Boat Profile
The Marsh Cat
Everything from gunkholing to open-water sailing
From Issue Small Boats Annual 2016 June 2015
I had spent a long time looking for a boat that I could build to sail the waters of Chesapeake Bay and beyond. The boat would need to be able to carry four for daysailing, accommodate two for camp-cruising for up to two weeks, offer good sailing performance, have a shallow draft for exploring backwaters, and carry a small outboard for auxiliary power. It had to be small enough to be built and stored in a two-car garage, easily trailered, simple enough to be built in a reasonable amount of time, quick and easy to rig at the launch ramp, and have the good looks of a classic wooden boat. Although my list of requirements seemed to grow as I browsed through books of boat plans, my focus narrowed down to catboats. Their generous beam, sometimes almost half their length, offers lots of room, and their single sail is as simple as rigs get. In the book Forty Wooden Boats , I finally found the boat I wanted to build, the Marsh Cat by Joel White.
The Marsh Cat’s broad beam makes the cockpit sole wide enough to sleep two flanking the centerboard trunk. A boom tent provides cover.
At 15′ long and with a beam of 6′11″, the Marsh Cat has a spacious cockpit. With that much breadth, there would be ample room for sleeping comfortably on the floorboards on either side of the centerboard case. The 152-sq-ft sail set on a high-peaked gaff rig supplies the power. The 1,309-lb displacement assures easy trailering and launching, and the 9″ draft, with the centerboard up, makes exploration of the Chesapeake Bay’s shallow estuaries possible. The plans from The WoodenBoat Store offered all the detail needed for a first-time builder. The full-sized patterns for molds, stem, and transom eliminate the need for lofting.
Sailed level, the Marsh Cat has very little weather helm and can clip along at 5 to 6 knots.
The round-bilged hull can be cold-molded, or carvel-, lapstrake-, or strip-planked. I chose to strip-plank the hull with 5/8″ x 1″ western red-cedar strips. The hull is constructed upside down on a strongback supporting molds cut from 5/8″ OSB (oriented-strand board). The keel gets laminated in place over the molds, and the 1 ¼″ mahogany transom and laminated stem are secured to it. Starting at the sheer, I sprang the cedar strips around the molds and attached their ends to the stem and transom with bronze wood screws. I started with bead-and-cove strips, which nest together edgewise on the curving sections of a hull. but eventually I switched to making them with a rectangular cross-section, which saved time and wasted less material in the milling process; the rectangular-sectioned strips also seemed easier to bend. There are no tight curves in the hull, so the gaps between strips were minimal and easily filled themselves with the epoxy that squeezed out as I glued them in place.
With all of the strips in place, I removed the drips and runs of cured epoxy from the hull with a heat gun and scraper. I cut the centerboard slot, faired the hull, and ’glassed the exterior with 10-oz fiberglass cloth for a low-maintenance, watertight structure. The outer keel was then attached with epoxy and bronze screws. Priming and painting the hull revealed the sweet lines Joel had drawn. After turning the hull over I gave the interior the same cleaning, fairing, and ’glassing. I spiled, laminated, and installed the sheer clamps, then built the centerboard trunk with ¾″ okoume plywood sides and Douglas-fir head ledges. The molds used to form the hull served as patterns for the floors that I set in the hull with epoxy and fiberglass. The laminated Douglas-fir deckbeams, set in notches cut in the sheer clamps, were canted slightly from vertical and set square to the deck so the top faces wouldn’t have to be beveled. The ½″ okoume plywood deck easily took to the slight compound curve created by the deckbeams, a great relief. I laminated the coaming with three 1/8″ x 8″ mahogany pieces sprung into place; after the epoxy cured I removed the lamination and cut it to shape before installing it permanently. For the floorboards I chose ipe, a dense hardwood that is very durable but equally hard to work; I took great pains to install them with the holes for the screws drilled, countersunk, and plugged.
A fter I’d finished the boat, I turned my attention to the spars and rigging. I used Sitka spruce for the spars, but there’s no reason Douglas-fir couldn’t be used; there are valid arguments for both and, in my opinion, either is fine. When money is more important than shaving ounces, Douglas-fir is the less expensive option, with the added benefit of being more durable. I ordered my sail from Stuart Hopkins of Dabbler Sails , a company specializing in classic small-boat sails. The running rigging is all Sta-Set, a braided polyester line with low stretch, and the standing rigging is 3/16″ stainless-steel 1 x 19 wire with Sta-Lok terminals. If I had it to do over again I would use 5/32″ wire and terminals to save a little weight.
