Leeboard Catboat by PCB

[Close Call]

I sent a letter off to Suzanne at PCB and Friends, waiting to hear back about plan availability.


Would like to hear what folks here think about Bolger’s leeboard catboat (chapter 67? of Boats with an Open Mind). Please don’t tell me leeboards are ugly, I secretly kind of agree, but spend some time living with a centerboard board trunk in your face and the leeboards become more palatable.


I saw a picture of one once so I know it’s been built but I don’t know by who, where or when or how it performed I’d sure like to know.


The boat is pretty close to perfect to suiting my needs, maybe 2 feet short of what would be ideal and it doesn’t have mast tabernacle.


My needs for the boat are as follows:


Can safely handle the waters of Prince William Sound during the normal boating season.


Has the ability to dry out for maintenance and dry out anchoring spots.


Standing headroom for sanity and comfort when I’m stuck in a cove for a week waiting for the weather to pass.


Ability to sit on a flat bed trailer and not need an oversize permit.


Simple unstayed rig. Tabernacle would be ideal but could do an A-frame hoist or go for a carbon spar. I’d rather not rely on anyone else to help me with stepping the mast. That said this isn’t going to happen more than 3 times a year.


Maximum LOA of 28 feet (it’s a harbor thing)


Displacement capable of carrying a couple, substantial cruising gear and supplies for a month of remote cruising at a time.


Finally I grew up in catboats, so as different as this thing is it is still kind of a cat and that perky sheer and big gaff makes me smile. I’ve looked at more traditional catboats but when you get over 20 feet they get to 10 foot beam and I have a tunnel to get through to access PWS, 10 foot plus is a no go. They also typically have a keel/skeg that drops from trunk aft to deep barn door rudder, which hampers my dry out and flatbed trailer criteria.


Thoughts?

[Tom Painter]

I think I'd rather have a Bolger Romp...although she does have a centerboard. https://imgs.yachthub.com/2/3/5/2/3/2/27_4.jpg

[Close Call]

I think I'd rather have a Bolger Romp...although she does have a centerboard. https://imgs.yachthub.com/2/3/5/2/3/2/27_4.jpg

Romp is pretty sweet, has a lot a features I like and ultimately more seaworthy. I think the centerboard would be livable at 30 foot but no escaping my 28 foot LOA limit.....outside of moving (not happening anytime soon).

[Woxbox]

You must have considered the Jessie Cooper as well. Will this be a boat for single handing? If so, the catboat makes sense. But if there'll be more on board for any length of time, I'd want a bit more space.

[schoonerpacket]

I sail a leeboard catboat, a Michalak FatCat2 15'x6'. Lack of CB is nice and I don't think the trade off of space vs. performance (If you can call it that!) isn't worth it. YMMV

[Close Call]

You must have considered the Jessie Cooper as well. Will this be a boat for single handing? If so, the catboat makes sense. But if there'll be more on board for any length of time, I'd want a bit more space.

Thought about it, but I’d like to do a round bilge stripper and I wonder about the seaworthiness of JC. I read an unsubstantiated account of a JC that got knocked down in AUS and stayed down. Could be bogus.

The boat will be singlehanded often but is for a cruising couple. Boat will be cruised a few weeks at a time, agreed it may be a bit tight, I’d prefer a few more feet.

[Breakaway]

Romp is pretty sweet, has a lot a features I like and ultimately more seaworthy. I think the centerboard would be livable at 30 foot but no escaping my 28 foot LOA limit.....outside of moving (not happening anytime soon).

Might it could be built at 28 feet?

Kevin


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Thorne]

What Kevin said. Considering the amount of money you'll be spending on a project like this, having a NA re-draw Romp to meet your exact requirements would just be a drop in the bucket.

[Close Call]

What Kevin said. Considering the amount of money you'll be spending on a project like this, having a NA re-draw Romp to meet your exact requirements would just be a drop in the bucket.

Lots of love for Romp on here, but we are talking about redesigning a 34 ish ft LOA boat (boomkin to stem) down to 28 feet. Even if you shipped the boomkin and kicked the rudder to 45 degrees you are looking at 32 feet. Seems like redesigning a 35 year old proven design to be less svelte is the wrong way to move things.

Keep in mind I’m asking about a 22 foot cat not too far off class than a 22 foot Marshall or 23 foot Menger and I’m hearing back that I should look at a boat 8 plus feet longer and 2000 lbs more displacement.

Don’t get me wrong I like Romp a lot but it is substantially more boat. Would it be more prudent to stretch a 22 foot boat by adding 2 inches between stations to make her 24ish feet. Bolger himself eludes to the efficiencies of such in his discussion of the Leeboard Catboat as well as the catboat Bright Thread.

I appreciate the discourse and look forward to more discussion, for the record I have looked at lots of designers works. I am not only interested in Bolger designs. I’ve considered designs from Tanton,Brewer, MacNaughton, Stambough, Culler and others.

[Tom Painter]

You'll want to look at Tad Roberts' Little Tillicum too then. It's about exactly what you seek.

https://www.tadroberts.ca/services/s...llicum25-S.jpg

[Close Call]

You'll want to look at Tad Roberts' Little Tillicum too then. It's about exactly what you seek.

https://www.tadroberts.ca/services/s...llicum25-S.jpg

I wrote Mr. Roberts a while back to ask about his future cruiser series and he said these were more preliminary designs, rather than completed. Very cool ideas.

Read an article about big Tillicum, but with a payload of only 1800 lbs to dwl I couldn’t imagine the 25 as any better. Coming from a small multihull I take load capacity seriously.

Maybe Bolger’s cat is a lightweight but the lines look rather burdensome, I’d guess a payload of 1000 lbs? For those not familiar, we are talking 6650 lbs displacement, 2800 lbs of internal lead ballast, draft of 1’ 9”, beam of 7’9 and lod of 21’10”

A quick internet search for “Bolger Leeboard Catboat” should show a profile view.

[Tom Painter]

I know the boat you're talking about from BWAOM. I could have sworn I've seen a pic on the net too, but can't find it anymore.

[Close Call]

I know the boat you're talking about from BWAOM. I could have sworn I've seen a pic on the net too, but can't find it anymore.

Excellent, glad I’m not crazy and someone else has seen it.
I swear the boat was a dark hull, quartering away on a port tack, if I recall there was a caption about California. The design was commissioned by a New Zealander. When I wrote PCB and Friends I inquired about any boats that had been built to the design. We will see what comes out of it. If I hear there is one in the U.S., CAN or MEX I’d jump a plane in heartbeat to look at it, that is if the owner would let me near it.

[Tom Painter]

Do let us know if you hear back from Suzanne

[skaraborgcraft]

Taking Romp down to 28ft is less than a 10% reduction, or less than 2.5in per station, so is entirely doable. Tads Little Tilikum was a close alternative, and still is for shallow water reach and easy launch/recovery , taking her up to 28ft would also be less than a 10% stretch. Either of these could be built the size you want just by changing the mold positions. The extra couple of feet over Leeboard Cruiser. would be worth having if you can pull it.