Beetle Cat Knockoff?

danielgoldberg · #1 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

There is a company that makes a cat boat very similar to the Beetle Cat, but in fiberglass. I can't remember the name, and I can't find anything through my own feeble efforts at searching.

Anyone know the company/boat I'm talking about?

JohnRPollard · #2 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

For some reason, I want to say Sturdee Cat, but their offerigns seem larger than the traditional Beetlecat.

Arey's Pond makes a twelve footer, among other sizes.

Other cat-boat builders in fibreglass are Marshall and Menger, but I don't think either of them makes one that small. The Melonseed Skiff is longer, but smaller.

danielgoldberg · #3 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

Thanks John. The Sturdee Cat is close, but you're right that it's a bit more substantial.

I think I found the boat I was thinking of, which is the Barnstable Cat.

JohnRPollard · #4 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielgoldberg

Thanks John. The Sturdee Cat is close, but you're right that it's a bit more substantial.

I think I found the boat I was thinking of, which is the Barnstable Cat.

Ahh, I had not heard of the Barnstable Catboat. Very nice.

That Arey's Pond Kitten I linked to above is also more or less a Beetle Cat knockoff.

Are you in the market? Any one of these would be a heck of a lot of fun....

danielgoldberg · #5 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnRPollard

Ahh, I had not heard of the Barnstable Catboat. Very nice.

That Arey's Pond Kitten I linked to above is also more or less a Beetle Cat knockoff.

Are you in the market? Any one of these would be a heck of a lot of fun....

I'm kicking around the idea. Looking for an inexpensive toy (relatively speaking), and something on which to teach the kids how to sail. I have a Sunfish, which is loads of fun, but too easy to capsize and not so comfy, which makes it a bit hard to take the kids and the Mrs. for a leisurely spin.

I hadn't known of the Kitten until your post, but as a result I've emailed them about one of the used ones they list on their site. The boat generally looks like a beauty.

I also have been looking at buying an older J24 or J27 with a buddy of mine. Same concept in terms of intended use, but the J would allow us to race it as well.

I probably prefer the Beetle Cat concept (won't get a true Beetle because of the wood issue) because it's easier to sail and simpler to deal with. We'll see what happens. As I mentioned, the key concept here is CHEAP, and this is by no means a necessity, so we'd have to find the right boat in the right place at the right price.

blt2ski · #6 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

Not sure where you are at, but a Lightning may work, or a smaller cabin style boat like a sanjuan 21.

Marty

AndrewMac · #7 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

I just did the same thing - bought a small cat with the idea of teaching the kids. Ended up going a little bit bigger (15') as my mother, who's 70, wants to start sailing again, so the idea of sitting all the way in the cockpit as with the beetle cat didn't seem realistic. Figured it would be great for the kids to learn on as well - they're 7,5 and 4 and the ensign was a little much for them last summer. Got an incredible deal. One place to keep an eye out is: catboats.org. They have a good collection of used boats and, as I recall, several for sale in the NY/Long Island/CT area. I remember seeing the barnstable as well as a couple of other types of small fibergalss cats

danielgoldberg · #8 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

I'm thinking a Barnstable Cat, or an Arey's Pond Kitten. Both are essentially Beetle Cat replicas made from fiberglass.

The Sturdee Cats look very nice, but they are just a bit big for what I'm looking for, which essentially is something I can tool around in without a motor, and maybe even tow it to local harbors for some messing around while we're on the hook with the mother ship.

I'm finding that it's hard to find information on these boats in terms of reviews or opinions comparing/contrasting them. Anyone have any info on them?

AndrewMac · #9 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

There's a forum section to catboats.org where I would imagine you could get some feedback, but I think you may have to pay some kind of fee to join...

AndrewMac · #10 (**permalink**) 12-13-2009

Check out this link: The Catboat Association, Inc.
As I understand it, this allows you to broadcast a question to the members of Catboats.org without subscibing and paying their fee. Seems like there are lots of barnstable and arey's owners who can probably give you some good feedback.
Good Luck