After 800 hours of work, my Marsh Cat was ready for launching. My wife Teresa and I trailered the boat to St. Michaels, Maryland, for its shakedown voyage. After arriving at the ramp we spent a long time rigging the boat, only because we were constantly interrupted by lookers-on with lots of questions and compliments. I backed the trailer down the ramp and LITTLE T slid effortlessly off the trailer into the water. After my usual scramble to secure the forgotten drain plugs, two of them, it was a relief seeing that she floated on her lines.
With a reef in her 152-sq-ft sail for a fresh breeze, LITTLE T’s 9″ draft allowed her to take a break in some thin but well protected water.
It was a hot, humid summer day without a whisper of wind, and we motored the newly christened LITTLE T around the St. Michaels harbor and past the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Several people shouted their approval from the shoreline, adding to our already swelling sense of accomplishment. As the day progressed, the clouds began to build and a breeze finally showed up. We raised the sail and were sailing at last, but the skies soon turned black and the wind increased markedly. We should have taken cover in a cove and waited out the storm, but we opted to travel out into the open Miles River with 6 miles to go to get back to the ramp. LITTLE T was really going to get a test. The wind howled and a torrent of rain came down. We bailed constantly to keep up with the rainwater pouring off the sail and into the boat. We made it back to the ramp in about an hour, glad that the maiden voyage and sea trial was over. The conditions for our first outing were quite challenging, but the Marsh Cat came through with flying colors.
It has now been six years since that initial launching, I have sailed my Marsh Cat about 4,000 miles, and in that time have gained a great deal of respect for the boat’s abilities. Catboats are known for their weather helm in stiff winds, and the Marsh Cat is not immune to this, but with a little experience and a proper reefing schedule it can be minimized. The Cat likes to sail level and the weather helm is all but eliminated when it is. With a single reef and a slackening of the mainsheet in gusts, it remains docile and in control in winds of about 14 knots. As the wind builds to about 18 knots, it’s time for the second reef. Above 25 knots, it’s time to head for the barn unless you have crew. I’ve sailed my Marsh Cat in the Florida Keys with a competent crew member aboard in 30+ knots of wind with a double reef and both of us—over 500 lbs—hiked out over the rail. In gusts we buried the leeward rail but were still in control and felt no need to return to shore. Beating into the wind, it is common to make 5.25 knots; 6.5 knots running before the wind. I have seen peaks of 9 knots surfing down waves. When the wind is down, a 2-hp outboard pushes the Marsh Cat easily to a slow cruise of 4 knots or well over 5 knots if need be.
The Marsh Cat was designed without arrangements for seating other than an expansive sole to stretch out on and a wide coaming to lean against. Some builders have added low benches.
Since early childhood, Kevin MacDonald has been involved in boating activities ranging from water skiing to offshore fishing. Small-boat sailing and camp-cruising became his water sport of choice 8 years ago. The lack of suitable production boats for camp-cruising necessitated his building of LITTLE T.
Particulars
LOA/15′ 0⅜”
Beam/6’11”
Draft/ 8½” & 2’5″
Sail area/135 sq ft
Marsh Cat plans are available from The WoodenBoat Store.
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Lovely boat and great video!!
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 Big Pond Boat ShopCustom builders of yachts, dinghies and runabouts, mahone bay, nova scotia, big pond 15 (marsh cat). This is the 15′ Marsh Cat, designed by Joel White with some modifications by Big Pond Boat Shop. It is a big, stable, comfortable, and fast catboat!. Perfect for exploring shallow creeks and shorelines, and roomy for camp cruisers. Design Modifications
General Construction: Cold Moulded hull There are two aft buoyancy tanks constructed from epoxy saturated marine plywood with mahogany trim which create built in seating and there is a forward buoyancy tank under the foredeck formed by the installation of a watertight bulkhead forward of the mast. Top of the centreboard trunk, cockpit coamings, seat trim, floorboards and toe rail are varnished mahogany.  SPECIFICATIONS Designer: Joel White LOA 16′ 6” with bowsprit LWL 14′ Beam 6′ 11″ Draft Board up 9″ Board down 2’5″ Sail area 153 sq ft Displacement 1309 lbs Please contact us for current pricing Boat complete includes:
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30' Etchells 22 Nautical Donations Crowleys Yacht Yard 3434 E 95th St Chicago Il 60617, Illinois Asking $12,000
A boom tent provides cover. At 15′ long and with a beam of 6′11″, the Marsh Cat has a spacious cockpit. With that much breadth, there would be ample room for sleeping comfortably on the floorboards on either side of the centerboard case. The 152-sq-ft sail set on a high-peaked gaff rig supplies the power. The 1,309-lb displacement assures ...
