18 Ft Catboat Keel/Ballast

[Lion]

This could be the first of many. Have started the process of rebuilding a Fewick Williams 18' Catboat. In good basic shape but having to redo and undo some ill advised modifcations. Am reverting to original c/board etc. and am contemplating the replacement of the (missing) keel shoe. Have old photo of timber shoe fitted but hacked off at some point to fit a fixed keel!
Have some of the orignal drawings and they call for 1" oak; can scoure this with local hardwood (spotted gum or ironbark?) but am a bit concerned that the (incomplete) plans do not seem to call for any ballast.

In the "Catboat Book" (Leavens) the dicussion seems to be mostly about the placement of ballast on most of the Crosby designs of about 1000 lbs, rather than any dicussion about if you really need it.
Have noticed that The Landing School has built a couple of these FW 18's over the years but they refer any inquiry to this Forum.

O.K. ..Forumites... The questions...

Is ballast is required or desired with this design?

If so, would a rolled lead shoe in lieu of the hardwood be a neat way of doing it?

The former knowledgeable custodian of this project (no name yet.. never had one as far as we can tell) who is not resposble for the indignities inflicted, assures me that the ' hull form stability ' is sufficient. I'am happy to go along with that but don't want to get it all done and find she is like a cork in a storm (could always add lead shot bags I guess?).
Any advice would be appreciated.

Lion

[Thad]

In the 18 I had we carried some 350-400 pounds inside lead ballast, when the engine was installed lead had been removed from the ballast used to the tune of 180# or the weight of the engine. The 18 does have loads of hull stability, but with the ballast she will stand up to the wind for the drive you will appreciate if you try it. Putting the lead in the shoe will lower the center of gravity some and make her motion quicker. I didn't find the inside lead any trouble (except when carrying it after haulings and launchings). If you plan to beach the boat or work in places where you might ground on rock or coral a replaceable wood shoe might be better than a malleable lead one.

[Jon Agne]

Hi Lion,

You've got a great boat! I would agree with Thad on the wooden worm shoe. In a boat that's only 18' long, it's always nice to be able to use the ballast as trim, moving and removing as you think necessary. I am a former owner of Patchy Fog, and sometime in the misty past, someone replaced the bluejacket twin, with an atomic 4 gas engine! It was extremely over-powered and would outrun just about every other sail boat in the area under power. The down side was the weight: just over 300 pounds aft of the centerboard trunk with two fuel tanks and batteries aft also. To balance the engine, I moved all of the remaining ballast (about 200 pounds) to the fore peak. This just barely got her back into trim fore and aft, and this boat had a solid stick (not like that beautiful hollow mast that Thad had in Aunt Lydia)! With all of that, she sat about 3" below her design waterline and was a sedate sailor in all but a "snapping" breeze..... above 18 knots, she would get up and move with her 264 sq. ft. of sail almost keeping up with the Marshall 18's, who were reefed.

As far as plans are concerned, Fenwick Williams had a few different incarnations of his 18' catboat. Mine was built to plans which he drew while employed at the John Alden Office in Boston. I believe the design number was 838, and while I had the boat they happily supplied me with the details of when it was originally built and by whom. I would think that the would sell you a set, if you wanted them. They were very complete, with a several pages of typewritten specifications included. Try this link:

http://www.aldendesigns.com/

The WoodenBoat Store also has plans for an 18' FCW catboat, but I'm not sure which version it is.

I would be interested to know if you have spars for this boat. Keep as much sail as you can, (FCW had three different sail sizes) and be prepared to reef (it's not that bad in an 18' cat) when the wind gets up. I say this because she will move in light air, but VERY slowly.

Good luck, and I hope you keep us informed of your progress.

Also try this link for the Catboat Association:

http://www.catboats.org/

Best,

Jon Agne

[Lion]

Thad
You and Jon have got to the heart of it. We had overlooked the implications of the engine. She was built without one but we have a local Simplex that if it can be rebuilt will fit it at a weight of about 300 lbs. The engine combined with some lead shot bags should do the job! So the wooden keel shoe goes on!
BTW, great web site. Pretty boats ..... and despite no warnings, loved the images of FW's ANNIE. Next project.... if I live long enough!

Jon
Thanks for info as per above. The incomplete set of plans we have are, for the most part, dated 1932 with a couple of later section drawings from 1949(?). Stamped South Bristol, Maine and the later ones Mablehead Mass.. Had assumed that they were scourced from WB Mag by the original builder (circa 1988). However they may have come from Aldens. In fact the cabin plan dwg we have shows an engine installation but the same dwg in '50 Wooden Boats' doesn't.??

No spars or sails yet. Your advice re rig size is interesting; have dwgs for 247sq/ft and later 257sq/ft, but not the 264 sq/ft ! Had intended when we got to that point to go for the compromise 257. Will 8 sq/ft make much difference?

As to you haveing owned PATCHY FOG, how amazing! You have a lot to answer for. When we sought advice on the FW 18 on the Forum we were directed to 'The Catboat Book' and managed to get hold of a copy. It was the image on page 111 of PATCHY FOG that sold us (together with Fewick Williams wonderful chapter ot Catboat designing). Thats one cool photo.... cool boat, cool sail set, cool crew. Which one is you?
( Can someone post that image, if its legal? Sorry, its beyond me. I wasn't aged between 11 and 16 when this technology was implemented).

Got your direct email image as well , thanks. Will respond direct.

Lion

[Thad]

Lion, Thanks. Which one of you is that Jon? No, that's an old picture from before the time Jon had her. Fenwick's plans that are not at Alden's are mostly with Bill Peterson in S. Bristol, Maine, I know you are far away, but his telephone is 207-644-8100. Have fun.