A truly unique design from Phil Bolger
Min./max. draft: Bridge clearance: Power: B/D ratio:
21' 5" 21' 5" 19' 0" 0' 4"/2' 6" 24' 0"
outboard 2 hp
Designer: Builder:
Years produced: Sail area: Fuel tankage: Water tankage:
Philip Bolger Edy & Duff 1976-1983 143 sq. ft. portable portable
Approx. trailering wgt.: 1,100 lbs.
Like her comps, Dovekie is basically a decked-over open boat. Bolger's design is unusual (some would say radical) with a dead-flat bottom (no rocker, no deadrise), leeboards, a tiny bow centerboard for working to weather in shallows, and oar ports so she can be used without resorting to outboard power (though a side-mounted outboard bracket is a popular option). Best features: Dovekie feels like a big skiff under sail, and is fairly stable both underway and at anchor, especially considering her light, unballasted hull. But her best features are (A) ease of towing behind a small car, (B) ease of launching and hauling at ramps, (C) ease of striking the mast (six-foot clearance under bridges), (D) ease of rigging and unrigging, and (E) the ability to cruise camper-style in very shallow water. With a boards-up draft of four inches, she can easily be beached for lunch and a swim. Worst features: Rowing power or a 2-hp outboard will only move her at about 2 to 3 knots. Accommodations are minimal, though no worse than her comps. Be prepared to rough it.
| Avg. | Max. | Motion | Space | No. of | Head- | |||||||
| Comps | LOD | Beam | MinDr Displ | Bllst | SA/D | D/L | PHRF | Speed | Index | Index | Berths | room |
| Sea Pearl 21 | 21' 0" | 5' 6" | 0' 6" 550 | 0 | 32.9 | 36 | NA | 5.8 | 4.4 | 147 | 2 | 3' 6" |
| Dovekie 21 | 21' 5" | 6' 8" | 0' 4" 600 | 0 | 32.9 | 39 | NA | 5.8 | 3.7 | 181 | 2 | 3' 0" |
| Bay Hen 21 | 21' 0" | 6' 3" | 0' 9" 900 | 0 | 30.0 | 66 | NA | 5.7 | 6.3 | 158 | 2 | 3' 3" |
Continue reading here: The Balboa with a different cabin house
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Readers' Questions
Where to buy the plans for a dovekie sailboat?
You can purchase plans for a Dovekie sailboat from various websites, such as Sparkman & Stephens, and MyBoatsPlans.com.
A Sneakeasy Home Page
Backwater Boats (aka Fritz's Boat Page)
Chebacco Sailboats – Designed by Phil Bolger
Building the sheet-ply chebacco-20.
By Bill Samson
The Chebacco-20 is a trailerable dayboat designed by Phil Bolger, the prolific American naval architect who is perhaps best known for his ‘Instant Boat’ designs for amateur boatbuilders. The design was commissioned by Brad Story, the boatbuilder of Essex, Massachusetts – a few miles along the coast from Phil’s base in Gloucester. The resulting boat is unballasted, with a shallow keel and centreboard, displacing about 1200 pounds (550 kg). She relies on her form, rather than ballast, for stability although some owners have seen fit to put in two or three hundred pounds of ballast. She is rigged as a cat-yawl, with a high peaked gaff main and small sprit-boomed mizzen. The cockpit is huge, for a 20-foot boat, and the cabin minimal – with room for a couple of sleeping bags on the floor. With a simple boom-tent, there’s room for two more to sleep in the cockpit.
Construction is ‘tack and tape’; rather like ‘stitch and glue’ but without the stitches. The plans give accurate dimensions for the bulkheads and panels (- no lofting needed -) and the bulkheads are set up and panels tacked to them.
The joints between the panels are left slightly open and are filled with thickened epoxy. Glass tape is epoxied inside and outside the hull at each joint and the entire hull is sheathed in glass cloth and epoxy. This gives an extremely strong hull, which is as nearly maintenance-free as any form of construction.
Plans for the sheet ply Chebacco-20 are available from Phil Bolger & Friends. You should also get hold of Dynamite Payson’s book “Build the New Instant Boats” which describes lots of useful techniques which are applicable to the sheet-ply Chebacco.
Before starting work on any full size boat, I’d strongly recommend building an eighth scale model, using 1/16 inch ply. This will help to sort out any uncertainties you may have when reading the plans, without costing an arm and a leg if you make a mistake.
People often ask how long it will take to build a Chebacco-20. The answer is ‘It depends . . .’. I bought my plans at the end of 1992 and launched in the spring of 1996. In Scotland there are only 5 or 6 months of the year when epoxy will set successfuly out of doors, where I built my boat. Altogether, I believe I spent about 500 hours on the project, give or take. I used hand tools for just about every operation, apart from sanding. I went for a pretty good finish and probably spent as much as 40% of the construction time sanding and filling. If you’re content with a less fussy finish, you’ll be able to save a considerable number of hours.
Another question that comes up a lot is the cost of materials. I spent about £1200 (about $2000) on materials, but going with the best quality possible you could easily double or even triple that amount. You have a lot of leeway in your choices.
