Design Considerations (Or Lack Thereof)

S/V Kat Boat on a beautiful fall day. Polson, MT

 Big Sky Sailing Season 2018 is firmly astern. The vessel is cocooned under her tarp at the rear of the house. My thoughts are firmly planted on next season and the big plans that exist there. And of the volume of work I have to achieve before July. And this line of thinking brings me back to how I found the boat and how design choices lead to making this boat, a fine boat in it's own right, a better catboat.
 The Fatcat2 certainly looks like a cat boat. It's design cues are unmistakably that of those stout, working craft of the eastern seaboard. But when you look closer and more so when you sail her do you understand the whys and hows of what makes a catboat tick. And where for all of it's wonderful visual cues  the Fatcat2 fall short. But all is not lost and that is what this post is all about.
 I know I've touched on my history with catboats but it's short enough I will recap it here. They have always been my favorite sailboats. And I've spent an hour at the helm of a Beetle Cat in good winds with a man who knows these boats. And fell in love all over again. Then I bought the plans for a Fatcat2. And then I bought one. So that's my knowledge and history I have with the type. And in that short time here is some of what I learned.
 The catboat as a type evolved into what we know today for very specific reasons. Nothing exists without a reason for a vessel that fished in shallow waters with a minimal crew. The work it did shaped it and when looking to recreate that I fell you must draw from that well. And here is where perhaps we can bring the design of the Fatcat2 closer to that goal. If that is in fact the goal you're looking for.
 We'll start with one of the hallmarks of the breed, the rudder. Catboats are known for their long, barn door rudders. Absolutely out of place in just about every other boat you'll see it's my understanding the sail plan and work dictates this. The bottom of the rudder is even with the skeg so no kick up is required when working in shallow waters. And the enormous length and leverage works to counter act the force of the large sail placed so far forward. The Fatcat2 comes with a standard Michalak kick up rudder, a slightly enlarged version of what you find hanging at the stern of my previous Piccup Pram. I've now found several times that there wasn't enough waterline length on the rudder, especially at the slow speed coming out of a tack, to put the boat where I needed it. Now coming mainly from a marconi rigged Lido 14, a boat that will give you change on a dime turn this is a surprise. I had my suspicions that a short rudder may be the culprit,due mainly to the fact that kick up didn't look right on the stern of what was so clearly a catboat.  So I hauled on the kick up line a bit to see what the response was. Wasn't quite night and day but it was close. The extra leverage from more rudder in the water lengthwise meant better response, especially at slow speeds, and a much better feel. Going forward I plan on a redesign that will lessen the depth of the rudder while slightly increasing it's length.

Full and by in light winds on Polson Bay.

 The warped boom is also another problem. But the replacement is going to have to be a different scope all together.  Catboats have a relatively heavy boom. This keeps the boom down and lessens the need for a vang, something no self-respecting catboat has aboard. Now the Fatcat2 is designed with a boom of three laminations to finish 2-1/4" round and includes a stout vang line. By my reckoning the only reason for the vang is because the boom as designed isn't as heavy as it should be to ensure this oft touted feature of a catboat. The S/V Kat Boat did not come with a vang installed and due to the heavy purchase of the mainsheet to the boom gallows I have not noticed any major problems to be solved by adding a vang even in a slightly worrying blow. That replacement boom though will ensure further that the sail stays were it should. One of my hobbies involves the operation of a steam powered sawmill a few times a year. It is my goal to mill out a new solid boom 3" square and shape it to fit. There may be an upgrade in hardware needed to accommodate the new boom but that's one of the joys of an online chandlery.

Final day on the water.

 There is a also a laundry list of smaller things I'd like to do to improve the catboatness of my craft. You can see one in the above picture, using a gaff bridle instead of the single point to attach the gaff. I'd like to add a wire forestay to keep the loads off my mast on certain points of sail. It's a common design element for this type and it makes sense, especially if I'm going to be adding low down weight with the new boom. It's these small things that as I sail and observe more about this vessel that makes me wonder why they were not included from the get go. There is a century and a half of design work on building a better catboat. I love how this vessel is very much it's own design but I feel in some ways it misses the mark on the sheer utility of type if not the character. Hopefully when I'm done with the next stage of work she'll have a little bit more of both.

Master and Commander. Ready for new adventures.

