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A few questions about the Catspaw


TimF

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HI all! Please forgive the embarrasing mistakes and improper terminology and assumptions I'm about to make.

 

I don't know a lot about boats but I've always wanted to learn, I enjoy woodwork and have been thinking that making a boat would be a fun project. I have been looking at the Catspaw 9 and wondered if anyone could offer advice on a few questions.

 

I started out looking at Mirror dinghies and liked that they have buoyancy chambers built in. Does the Catspaw have this too or could it be added?

 

Does anyone have experience transporting a Catspaw on roof racks? If the listed weight on the website is in pounds, my roof racks would technically take it but I wasn't sure if that's the best idea? If not, could you use a 4x6 foot trailer, maybe with a cradle or something? Or is a proper boat trailer required?

 

Finally - any thoughts on whether you might squeeze 4 adults and a toddler in now and then, or is 4 people a pretty hard limit?

 

Many thanks for any advice, looking forward to maybe one day sharing pictures here!

 

 

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Tim:

 

It has always been explained to me that the only dumb question is the one you didn't ask. So don't ever worry about that.

 

As to the Catspaw, on purpose, these are small boats, designed for limited (small) payloads not nearly as large as you describe. Boats will only float so long as the weight they carry around is less than the weight of the volume of water they displace. Once you exceed that, the boat sinks out from under you. The weight of four adults would far exceed the size/volume of a dinghy of this size, so it would most likely sink right out from under you. To carry that much weight, you will need a bigger boat.

 

Generally assume no more than one or two adults for a boat this size. To get a notion for the size involved, if you have a Bass Pro shop or other dealer of small boats, or a marina around that might have such small boats, take a look at the plate commercial built boats are required to have on them. It will list the "person" capacity and/or amount of weight the boat can safely handle. Jon Boats are square at the bow, similar to a Catspaw (in historic terms, they were also described as "punts"), but look at those to start with. You will likely find you are going to need a boat of at least 12 to 14 feet, depending on width, to haul a payload of that size.

 

This lists the specs for a 10 footer, which is larger than the Catspaw:

 

http://www.trackerboats.com/boat/specs.cfm?boat=3600

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Dinghy persons capacity is USCG rated with the amount of weight carried within a certain distance from the side of the boat. It is a safety issue insuring that all of the people sitting on one side of the boat won't cause it to flip. It has no bearing on the weight that the boat can carry without sinking. People in a dinghy need to sit with their weight evenly distributed. Boat manufacturers have battled for years to get dinghies rated for "real life" situations in the way that dinghies are used.  Four people would be far more than the coast guard rating.

 

That being said, you would need to be very careful putting four people and a toddler  in such a small boat. Is there a reason you want to stay with a very small boat? If not, you might consider the Band B Bay River Skiff. The plans are available for a power boat version called the Bay River Runner. It is 15Ft. long and would carry a much larger load. you would have to trailer it, though. Talk to Graham, he may have something else that is not listed on their web page.

 

As far as flotation. The Catspaw will float when swamped, but not the same as the Coast Guard standards would call for. Especially with a heavy load. Coast Guard calls for "upright and level" flotation and is tied to the maximum weight capacity and persons capacity according to their standards. You could certainly add flotation chambers along the sides for more "upright" flotation, or just seal the front and back seats to make them airtight. 

 

Cartopping works great for a small, light boat like this. You could also use a small utility trailer. No need for a regular boat trailer.

 

I'm guessing that you want to build your own boat. this is certainly a worthy and satisfying  project. But first be sure that you know how you will be using the boat. If possible, borrow a boat similar to the one you are considering and try it out. The mess-about this weekend would be the perfect place for that if you can make it. Or post on this site to see if anyone has one in your area.

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Thanks for the great replies!

 

I was basing my thinking about number of occupants on the website which says 3-4 people when used as a tender but looking at pictures I can see how that's be a squeeze. My normal intended usage would be 2 adults and a toddler - I just idly wondered if we'd ever fit in guests beyond that, but it's not a big deal if not.

 

I do like the idea of as small a boat as practical - money and storage space are always considerations, and if I can get away without buying and keeping registered a boat trailer that's a plus, but not a deal breaker.

 

I'll have a look at the other plans you mentioned and try to look in a boat dealer or marina at some point too. I think its more likely we'd be on a river than the sea and I imagine using a small outboard to get around on the river.

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