The Catspaw Sailing Dinghy

Whether you want a classic yacht tender or just like to mess about, the
Catspaw Dinghy is an outstanding small sailboat. The plans drawn by Joel White and modified for WoodenBoat, provide for a 12 foot 8 inch length overall.
The rig is a single boomless spritsail with 64 square feet of canvas.

A Classic Herreshoff Yacht Tender

The design originates from Nat Herreshoff's drawing board and was first known as the Columbia Dinghy, named after his famous 131 foot cup defender.
The simple elegance of the hull form, together with the lines of the lapstrake planking, will compliment the very best yacht.

John Gardner's book, Building Classic Small Craft, gives design details of several great boats. In fact, you could build a Herreshoff or Lawley tender armed with only this book. John is often regarded as the "Dory Man", and well known for his row boats, but his work extended to many fine small sailboats as well.

The Catspaw Dinghy is a somewhat larger boat than the Columbia,
and calls for carvel planking in the plans. But here you see a version built with glued lapstrake plywood construction by Nathan Rome. Although not necessary for strength, he has given Oh Hershel traditional steam bent frames of oak.

I have been impressed by the performance and versatility of this boat on several occasions. It's easily managed by one person, great for a daysail and rides well on a trailer. And, it's surprisingly seaworthy for such a small boat.

Boat Builder's Reference
In addition to John Gardner's book, another good reference is
Building the Herreshoff Dinghy written by Barry Thomas. Conventional lapstrake planking methods are illustrated for this truly classic boat for sail and oar.

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Catspaw Dinghy Plans from WoodenBoat

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