Cat's Paw Dinghy in California?

[beamreach]

Hello all!

While I am new to this forum, my love for wooden boats is almost as old as I am. That said, I have never built a boat; however, the wheels are turning and I am formulating a plan for my first build. Until that day comes, I wish to have a small wooden boat in which to mess about.

I've decided that boat will be a cat's paw dinghy, and I've begun a search to purchase one already built and ready to go. Problem is, all available ones I have found are on the east coast, and I live in San Diego. Of course, shipping is an option but I'd rather not for all the obvious reasons.

So, to get to the point, does anyone have suggestions, information, contacts, or any useful information to help find a cat's paw on the west coast?

My thanks in advance for any help with this. I really enjoy this forum so far and I'm looking forward to many years of lurking, reading, posting, learning, laughing and generally enjoying our forum.

[rbgarr]

The Center for Wooden Boats in Seatlle has one for sale: http://cwb.org/content/boats-sale

[Thorne]

There are also experienced builders out here who will make you one, but you'll want to decide on your budget, materials, if you want it rigged for sailing, top-notch or el-cheapo trailer, etc. Are you looking for an uber-trad solid wood boat, or marine plywood, or ? Modern rig or rowing setup, or trad-look hardware and interior?

The Catspaw is a great choice and can handle a fair amount of modification, so no issues there. Many of the semi-pro builders will work with you, and may not run an official boat-building business due to licensing, insurance, CG certification, and other issues.