Construction of the Chebacco-20, as designed, takes 22 sheets of half inch ply. The for’ard end of the bilge panels has considerable twist and some builders prefer to laminate this section from two layers of 1/4 inch ply. Builders planning to take this route should buy 20 sheets of half inch and four of quarter inch. There’s something to be said, too, for laminating the cabin roof. If you do that you’ll need 18 sheets of half inch and 8 of quarter inch. This amount of ply assumes that you are building the keel sections as plywood boxes, as shown on the plan, and that the floorboards in cockpit and cabin are made of ply. If you have access to a good bandsaw it is possible to cut the keel from solid timber and save a sheet or so of ply. Similarly if you make the floorboards from timber slats, you’ll save another 3 sheets.
In addition to the ply, you’ll need about 10 gallons of epoxy resin. You can buy this a gallon at a time, as you go. In fact it’s probably best to do this because unless you’re a very quick worker, the construction will probably take over a year – three or four years of spare-time work is typical. About 100 yards of 4-inch wide glass tape is needed, and about 30 yards of 6 ounce glass cloth for sheathing the outside of the hull.
Wood is also needed for framing various parts of the boat and for the spars, but again this can be bought as you go along. Construction-grade fir is perfectly adequate for this job, as it will all be sealed in epoxy. You might even consider finding a yard that re-cycles old timber and save yourself a bit of money – especially for the mast.
A problem for many home boatbuilders is the choice of building site. It is undoubtedly best to build in a shed if one is available. I, and a couple of other Chebacco builders have used a temporary polythene tunnel – although it might get a bit hot in warm climates. If the climate is warm, then you can build out of doors and throw a tarp over the boat when you aren’t working on it. You’ll need at least 3 or 4 feet to move all around the hull for comfort when you are working on it.
A polyethylene boat ‘shed’.
Like most ‘instant’ boats, the Chebacco hull is built upside down. Despite the fact that smaller ‘instant’ boats can be built on a couple of trestles, some kind of backbone is necessary for the constructions of the Chebacco. The style of backbone is up to you. I used a “ladder” made of reclaimed two by sixes, with the “rungs” spaced to match the bulkheads/moulds. I set this up on legs about a foot off the ground with packing under the feet to keep everything level – this is crucially important if you want to avoid building a twisted hull.
The frames and moulds have been set up on a ladder-style backbone. The topsides have been fitted and the bottom is ready to be lowered into place.
Full size lofting of the parts of the sheet ply Chebacco isn’t necessary. The shapes of the bulkheads and transom are marked out on the sheets of ply, following the dimensions given in the plans. Marking out actually takes longer than cutting them out! I found that this was very hard on the knees and would recommend getting knee pads before you start. Incidentally, it’s a good idea to plan the layout of components on the ply sheets before you start, in order to minimise wastage.
The bulkheads and transom are cut out. The temporary moulds can be made from chipboard (particleboard). Most of the cutting out can be done with a hand held circular saw – the curves are pretty gentle. A sabre saw or jigsaw can also be used but gives wobbly edges that need planing up. A hand saw is also perfectly OK a crosscut saw with hardened teeth gets through the wood surprisingly quickly and without the nervous tension that always seems to go with handling power tools. Try it!
It’s not a bad idea, at this stage, to pre-coat all your plywood components with epoxy after cutting them out. It’s much easier to get a drip-free coat on a horizontal surface than a vertical one. The downside is that all the gluing surfaces need to be roughened up and you’ll need to protect the epoxy from UV degradation until you paint it.
There are various ways in which the stem can be made. It can be laminated from fir or mahogany. I’d recommend laminating it from offcuts of half-inch ply (seven layers) glued side by side and liberally coated with epoxy. To save work later, you can cut the bevels roughly on a bandsaw, making sure not to cut too deep. The final bevels will be determined once the stem is set up with the bulkheads and moulds.
Before setting up the bulkheads it’s a good idea to glue on the one and a half by four inch “floors” on bulkheads 4 and 5 and the framing around the transom. Fir is fine for these. The plans give accurate instructions for bevelling the transom and its framing – do this now.
Following the measurements given in the lines plan, the bulkheads, moulds , transom and stem are fixed to the backbone using simple battens and nails which will be removed later. Be very careful to line everything up accurately using a spirit level and double check the heights of the gluing surfaces for the bottom. I found a lot of fiddling was necessary at this stage. Once you’ve fixed on the topsides you are committed and there’s no going back!
The shapes of the topsides and bottom are set out on the ply, using a bendy batten to mark fair curves for their edges. This is vitally important for the finished look of the craft. They are cut out and the parts joined with butt straps as shown in the plans. Again, precoating with epoxy is desirable at this stage.
The positions of stem, moulds, bulkheads and transom are marked out on the topsides and bottom. The topsides can be temporarily fitted to the bulkheads using screws and cleats as necessary. An extra pair of hands helps here though it can be done single-handed by suspending the topsides with string from the shed roof, as shown in the photo above. Some fine adjustments to the heights of the bulkheads will probably be needed at this stage.
