Cat Boat Design--Batten Seamed and Hard Chine

[OEX]

I have a 20 foot or so batten seamed hard chined Cat Boat. She is Marconi rigged and no bowsprit.

Any idea who designed this boat?

Cheers, Bruce

[Russ Manheimer]

Bruce,

She may be a Charles Wittholz design. I vaguely remember seeing a similar boat at Beaton's in NJ a few years ago. Any pictures?

Russ

[OEX]

[IMG]

I have a book that mentions a hard chine cat by that designer, but that design was a ply boat and flat bottom. This one is hard chine ISH---rounded bilges, etc.

cheers

[ 09-28-2005, 12:30 PM: Message edited by: OEX ]

[PVanderwaart]

The Wittholz designs were either round-bilged or V-bottom. As far as I am aware, all the latter are ply-planked, have plumb stems, vertical transoms, and the chine line rises more at the bow than is shown in your picture. So, I doubt your boat is from Wittholz.

To me, the batten seam construction suggests she dates from before WWII, though possibly from the 1950's. Among famous designers, William Atkins comes to mind first, but there were catboat designs from dozens of designers in the first half of the 20th century. The Workshop on the Water (now part of the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia) had an exhibit some years ago with pictures of many, many catboats from the NJ/PENN area. Perhaps they have some archival material.

[OEX]

Any possibility that she is a batten seamed adaptation of a one of his desings. I did come across some pix of his boats and they do seem very simliar including rig, chine, etc especially the squared off old fashion forward cabin section. Let me see if I can get a picture of her to show sheer and then see what you think.

cheers and thanks for the help.

[PVanderwaart]

http://www.woodenboatstore.com/prodi...number=400-048

The woodenboat store sells the plans for the 17 footer. The profiles are pretty similar for all the Wittholz's catboats. The transom in particular is very different.