Marshall 22. Sakonnet 23. Brokerage. 508.994.0414 • 55 Shipyard Lane, South Dartmouth, MA 02748. Marshall Marine brokers both Marshall Catboats (Sandpipers, Sanderlings and Marshall 22s) and the Sakonnet 23 designed by Joel White. Our website stays up to date with information and listings on available boats.
This movie serves to present a new wooden sailboat, a catboat of the type MARSH CAT. The boat is for sale. Catboats are classic boats from America, still ver...
Marshall Marine builds the traditional style Marshall Catboat sailboats including the 15' Sandpiper, the 18' Sanderling and the Marshall 22' pocket cruiser. The Sakonnet 23 sloop was added in 2010 being a perfect fit with our shallow draft day sailers and cruisers.
Go to Sailing Texas classifieds for current sailboats for sale . Marsh Cat, 15 ft., 1992 Professionally built in lapstrake ply by Great Lakes Boatbuilding, Michigan, with extra beam (7'7"); bright-finished sassafrass coamings and transom. Extensive 2010-2011 overhauls by professionals at Philly Seaport's Workshop on the Water:
04-01-2005, 11:32 AM. Do the search thing and you'll find a lot about my 15" Marsh Cat. Had her five years, did lots of upgrades and fittings, love the boat. You're going to want seats, and if it lives on a trailer. you'll use her more often with a hinged mast. Alan Peck.
A 15' catboat designed by Joel White with some modifications for shallow creeks and camp cruising. It has a cold moulded hull, a gaff sail, a barn door rudder, and a weighted foil centerboard.
Here is the perfect boat to expand your cruising grounds. The Marshall 22 is a rugged, sea-kindly boat with classic looks that will turn heads in any harbor. ... Sail Area (cat rig: 388 sq. ft.) (sloop rig: main 338, jib 100 sq. ft.) Displacement: 5660 lbs. Ballast 850 lbs . Standard Features. Yanmar 3YM20 diesel engine with full ...
Marshall preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Marshall used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. Register & Post. View All Sailboats. Search. Avoid Fraud. ... 20' Com-Pac Hutchins Horizon Cat St Petersburg, Florida Asking $53,950. 27.5' Catalina 275 Wilmette, Illinois Asking $65,800. 19' West Wight Potter 19 Tavares, Florida
Check out this Used 2020 Custom Marsh Cat for sale in Lancaster, NH 03584. View this Other and other Sail boats on boattrader.com. Sell Your Boat; Dealer Cash Offer; Find. Find. Boats For Sale; ... Boats For Sale / / Sail / / Other / / Custom. 2020 Custom Marsh Cat. $7,500. Lancaster, NH 03584. Save. Share. Save. Request Info. Offered By ...
Some of the most iconic Marshall models currently listed include: 22, Sanderling 18, 26, 46 and M4. Specialized yacht brokers, dealers, and brokerages on YachtWorld have a diverse selection of Marshall models for sale, with listings spanning from 1972 year models to 2022. Find Marshall boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld.
August 3, 2015 8:39 pmDecember 20, 2015 12:51 pm by EyeInHand. Marsh Cat For Sale (sold) at St. Michaels, Maryland. (edit: Word from Ned is this boat now has a new owner, congrats to both.) I've been writing about Marsh Cats a lot lately. The boat I sailed aboard for the Chesapeake Float to Smith Island was Pete Peter's Marsh Cat Obadiah.
16′ 1982 Joel White MarshCat Sailboat Good Boats for Sale 1. Comments, Thoughts or Suggestions? You can leave a comment or question for OCH and members below.
And, from that Small Boats Monthly feature is this pretty photo of Marsh Cat, taken by builder Kevin McDonald. He built her using strip construction, 5/8" x 1" Western Red Cedar. If ordering Digital plan sets: These files are in PDF format.
Find Custom Marsh Cat boats for sale in 19802, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate Custom boats at Boat Trader!
Formerly built by Edey & Duff out of Mattapoisett, Marshall Marine acquired the molds and building rights to the Sakonnet 23 in 2010. This is a classic Joel White designed daysailer, with a shoal draft similar to our catboats. Her unique double ended design and graceful shear will surely be the envy of any harbor.
Sales Specialist: 1 (954) 449 4611. Charter Specialist: 1 (800) 262 0308
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Re: Scaled up marsh cat What are the width limitations for trailered boats in Italy? That might determine which design you select. Catboats tend to be very wide for their length as well as heavy, so your tow vehicle will need to be powerful enough to safely pull whatever you build.
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