Catboat
A catboat (from English catboat; cat boat ) describes a type of sailboat whose mast is set close to the bow . There are both single-masted and two-masted catboats.
history
Although all mast only with fore- the type of cat-rigged corresponding boat, the traditional Catboot is characterized by the length of a width of about half of the hull , a centerboard and gaff rigging from. Some historical Catboote like Barnegat Bay but type are already like the modern catgetakelten dinghies , hochgetakelt . In some cases a jib was driven, but this required a jib boom . If this is the case, the Catboot is, however, in the technical sense as a sloop to call.
Linguists suspect that the name Catboat was taken from a type of ship called "Cat" from the north-east of England. Ships of this type are said to have been used as merchant ships, for the transport of coal and wood. It is generally assumed that the origin of the catboat lies in New York around 1840, from where it spread to the east and south due to its strengths - simplicity in equipment and operation, shallow draft and large cargo capacity.
Initially, the boats were used for fishing and transport in coastal waters around Cape Cod , Narragansett Bay , New York and New Jersey . Some fishing boats were equipped with bowsprits for catching swordfish , while others were only used as "party boats", equipped with a wooden frame, the cotton side walls of which could be rolled up.
Around the turn of the century the nineteenth century, the boats were on race conditions adjusted, that is, tree , gaff and bowsprit were extended, the sails cut so that it possible began much wind. With the decrease in races and the spread of cheap diesel-powered engines, however, the demand for such large sailing plans then decreased. Nowadays, because of their properties, catboats are used more in the sense of daysailers , although they are clearly inferior to these on close-haul courses .
One of the most famous catboats in the United States is the 12-foot Beetle Cat . Fleets of this one- size- fits- all class can be found in all ports of New England , where they also regularly hold regattas. In the 1960s, designed Breck Marshall 18 feet long from fiberglass existing Sanderling based on existing wooden designs. Since then, the Sanderling has been built more than 700 times, resulting in a flourishing interest in this class. To honor Marshall and his contributions to this class, the Catboat Association funded the design and construction of the 20-foot Crosby catboat Breck Marshall , built and located at Mystic Seaport .
Classic catboats known in Europe are sole types A and B as well as the dinghy classes Laser , Europe and Optimist . The Finn Dinghy has been an Olympic boat class without interruption since 1952.
Demarcation
The terms catboat , cat-rigged boat and catamaran are often confused with one another, especially when using the short forms Cat or Kat, which are often spoken in the same way . However, catamaran refers to a hull shape, while catboat refers to a type of rigging . To complete the confusion, there are also cat-rigged catamarans; to avoid confusion, it is advisable to leave the spelling of the classic catboat with the letter C and not to write it with K.
literature
- Grayson, Stan: Cape Cod Catboats . Devereux Books, Marblehead, MA 2002, ISBN 1-928862-05-5 (English).
- Catboat moments. In: Soundings Magazine. August 2005, accessed March 22, 2011 .
Web links
- The Catboat Association Association for the history and preservation of catboats.
Individual evidence
- ↑ catboat. In: Judy Pearsall: The New Oxford Dictionary of English. 2001.