: Hello Bill,

: I chose the Fenwick Williams 18' catboat, which I intend to build
: in strip construction. Currently costing out the materials.

: I have always loved catboats, and then I gained access to a Nonsuch
: which I sailed often down here single-handed. Man that was a
: dream to sail. I remember an article I once read about the
: Nonsuch that said "Tacking requires no yelling by the
: captain. The Captain simply says "I believe I'll tack
: now," and gently shifts the helm without spilling his
: coffee... " Or something like that. Having crewed on race
: boats and even worked as crew chief on one, I am all for pulling
: lines and trimming sails, but the catboat is a great weekend
: cruiser when you just want to explore a secluded beach, dive a
: reef, and spend the night at anchor.

: I was close to obtaining a Rhodes 19, which isn't a catboat, but
: has a very similar beamy hull. When that fell through I said
: "to heck with it, I'm sick of chasing down boats in need of
: repair. By the time I do all the repairs I may as well have
: built the boat I want." We will see. It's going to be a
: tight fit to build the hull where I intend to do so, but if I
: can get through that then I can park it elsewhere to finish her
: out. It's funny- it's a foot shorter than my kayak, but seven
: feet wider, and has a cabin and an auxiliary motor!!!!

: -Malcolm

Hi Malcolm,

That design is a real beauty. I'd love to build one too.

Just remember with the one big sail that lazyjacks are the sailor's friend :)

A tiny jib will make the boat much more fun and weatherly, much easier to tack with one and goes to weather much better too. Rig a bitty boomsprit to hang it from, nice place to get the anchor out of the boat too.

Bill H.

Bill H.