Wooden cleats

Amongst the things left to do on the Catboat are finding and installing cleats for the rigging and mooring. While we could just purchase various cleats for the job, I've always liked wooden ones and they seem like a good solution. We can work on making them during the winter months while we're waiting for our lumber to arrive for the mast.

Based on the boat design, I think we can manage with 6 cleats for various mooring/anchoring points along the port and starboard sides of the boat. Perhaps a cleat near the rudder wheel for the mainsheet. A Fife rail with belaying pins I think would look nice for the Halyards and Topping lift. A few other cleats along the boom will be needed for reefing lines.

For inspiration, we used this site to develop ideas. Then we used this site and this site to help determine the proper dimensions for our cleats.


And voila!...We've started cutting out some cleats of out oak.With a rasp and some sandpaper we should have something smooth in no time.

Designing the mast

The mast specified for the boat we have is 28'10" long and 7" in diameter at the deck. The original design calls  for the mast to be stepped into the forefoot knee. The disadvantage with this is the difficulty to lower the mast for transport on the trailer or if we decide to go under fairly low bridges. A solid 28'10" long mast with a diameter of 7" would weigh approximately 220 lbs. If we were to make it a hollow mast we could probably reduce the weight by about 130lbs. This added with some rigging, mast hoops etc...well would still make the mast lowering and raising rather difficult.

A 6" Sitka Spruce hollow mast could withstand stresses from a 70 knot (130 km/h) wind with a good degree of confidence. If we're sailing in these conditions, we probably have more serious problems to worry about than masts breaking and will have lowered the sails completely.

A 6" Sitka Spruce hollow mast has a weight of approximately 90 lbs. Add to this the rigging, mast hoops, etc... and we're still looking at a pretty heavy and awkward mast to raise and lower.

For this boat, we're going to setup some sort of hoist and pivoting system to make the mast setup more palatable. A combination between a mast tabernacle and a traditional means of stepping the mast. We really like this tabernacle setup, designed by Michael Storer, so will probably try to somewhat replicate it for our boat. We'll need to devise some sort of portable hoisting system to life the mast out of the boat so that it can then be pivoted about the tabernacle. That will come some time in the future. Probably something built with some 2x6's, a winch, some aircraft wire or something similar.

For now, we're building a prototype tabernacle for practice, for helping in setting up the running rigging and just as a means to brew some ideas around in the head. Using simple 2x4's we're putting together what will a mockup of what the tabernacle will look like. Total cost was about $50. We did this one in the basement taking over the kids playroom temporarily. Easier to glue and work in a permanently heated workshop. Also easier to keep an eye on Isabelle and Lucille.

A temporary home

It is now over a few months since the boat has arrived at our home. The first few weeks were spent putting up a temporary shelter to keep the boat dry/free of snow. Nothing too complex. Just some 2x4 frames held together by some 1x4 strapping. The fancy cover is standard poly used for vapour barriers in homes. Total costs for the shelter is roughly $600 + time.

Since the arrival, the mind has been at work to figure out all that needs to be done. Here's a short list for now:
-Design, build and install mast and spars
-Design rigging for the boat
-Acquire sails and rigging
-Design and install electrical for motor, cabin lights and navigation lights

We're still at the design stages for most. However, this week we'll be working on a prototype for a tabernacle used to step the mast on the boat. We'll keep you posted on its progress.

Martha's Vineyard Catboat - Built by Douglas Bakke

Well, this is the boat that we've found and decided to take on as our project. That's the royal we as in I guess I have a new project. Despite saying during the summer that I wouldn't buy a project boat, this boat was too good to pass by. Douglas Bakke built the boat (started in 2004 and finished to its current state in 2009) for his family. Circumstances made it that he could not complete it. (Don't feel so bad...right now, he's sailing with his family in New Zealand enjoying the warmer weather.)

Much can be said about the origin of the design but I will simply say that the boat is a catboat design, put together from plans drawn out by Howard Chapelle. The construction is douglas fir and oak backbone, bent white oak frames and western red cedar planking. The boat is 22' long, 8'6" wide and will look great (and hopefully sail great) once we get her in the water.

Still left to do is rig it with a mast, spars and sail, as well as install a propeller and propeller shaft to go with the Thoosa electric marine engine. Right now, it's parked in our back yard, hiding from the snow.