A Gift From Polson Bay

 The first time I ever sailed the boat I now call my own was on Polson Bay. And in two years I've never been back. But today marked my return. It's not that I haven't tried to sail in Polson. Far from it. But at the height of summer the dock is full of ski boats, fishing boats and PWC's. All of them want to get in and out as quickly as they can and it's nothing but motorized mayhem. Not the type of environment that cares about the needs of a fourteen foot boat powered by wind. The winds in the bay can be feast or famine and the chop builds up quickly. All of these factors make it a very challenging place to launch and sail a small boat.
 Quite recently I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The flare up that led to my diagnosis seems to be fading but I was left with a real fear about my future as a solo sailor.Would I have the strength to sail alone? It's true that the amount of work it takes to get a sailboat on the water increases by the waterline foot but there is still plenty of work in a fourteen foot boat. And just yesterday attempting to the boat ready for sailing left me feeling utterly fatigued after only a few hours of doing things very slowly. What would happen on the ramp?
 Even as these thoughts were swirling around in my head I woke up and finished setting up the boat. It was today or May. The weather here in Western Montana is turning fall as if a switch has been thrown. It's going to go downhill for sailing very, very quickly. Looking at the forecast today was the only day with hope. How much hope? Tomorrow we have a wind advisory. Fresh breeze with gale force gusts. And then rain.
 The drive north wasn't bad. My destination was Big Arm. I had promised to stay in the bay and that was fine with me. I could go and give imaginary broadsides to my buddy Kirk's marina and call it a day.  I just needed a quick sail to finish the season. Deep down I was wondering if I could even manage that much. As I crested the hill and Flathead Lake spread out before me I wondered if maybe I could save half an hour and just go sailing in Polson.
 The signs were not good. The flags hung limp and the water glassy as I drove along the waterfront. I was resigned to the gas usage when just before the turn off to the Polson marina I saw an advertisement flag fluttering in the wind. I made a very quick left, found a spot and parked.
 The water was perfect. Just a touch of wind and no activity at the dock save for fisherman on the pier. I could still drive to Big Arm but why waste such a rare day? You don't. Not when you have your health and a boat.
 I took longer then usual to set up and launch. This was on purpose. With no timeline and not yet understanding my limits it seemed prudent. The dock at Polson is very much the same as at Georgetown. A huge gap between ramp and dock. I have no idea why they do this. At Big Arm it's a straight shot. At Dayton it is too. And the public dock there that ranks as one of the worst docks I've sailed off of. A gentleman on the pier was kind enough to take my bow line so I could get the truck parked once again. The sails were bent, the rudder attached, lines cast off and with the jib doing most of the work we sailed off the pier.
 There is something that amazes people when a sailboat leaves I've found. There is no roar of a motor and thrashing prop. Kids young and old stop what they are doing and marvel that the boat moves at all. And when your audience is used to powerboats it's a bit of smug satisfaction that accompanies the action of departing under sail alone. With the skipper whistling a sea chanty, a jaunty yachting cap on his head and tiller in hand Esmerelda and I headed for deeper water.
 The wind was light. Almost no wind but enough to make obvious way. I've often driven through Polson and wondered what the waterfront looks like from the water. Well I found out.

Looks just like the backside of a resort.

 I've been doing a lot of reading lately on sailboats. Mainly books of an instructional bent and I wanted to sail close hauled as much as I could. The appeal being that once my sails are set I have less to worry and fuss with. So I sailed from close hauled tack to close hauled tack. I worked on passing the rudder behind my back to keep facing forward. Keeping an eye on my telltales and sails and putting it all together. And I thought. A lot. About what sailing in the future could be like. Where I wanted to go. And time and time again about how time on the water beats a day at the office. And that helped.
 No matter what in the moment, right then I was sailing. My boat. By myself. And only the setting sun directing my actions. The sense of confidence and freedom given me was almost euphoric. I always feel good when I'm sailing but this time it was different. I had something to prove to myself and I proved it in good fashion. The worry and doubt went way replaced by focus and learned skill. I set mini goals of location and angle and carried out my own shouted orders. Had I the time and the wind I have no doubt I could have gone anywhere. And that alone was more then worth it.
 But eventually the sun, so much lower these days, beckoned me home. So I did something that while obvious was a new action to me. Well off the the breakwater I lowered my sails an motored in. And I make no excuses. Could I have sailed in and docked? I have no doubt I could, I've done it before. But the factors that dictate my actions lead to this decision. And I'm okay with that. I don't need to be the super uber sailor all the time. Nor should I be. I have my electric motor for a reason.
 I tied up at the far pier, pulled the sails off and made ready to get the boat out of the water. As I was doing this the rumble of an American V8, the sound of Godzilla gargling with marbles, entered my consciousness. The craft making this noise is what I can only call achingly gorgeous. She must have been twenty feet long, twin cockpits and cut through the water like a destroyer. I stood in awe in silent tribute of this wonderful craft. And I know without a doubt this was a motorboat with a soul.

Built in 1997 and powered by a 454 big block.

 So what did I learn on this trip? I learned that the present is where I am and to take things one day at a time. That dock designers in Montana have issues. That having a second line to tie a boat is a really handy thing. That sometimes even with the best of intentions you still get wet. And that your limitations are only found and explored through action. Whether of body and or mind. I'm so glad that the day before gale force winds Flathead gave me a gentle day on the water. As if to remind me that perfection can come when we least expect it and when it does show up to sit back and take it all in. Oh, and that in the right light or even the wrong light I have a very, very beautiful boat. And a wonderful companion on this new and continuing journey.

 

Sometimes you just get wet.