most cats have a centerboard in a relatively flat bottom, although some cats have keel-centerboards. Catboats are considered shoal draft boats.

Many cats have outboard or "Barn Door" rudders, but some Catboats are designed with underslung rudders.

The recreational 12-foot Beetle Cat has a century of family sailing and racing heritage.

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 Is a catboat the same as a catamaran?
No! Catamarans are Fast—Catboats are Slow. The catamaran is a lightweight Multi-hull designed watercraft, like the popular and exciting "Hobie Cat" sailing and racing boat. They usually consist of two asymmetrical hulls, dagger boards and a raised trampoline for crew seating and trapezing.
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Is a catboat sail different from a "regular" sailboat sail?
Most catboats that follow a "traditional" four-sided sail design, like the Cats shown below, and use a gaff or sprit rig. A few catboats use a three sided sail known as a Marconi rig.
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Does a gaff sail use two booms?
Not really. A Gaff rig uses three spars—a mast, boom, and gaff. More correctly termed a gaff, this second spar carries the top or head of the sail. The Marconi rig uses two spars, a mast and boom.
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The Catboat and How to Sail Her is a paperback publication of the Catboat Association that can be purchased from this web site.

The Gaff Rig, by John Leather, published by International Marine, is perhaps the best and most complete source of information about this traditional working rig.