William Garden Family Cat

I am wondering how far to lower the keel when out for a sail. I am also wondering what the weight of the fiberglass Family Cat 22 is.

 

weight

Design weight of the Family Cat is around 6000#. In mine, that's achieved with a solid concrete floor that also has some iron in it.

Heading to windward you should have the board most of the way down. There are other settings that balance the helm at different points of sail that I have marked with tape on the pennant, and I often raise it completely when running and pick up another 1/2 knot. I also added a stainless block on the board to make raising the board easier, although it weighs less than 150#. This also means I could change a worn pennant line while the boat's still in the water, if I'm careful about it.

 

Beautiful boats! More pictures please! How well do they sail to windward? Seems like they would have bad lee helm with the keel deeper aft.

 

Lee helm

Not at all. Lee helm is a dangerous thing in a catboat, and I think Bill Garden got the balance just right on this one, with a full bow, a long boom, a deep forefoot and a couple of big blades. I may be spoiled with hydraulic steering, but I can often leave the helm while she's doing 5 knots on a reach, and go get something from the galley or fwd lockers, and she just chugs along right on her course. Once or twice in a good breeze I've jibed from inattention and that can be a bit of a shock, but when done intentionally, the jibes can be managed.

Somewhere abandoned in Ontario lie the molds for this fine hull. If they're done making boats, they should at least be in a catboat museum somewhere.

 

more pix

Had to do another wrap in the stuffing box this summer to slow down the drip, no big deal without a fixed keel.

 

another family cat

Here's another photo of one more in this small (and thus rare) production run of catboats. The photo came in an email to me a few years ago, and I believe the vessel's name is Saorise, somewhere near Victoria BC at that time.

 

Free Bare Hull....

Hi All, Just came across this sweet hull that could use some love! Thought this would be the place to post to increase it's chances of finding that right someone!

http://toronto.craigslist.ca/tor/boa/4794123137.html

Cheers, Andrew Moore / Navigator Stoves

 

Nice project for someone..

..if it hasn't gone through too many freeze-thaw cycles. It was for sale a couple of years ago for $1800.

That looks like an early Collingwood one from the original mold except for the shape of the trailing edge of the skeg. Maybe the rounding was done for a prop on center? If so, is there still the same centerboard case?

BTW Andrew, mine came with a Little Cod woodstove from the original Lunenberg castings. Inspired by your work, I chopped out a window and relocated the cast name below it, but now the sloppy side door sure needs some work.

 

Shipway, I've not seen the boat in person so know zip about it. Just came across the ad and hated to see such a nice design go to the dump. Easy to put your Cod door right if you get motivated to dig into it. Hope to see your boat heading up Eastsound one day. Do you ever get into the San Juans? Would be fun to see one of these boats a'float. A/NSW

 

The owner of the bare hull in Ontario is:

Jilles Spruit
Spruit49@gmail.com

A/NSW

 

Here's another one for sale in Iowa

No doubt moored somewhere on the Mississippi but longing for the salty sea:

http://www.catboats.org/?SneakPreviews

Catboat listing # 167-10

 

James W Hart

This year the catboat actually named James W Hart came up for sale near Courtenay BC and I talked some friends into buying it, and I helped in the transition of getting the boat to Cortes Island, where my boat lives.

Here's a picture of the two boats rafted up halfway across Sutil Channel on a very calm September afternoon for a lunch break. Later on the breeze came up and the JWH won the race to Baker Pass because it's at least 600lb lighter in ballast.

Next year, another Family Cat - Saoirse - will join us at the Shark Spit Regatta, full moon in August. Any other cats from Bill Boyd's shop up for a rendezvous?

 

Beautiful picture, congratulations. Summer days......

 

If you are going to talk friends into something, at least you talked them into buying a beautiful boat. I usually talk my friends into doing back flips off the second story balcony into a pool. You seem to be a much better friend that I. Nicely done!!

 

Seen it?

Shipway and all, new member here, thanks for the great thread! Im heading out to Des Moines next week to take a look at that Family Cat in Iowa. Has anyone else taken a look at it? It is actually on a reservoir. Thinking of replacing my old Ericson with something different and this looks like a fun boat. Anyone else care to comment on the sailing characteristics or have any pictures to sate my desires till later this month?!? Thanks.