British Catboat

A unique, and innovative design; built in the UK in 2017 to an exceptionally high standard by a professional yard in Corecell construction and teak trim. Length 14ft 9ins, Flycatcher will comfortably take 4 people. Comes with beige sail and running rigging, plus Sitka spars and hollow Douglas mast. The foils are NACA profiled for enhanced performance. Varnished laminated rudder blade and tiller. Harken hardware throughout. Equipped with E-Propulsion 1000W Electric outboard, Combi road/launching trailer, Over boom Cockpit/Sail cover, Anchor, Pumps.

The design differences compared to traditional Cape Cod boats were largely centred around the foils which are to NACA specifications. The centerboard was weighted with 20lbs of lead to achieve negative buoyancy - so it stayed down when the full down position was selected. The rudder had to have a lifting blade to cope with weed and it is attached to the through transom bifurcated, laminated tiller with a captive pin - giving a very strong and rattle free arrangement. The rudder blade has an up haul and down haul with a breakout cam clutch cleat, should the rudder touch bottom. The blade set up gives a very responsive helm. Importantly, the main reasons for the change to more modern foils were improved performance and maneuverability, since Chichester Harbour, where the boat is sailed, is very crowded with moored boats. Another different feature was the ‘teak laid’ (actually Flexiteek synthetic teak https://www.flexiteek.co.uk/ ) foredeck within the real teak coaming and the desire to have halyards etc running along pulleys each side of the mast and under the foreTBDdeck to a control console of Harken clam cleats. All these cleats are color coded as the running rigging is all in beige cordage for the traditional look. The pulley blocks each side of the mast can be easily accessed via inspection hatches. There is a mast boot to reduce the chance of water ingress to the self-draining mast slot. This arrangement gives a neat appearance and differentiates it from other catboats and was based on a model seen in the Hyannis Port Museum. The owner has had offshore yachts and wanted comfort while dayboat sailing. Of course, the hull form stability provides much of this, but the full-length longitudinal bench seats were carefully designed to have a generous width and a back rest formed by the coaming at the optimal angle. Moreover, the height of the bench seats was carefully considered too, so that standing up/down was easy for a seventy-year old! The design theme of laid deck is carried through to the cockpit floor boards. Interesting the look makes the boat look narrower than it actually is. The overall aesthetics are enhanced by a curvilinear design concept which can be seen in the shape of the centerboard box, the bulkhead aperture shape under the foredeck, the benches and built in buoyancy. The top of the centerboard has a wide capping, so it doubles as a seat and a grab hold - when changing positions during tacking. The overall height of the topsides is probably a little more than a traditional catboat. This is to accommodate the waters found in the Solent where a chop can quickly develop when the wind blows against strong tides (4kts) The boat was launched in August 2017 and sailed six times, but the 2018 and 2019 seasons saw a full program of sailing in Chichester Harbour – most of which was single-handed in winds of up to 20kts. Reefing down to the one and only reef is advised at around 15kts. The boat performed extraordinarily well especially to windward and in the strong tides. She handles well in confined waters and tacks quickly. The low aspect ratio rig makes gybing a breeze. The electric outboard has only been used a handful of times in calms and is perfectly adequate for well over an hour at ¾ throttle and a push against the tide; and much more range with no or little tide. The boat has been kept on a deep-water mooring (no grounding) in the sheltered Bosham Channel and therefore avoided multiple launches which make it vulnerable to bumps. It has always been overwintered undercover in a closed dry barn at home with added dust covers. The vendor is selling because he is returning to offshore sailing and has just bought a Mystery 35 modern classic. A visit to the following Facebook link will be instructive as it is a diary of the build process: https://en-gb.facebook.com/catboatpoole Boat is currently located in England but can be shipped any where in the world. Please contact Tony at Arey's Pond Boat Yard for pricing and more details: 508-255-0994 Ext 32. Thank you!

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