Once you are satisfied with the positioning of the topsides, They are glued on and epoxy fillets are applied to strengthen the topsides/bulkhead joints. Notice that there is no need to bevel the bulkhead edges. The epoxy fills the gaps and, indeed, a stronger joint results. The bottom is then fitted in much the same way as the topsides.
Detail of topside/frame joint – epoxy filleted and later taped with glass.
The next thing to do is make the bilge panels. No dimensions are given for these on the plans because the fine adjustments of the previous stages could result in significant variation in the bilge panel shapes. The panels are made a section at a time and then fitted, with butt straps being applied on the boat.
The shape of the bilge panel can be determined by laying a long sheet of wrapping paper (as stiff as possible) along the gap between topsides and bottom that the bilge panel will fill. The shape of this gap is transferred to the paper by rubbing coloured chalk along the edges. It is best to do this on each side of the boat separately, as there are likely to be small differences. Notice that because the bottom and topsides are not bevelled, the shape traced will be too large by about a half inch. This can be trimmed away later as fitting of each panel progresses.
The shape of the for’ard section of the bilge panel is marked out on a sheet of ply and cut out. This section is best fitted starting at the stem and screwing on cleats inside to make it lie against the topsides and bottom, working aft, trimming it to size as you go. There is tremendous twist in this panel and I used a Spanish windlass (twisted rope) attached to a clamp at the aft end of the panel to pull it into position. There is a colossal amount of potential energy in this twisted panel so take care that it doesn’t accidentally come loose and decapitate you! I found that, with the plywood I was using, if I left it clamped in position for a day or so, the plywood took up its shape and had less tendency to spring back when further work was done. Alternatively, this section can be laminated in situ using two layers of quarter inch ply.
These sections of the bilge panels are glued into position, both sides, and epoxy fillets applied as necessary.
The open chine joint is filled with thickened epoxy. This will later be taped, inside and out.
Butt straps are screwed and glued to the for’ard sections of the bilge panels. The other two sections of the bilge panels can then be fitted and glued. This job is easy peasy compared to fitting the for’ard section.
All the joints, inside and out, are taped with 4 inch glass tape and epoxy. (I won’t go into details here – Dynamite Payson explains the process beautifully in “Build the New Instant Boats”.) Two layers of tape inside, and one outside will be more than adequate – stronger than the plywood itself.
The outside of the hull needs to be faired using a power sander ( – I like the dual action type – ) and a long sanding board with 60-grade paper on it. All hollows should be filled and all humps sanded down at this stage. It sounds straightforward but takes ages to do right. Any unfairness at this stage will stick out like a sore thumb on a glossy hull. BE SURE TO USE A BREATHING MASK AND GOGGLES WHEN YOU DO THIS – EPOXY DUST CAN BE VERY BAD FOR YOU!
Fairing the hull with a sanding board
The outside of the hull is now sheathed in glass cloth and epoxy. A layer of six ounce glass cloth ( plain weave or biaxial ) to the outside of the hull, using about three coats of epoxy to fill the weave. Beware of drips, sags and runs! Dynamite’s book again explains the process very well.
Glass cloth draped on the hull, ready to be wet out with epoxy.
Applying epoxy to the glass cloth sheathing with a foam roller.
This is a good time to make the centerboard case (and the centerboard). This is a straightforward bit of joinery and needs no special explanation. NOTE, however, that the case protrudes through the bottom of the boat to the level of the outside of the keel.
The centerboard case is fitted into the hull. This is an awful job as it involves cutting the slot in the bottom and making sure it lines up accurately with the slot in bulkhead 4 and its associated floor. You’ll probably need to use a combination of sabre saw, handsaw, abrasive disk and files along with a liberal sprinkling of four letter words, working inside the hull and sawdust, epoxy dust and glass dust raining down. Goggles are a good idea – I didn’t wear any and had to go to hospital to get a sliver of glass/epoxy removed from my cornea at this stage!
The centreboard case in position ( as seen from inside the cabin).
The keel pieces, cheeks and outer stem can now be made and fitted. Unless you have large-scale woodworking machinery, the built-up ply version shown on the plan will be easiest. As a matter of interest I have once or twice run my Chebacco aground pretty violently and the box section keel survived unscathed.
The box-section keel in place. Note the holes which allow water to drain from the keel.
Some builders have gone for solid wooden keel pieces – fir or oak. The outer stem from two thicknesses of one and a quarter inch thick fir – again easier than working with a single thick piece of timber. The stem and keel can now be sheathed in glass and epoxy.
Fitting the outer stem-piece.
More sanding and fairing is needed at this stage. This shouldn’t be too bad if the last lot was done well. Again take precautions against inhaling the dust.
Once the hull has been sanded and faired it is a good idea to paint it so that there will be no worries about UV degradation of the epoxy. You could use a white epoxy paint undercoat which will show up various irregularities which have been hiding until now (I guarantee it!). You can then use a filler (polyester is fine, and easier to sand than epoxy). This is then topped with marine enamel – I’d recommend a two-part linear polyurethane paint. It’s twice the price of ordinary enamel, but lasts more than twice as long. The finish is unbelievably hard. I used the same stuff on a skiff five years ago and it hasn’t needed repainting, so I claim the extra expense and trouble of these fancy paints is worthwhile. Having said that, most builders use conventional marine enamel on top of the epoxy. So it’s up to you. The waterline needs to be struck at this stage. ( You figure out a good way; I can’t.) The area under the waterline (and 2 or three inches above it) should be painted with antifouling if you are to keep the boat in the water for any length of time. If you put this straight on the epoxy and it should adhere well. Use a long handled roller to apply the paint to the inside of the centreboard case.
The outside of the hull is now finished, so it needs to be turned over. This is most easily done by six or more willing helpers. I rigged up a frame around the hull with ropes and pulleys and managed it single handed (- well, one of the neighbours did help a bit).
Flipping the completed hull using pulleys and ropes.
With the hull right-way-up, the inside joints can be taped, and the remaining floors fitted and glued in.
The next phase of construction is straightforward joinery. The inwales, seat frames, and carlines for decks are fitted.
Framing for side-benches and decks.
The inside of the hull is finished with 3 coats of epoxy before the decks and seats are added. Foam roller application is easiest. Watch out for runs!
The decks, seats, outboard well panels etc. are fitted to the framing. These should be precoated with epoxy and then glued/nailed in place.
The cabin sides are made and glued into position. This is pretty much a cut-and-try operation, since no shapes are given for the expanded panels on the drawings. It’s best to cut the holes for the port lights before fixing them in place.
Framing for the cabin roof is fitted to the cabin sides and faired. The cabin roof is made in two halves and glued/screwed in position. Here’s where two layers of quarter inch plywood would be an easier option, as the transverse curvature of the roof is pretty extreme for half inch ply.
Framing for the coach roof.
The hatch slides can be made (fir or mahogany is fine) and glued/screwed in place. It is vital to make sure that they are parallel, otherwise the hatch will stick and/or rattle!
Finishing touches are now done – hatch, washboards, mast slot cover and so on. This is also a good time to cut ventilator holes in the rear compartments and fix on clamshell covers. Cleats to support the floorboards can be fitted now, too. The mast step is made and fixed securely in place. Heavy galvanised woodscrews are probably the strongest option for fixing the step. The floorboards are made to fit loosely in place – cockpit and cabin.
The decks and cabin roof are now glassed and epoxied in the same way as the hull, and then faired and painted. With painting complete the final parts can be made and added – the rubbing strakes, the stemhead cleat, the rudder.
Rubbing strakes. Note the wooden plugs which hide the screw-heads. These are neatly trimmed later.
The Jonesport cleat at the stemhead – This should be through-bolted to the breasthook.
The rudder and its stock. Note the end-plate which increases the effectiveness of a relatively small rudder. The stock here is only 1″ diameter. The plans specify 2″. 2″ is better if you can find suitable material.
The spars must now be made. Clear spruce or fir is very expensive. Bolger is a conservative designer, however, and less-than-perfect wood such as may be found in any timber yard will be fine. I made mine from reclaimed timber from a demolition yard; £20 the lot!
Sails can be purchased, or made. I made my own and they work very well. There are a number of good books on the market and there’s no reason why anyone with a needle and palm shouldn’t make a perfectly satisfactory set of sails. OK, professional sailmakers make a better job, but then professional boatbuilders make better hulls in most cases, but that doesn’t stop us wanting to build our own.
After fitting cleats, you are ready to go sailing.
Launch day!
The Chebacco handles like a big dinghy. I have sailed in company with Wayfarers and she has similar performance, with more comfort for the crew! She tacks through 90 degrees and goes well on all points of sail. Being slack-bilged, she heels readily in a gust, but stiffens remarkably once the chine goes under. The slack bilges mean that the wetted area is small, so she really flies in a breeze. A reef is needed above force 4, or so, depending on how many crew you have for ballast, and another reef at force 5. Above force 6 I’d be inclined to drop the sails and use the outboard for the homeward trip.
Sailing the Chebacco – It’s all been worth it!
Although she is designed for easy trailering, I keep my Chebacco on a mooring in the Tay estuary from Easter until October. I row out to her in a light dinghy (Bolger’s ‘June Bug’) and can be underway within 15 minutes of going aboard. Tidying up after sailing can be done in similar short order. The mast slot allows the mainmast to be raised single-handed; a great advantage for lone sailors. She has no vices that I’ve found.
Snugged down at her mooring with a tarp over the boom to keep the rain out
Other Chebaccos
This Motorsailer version of the Chebacco was built by Bob Cushing
An open version of the Chebacco-20 with lapstrake hull, belonging to Alessandro Barozzi of Italy.
A lapstrake Chebacco-20 by Marc Lindgren sails into the sunset.
Bibliography
Further information about all the Chebacco boats is to be found in Phil Bolger’s book:
“Boats with an Open Mind”, published by International Marine, Camden, Maine, 1994
The following books describe building techniques that are appropriate for the Chebacco:
Harold “Dynamite” Payson, “Build the New Instant Boats”, International Marine, Camden, Maine, 1985 (Published in the UK by Stanford Maritime)
Samual Devlin, “Devlin’s Boat Building – How to build any boat the Stitch and Glue way”, International Marine, Camden, Maine, 1995
Bill Samson keeps a mailing list for Chebacco owners and builders, and publishes a newsletter 6 times a year. He can be contacted at:
Bill Samson,
88 Grove Road,
West Ferry,
Email:- [email protected]
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- Sailboat Guide
Phil Bolger
American designer and one of the most prolific of all time. Bolger work can’t really be categorized, but he is best known for his small boats intended for the amature builder. He had a vast knowledge of seafaring history was responsible for the 114’, eighteenth century warship replica ‘ROSE’. Bolger was the author of a number of books and hundreds of articles on small boat design.
3 Sailboats designed by Phil Bolger
Lady Slipper
Edey & Duff Shearwater 28
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Boat Profile
Bolger's adaptation of the Beetle Cat for tack-and-tape construction
From Issue Small Boats Annual 2022 September 2021
I built a Bolger Bobcat back in 1998 and, while I very much enjoyed building and sailing it, three years later I sold it as I turned my attention to another boat. I soon came to regret selling my catboat. This past winter, with space in the shop and no project to tide me over, I decided to build another one and purchased Harold “Dynamite” Payson’s Build the Instant Catboat . This 42-page building manual notes that the 12′ Bobcat was designed in 1985 by Philip Bolger for H.H. Payson and Co. as a hard-chined, tack-and-tape plywood adaptation of the carvel-planked Beetle Cat designed in 1921 by John Beetle of New Bedford, Massachusetts.
In his book, Payson lays out the project in great detail and with frequent humor. He includes multiple detailed drawings, photos, and step-by-step instructions, including rigging the sail and what type of line to use for the halyards.
The hull panels and permanent bulkheads are drawn out on sheets of 1/4″ plywood; all of the parts can be made with 10 sheets, including the deck panels, centerboard trunk, centerboard, and bulkheads. Payson recommends marine-grade or AC exterior plywood; I went with fir AC. The plywood I got was excellent quality, and I had no problems bending the panels into the shapes they needed to be. The manual provides measured drawings for the hull planking—there is no need for spiling the shapes from the building form—and goes into great detail on drawing and cutting out the pieces.
Assembly of the hull begins with the sides bent around the transom and two of the five bulkheads.
There are five bulkheads—designated A, B, C, D, and E from bow to stern—that serve as molds but are also permanent fixtures in the boat. Instead of setting all five up on a ladder frame, just bulkheads B and E and the transom are set up and around them the side panels bent by drawing their forward ends together. The rest of the bulkheads and the stem are then attached inside the side panels without requiring a ladder frame or strongback to support them. The bottom panel follows and is attached to the bulkheads.
Attaching the bilge panels is the most difficult part of the hull construction due to their size, the compound curve at bulkhead A, and the twist to attach them to the stem. I applied towels soaked in hot water to the forward ends and was able to coax them into place without too much effort. Payson gives a good description and photos of the process and how he overcame the minor difficulty he had.
The forward ends on the bilge panels get “tortured” into a compound curve by gentle arcs on the edges of the forwardmost frame.
As the bottom and bilge panels are added, they are temporarily screwed to temporary cleats on the bulkheads, until the seams are secured with fiberglass tape and epoxy, first on the outside and then on the inside after the hull is turned over and the inside joints are taped. This completes the basic hull.
The solid stock the plans require for the rubrails, deckbeams, skeg, and floorboards is 1×2 or 1×4 lumber. I was able to repurpose a pine 2×10 and leftover lumber, resawn to the dimensions I needed. I laminated the tiller from two layers of maple.
Payson recommends flotation in the bow and under the decks aft. Before installing the deck, I fit 2″-thick insulation foam between the deckbeams and filled the section between the forward bulkhead and stem with it. The hull’s exterior and deck are covered in fiberglass set in epoxy.
Only the aft half of the centerboard trunk intrudes into the cockpit. The forward half is under the foredeck.
T he plans call for a coaming made of 1/2″ plywood, installed in three sections joined with square corners. Bolger said of the coaming: “I haven’t duplicated the curved cockpit coaming of the Beetle Cat. I like the looks of it but it doesn’t seem to suit the style of the plywood boat as well, and there’s no functional advantage. It’s an economy in a shop with a steambox going all the time and a steady supply of fresh-cut oak coming in, but not so in a plywood-and-glue operation.” I thought that Bolger’s coaming looked too boxy, and laminated mine from three layers of 1/8″ mahogany plywood in one continuous piece with rounded corners. It was the only significant modification I made to the design.
The mast is 15′, the boom 13′6″, and the gaff 8′. The mast is built from two 3-1/2″ planks with 1/2″ spacers between them and tapers to 2-1/2″ the top 6′. The centers of the planks have a 1/2″-deep-by-1-1/2″-wide groove cut in them to make the mast hollow and save weight. I made several cuts with a circular saw and chiseled out the waste.
A lead weight in the centerboard pulls it down, and a peg in one of three holes holds it position for partial deployment. The toggle, on the end of an 8″ lanyard, is the final limiter. The curved coaming here is a departure from the square corners in the plans.
The Bobcat’s centerboard is made of three layers of 1/4″ plywood with a 6″ square cut out for weight—10.9 lbs of poured-in lead, according to the plans. In lieu of working with molten lead and its toxic fumes, I used lead shot, leftover from my reloading days, mixed with epoxy. The board, finished with a coat of epoxy, turned out well.
The barn-door rudder allows the cat to sail shallows and come ashore without being removed. Its horizontal bottom plate, seen here submerged, gives it a solid purchase when the boat is heeled.
The barn-door rudder is 24″ long, 16″ tall, and 1-1/2″ thick. I made mine of three layers of 1/2″ ply. Its bottom edge is even with that of the skeg and has a bottom plate that is 12″ wide and 23-1/2″ long. “Cats with shallow rudders,” wrote Bolger, “have a bad name for weathercocking against a hard-over rudder when they’re overpowered, but since I learned to put end plates across the bottoms of the rudders I haven’t had any complaints about this. It’s astonishing how shallow a rudder can be and still steer the boat, if the water is kept from rushing off the bottom of the blade.” Payson notes in his book that he hadn’t heard of this “horizontal foot” before seeing it in Bolger’s plans, but he was quick to approve of it: “I can vouch for its effectiveness on Bobcat, for her rudder holds right on when she heels over.” The plans call for a pair of brass or stainless straps on top of the rudder so the tiller can be quickly inserted through the transom and held to the rudder blade. Lacking a means to bend the metal neatly, I opted to bolt the tiller to the rudder.
I have access to a lake a short walk from my home so I have not trailered this boat, but its light weight—I figure 250 lbs—shouldn’t be a problem for any automobile.
I can easily step the mast standing on the foredeck while the boat is afloat, and in about 20 minutes from start to finish I’ll have the boom, gaff, and halyards for the throat, peak, and topping lift in place. There is ample room in the cockpit for moving around, shifting weight, tending lines, etc. Standing to raise or lower the sail is no problem due to the stability provided by the wide beam. The aft seat is large, but most of the time I sit on the floor or on the side deck. I built a pair of removable seats that slip over the coaming to make a more comfortable perch than the coaming’s edge. The low position of the boom blocks visibility to leeward, unless I’m sitting on the floorboards. There is a large area under the foredeck for storage with easy access.
The Bobcat carries a 110 sq ft gaff sail. The two lines emerging from the masthead are the peak halyard and the topping lift.
I am very pleased with the Bobcat’s performance. For a 12-footer, it feels more like a big boat. The wide beam makes for a stable platform, and it is an excellent boat for a first-time sailor. It is surprisingly quick to windward. “A gaff sail like this can be cut as close-winded as a jib-headed sail,” according to Bolger. In my estimation, the catboat will tack as close as 30 degrees to windward. Coming about, it carries enough way to avoid getting caught in irons. It doesn’t seem to mind gusts; it just heels over only so far and stops, even when hit with a wind from a different direction, as happens in the lake I sail in. Typical of catboats, the Bobcat has a bit of weather helm which helps the cat round up in gusts. In a jibe, the gaff follows right along with the boom without any problem.
Accommodations for rowing—a seat and oarlocks—are not included in the plans, and rowing with a conveniently sized pair of oars is not possible due to the 6′ beam. I use a canoe paddle for auxiliary power; it is easy to store under the foredeck when sailing. I am considering integrating a small electric trolling motor alongside the skeg for auxiliary power. The boat’s light weight should make it easily driven.
I have a little over $2,000 invested in the boat, including the sail, which was the largest single expense and ordered from H.H. Payson Co. Their sailmaker has a five-month backlog, but I was advised that sometimes they find time for a quicker delivery to Payson’s customers.
Bobcat Particulars
[table] Length/12′ 3″ Beam/6′ Sail area/110 sq ft Weight/ approx. 250 lbs Draft, board up /11″
Plans ($45) and full-sized patterns ($105) for the Bobcat are available from H.H. Payson & Company. The boat goes by three different names: Bobcat, Tiny Cat, and the Instant Catboat. Small-scale plans and building instructions for Bobcat are included in Build the Instant CatBoat , by Dynamite Payson, available from H.H. Payson & Company and The WoodenBoat Store . The book’s small-scale plans were intended as illustrations only, not for reading text and numbers; the plans and patterns from H.H. Payson & Company are recommended for building the Bobcat.
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Comments (18)
I built the Bobcat back in 2004/5. Got the plans and full sized patterns from Payton. It was an easy build and much fun sailing. I was initially skeptical of the rudder design but it proved to be excellent. Built a motor mount on the transom for a 2-hp Yamaha.
I’m wanting a motor mount for my Bobcat but haven’t found a suitable mount. Could you provide any details on how you attached it to the transom?
I built a Bobcat and can vouch for what’s reported here; it’s an excellent boat and build. Surprisingly close-winded, but 30 degrees? No. The stern seat’s useless; in my boat it serves only to hold an Opti flotation bag in place. I saved a ton of time and money by using the spars and sail from a wrecked Beetle Cat — identical above-deck dimensions except for the roach in the Beetle sail; requires minor fiddling with the step. Works fine.
No one has mentioned the planking. Is it scarfed or using butt blocks to get the length needed ? Great looking little sailor ! Regards David Jackson
David, Butt blocks are used.
Hi John, What is the other boat in the pic of your workshop ? Regards David Jackson
David, It is my steam launch, E. SCOTT HAMMOND. There was an editorial about it in the October 2018 issue of Small Boats.
I miss my Bobcat! Here’s a little video I made sailing her last winter.
What a great video!! Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you! Your piece was a great read! I am envious of your nearby lake. I buy and sell a lot of boats in need. The Bobcat is one I would definitely own again.
An observation about bending plywood panels: It is a time-honored practice to use hot water and towels for bending plywood, but in fact, the water adds nothing to the process (except to distribute the heat). The problem with this, besides the inevitable messiness, is that it also raises the grain, and means the wood has to dry out before moving on to other procedures. Fir plywood is especially problematic with grain raising. Instead, I like to use dry heat for bending (and it works on solid wood as well as plywood).
For a panel the size of Bobcat’s bilge plank, I’d use a well spread out, broad source of heat, such as an electric infra red space heater, the kind with a parabolic reflector. It only takes a few minutes’, especially with plywood as thin as 1/4″, to heat it sufficiently. You can check with a bare hand to tell if it seems hot enough. Apply bending pressure every so often, until you can feel the panel relax and start to bend. After withdrawing the heat, the wood stiffens up very quickly, and will hold its bent shape. If it still seems stubborn, it’s easy enough to reapply the heat for another try.
For smaller pieces, a heat gun works well. Be careful not to scorch the wood.
David, I built a Bobcat in the winter of 1999/2000. In a barely heated detached double garage in MN. I don’t recall any big problems bending the plywood. I’d previously built a Simmons Sea-Skiff and after bending the forward end of keelson at on that … The Bobcat was my first stitch and glue and I was more worried about how that would go, so I may have spaced bending problems.
An aside: My wife and I happened to be in Maine in 1999 and stopped in to say hello to Harold Payton. We chatted for a short time with Harold and his wife in his shop. I may have bought plans for the Bobcat that day. Later that day or the next I went to Bohndell Sails in Rockport and ordered a sail for the Bobcat.
I’ve always admired this design and have Payson’s book. That curved coaming is such a nice feature and it, along with your article, has renewed my interest building one for myself
My father and a group of his age or there abouts finished a bunch of cold-molded hulls, I believe purchased surplus right after WW II. The hulls were found some where in Delaware or Maryland by a friend. They ended up as sailing dinghies, 9′ long, mast about 18′, with 65 sq ft sail area, called Bobcats. They were centerboarders. They were a lot of fun for us as kids growing up with all kinds of racing and special events, i.e. scavenger hunts, pajama races, picnics, etc. Also frost-biting in the winter. This was at the yacht club in Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York, off western Long Island Sound. In the early ’50s they started another building program for Penguins.
I’m finishing a half-built Bobcat I dragged home from up north. I have a few sails in the Beetle Cat and so I deleted the rear seat for more lounge room. Can’t wait to hit the local waters next year. Have a Sailrite kit just waiting for those winter doldrums. Thanks so much for the article and photos.
John, Nice article! Has anyone thought of starting a Bobcat Owners Association? It would be nice to share information about details of the build, trailering, adventures and observations. This is my next build and more photos of the building process are always welcome.
I finished building a Bobcat from a half-built hull and converted a salvaged Beetle Cat rig for it, which works splendidly well. I do wish Phil Bolger hadn’t specified that wide seat-like object in the stern. You can sit there, but you shouldn’t; it throws the trim off and makes the boat look awkward. Check out the first photo in this article: the boat’s squatting with the bow out of the water. Look at where Bolger places the sailor in his profile drawing: forward of that horrid back bench. I put side benches in, which cramps the cockpit somewhat, but the boat sails like a dream with the better trim.
Andrew, I agree the aft seat is awkward and I had thought about the side benches you mentioned. I usually end up sitting on the side deck and made seats that fit over the coaming.
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Phil Bolger & Friends Inc. 66 Atlantic Street Gloucester, MA 01930-1627 USA. Some designs are available at Dynamite Payson's website Instantboats.com. Information Sources: The Bolger Design List is of some assistance. Bolger Boats on the Web is a another resource. Any search in a search engine with the term Bolger - and the name of the design ...
Chebaccos are a family of camp cruiser sailboats designed by Phil Bolger (1927-2009), one of the world's most prolific and innovative boat designers. Chebacco boats are commonly, but not exclusively, home built. The majority of Chebacco boats are 19'8″ cat yawl rigged double chine ply construction, but other versions include lapstrake ...
Philip C. Bolger (December 3, 1927 - May 24, 2009) was a prolific American boat designer, who was born and lived in Gloucester, Massachusetts.He began work full-time as a draftsman for boat designers Lindsay Lord and then John Hacker in the early 1950s.. The Gloucester Light Dory, one of Bolger's better-known designs. Bolger's first boat design was a 32-foot (9.75 m) sportfisherman published ...
Bolger work can't really be categorized, but he is best known for his small boats intended for the amature builder. He had a vast knowledge of seafaring history was responsible for the 114', eighteenth century warship replica 'ROSE'. Bolger was the author of a number of books and hundreds of articles on small boat design.
Presently I am aware of 540 Bolger boat designs, out of a total of perhaps 650-700 ever created. (If you know of any other Bolger designs I missed, please let me know!) Also, I am missing copies of the magazine Messing About in Boats (Volume 9, issues 1 through 15) May to December 1991, which likely contain some of the missing designs.
The Bolger-designed Chebacco boat is an 18′ cat yawl based on an earlier Bolger daysailing cat. Other than the mizzen, the rigs of the first Chebacco and Harbinger were essentially the same unstayed gaff cat with a very short luff, and a long gaff and boom. The shape of the main allows for a short mast, which in the cold-molded Chebacco is a ...
Philip Bolger Edy & Duff 1976-1983 143 sq. ft. portable portable. Approx. trailering wgt.: 1,100 lbs. Like her comps, Dovekie is basically a decked-over open boat. Bolger's design is unusual (some would say radical) with a dead-flat bottom (no rocker, no deadrise), leeboards, a tiny bow centerboard for working to weather in shallows, and oar ...
Sneakeasy is a 26 foot Phil Bolger "power sharpie", a simple flat-bottomed craft (at least in it's initial conception), which Phil advances as a very efficient power boat, but which also retains essential elements of the period elegance of some early 20th century speedboats. Sneakeasy is a plywood boat of simple "instant" construction, designed ...
By Bill Samson. The Chebacco-20 is a trailerable dayboat designed by Phil Bolger, the prolific American naval architect who is perhaps best known for his 'Instant Boat' designs for amateur boatbuilders. The design was commissioned by Brad Story, the boatbuilder of Essex, Massachusetts - a few miles along the coast from Phil's base in ...
Phil Bolger. 1927 — 2009. American designer and one of the most prolific of all time. Bolger work can't really be categorized, but he is best known for his small boats intended for the amature builder. He had a vast knowledge of seafaring history was responsible for the 114', eighteenth century warship replica 'ROSE'.
In 2019 and 2020, I bought, restored, and sailed a Bolger Bobcat catboat. Phil Bolger designed the Bobcat as a plywood-built, hard-chined version of the Beet...
Bolger preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Bolger used sailboats for sale by owner.
A Bolger Instant Boat. Written by William Skelly. From Issue Small Boats Annual 2022 April 2021. I was 17 in the spring of 2020 when I decided that I would build my first wooden sailboat. I had two major criteria for this summer vacation project: the boat had to be small enough to build and store in my garage, and it could cost no more than $1,000.
This 42-page building manual notes that the 12′ Bobcat was designed in 1985 by Philip Bolger for H.H. Payson and Co. as a hard-chined, tack-and-tape plywood adaptation of the carvel-planked Beetle Cat designed in 1921 by John Beetle of New Bedford, Massachusetts.In his book, Payson lays out the project in great detail and with frequent humor.
Phil Bolger & Friends Group. Public group. ·. 5.2K members. Join group. Discussing, celebrating, and building the late Philip C. Bolger's (1927-2009) boat designs and similar inspired work.
I've been busy building boats. More specifically I have been building the Bolger Micro Trawler. This from the guy who wrote the Duckworks 2008 article "Need for Speed ". My wife did not like getting into " Chuggerboat". Her needs also caused me to have to build a boat large enough to have indoor accommodations.
Model Glouchester Gull. Category Small Boats. Length 15'. Posted Over 1 Month. 2006 Bolger Glouchester Gull, Classic Phil Bolger Glouchester Gull dory. Full restored at Cutts and Case. Includes new Karavan trailer. Include new Shaw and Tenney oars and new oar locks. Rigged with two trolling stations. $2000, 7727081982.
Phil Bolger & Friends Inc. 66 Atlantic Street Gloucester, MA 01930-1627 USA. Some designs are available at Dynamite Payson's website Instantboats.com. Information Sources: The Bolger Design List is of some assistance. Bolger Boats on the Web is a another resource. Any search in a search engine with the term Bolger - and the name of the design ...
Philip C. Bolger (December 3, 1927 - May 24, 2009) was a prolific American boat designer, who was born and lived in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He began work full-time as a draftsman for boat designers in the early 1950s. Bolger's first boat design was a 32-foot (9.75 m) sportsfisherman published in the January 1952 issue of Yachting Magazine.
Had a nice little sail last week. This is a boat that I built about two years ago. It's a 15 1/2 foot double ended "sharpie" designed by the late Phil Bolger...
30' Etchells 22 Nautical Donations Crowleys Yacht Yard 3434 E 95th St Chicago Il 60617, Illinois Asking $12,000
Bolger Featherwind - Dave Carnell $200 Sailboat Article By Richard Frye. The spars on the Feather wind were made from a nice piece of straight grained yellow pine treated 2x6. I ripped it to 1-1/2" making it square and rounded the edged. Worked great for many years. The mast was laminated 2x4s of the same material and rounded.
Post pics of interesting Phil Bolger boats. Ask questions and promote discussion. The yahoo Bolger group appears to be abandoned. Perhaps this can be a place for discussion on FB.