Cat rigged

A boat or yacht that iscat-riggedhas a single mast, stepped well forward, carrying a singlefore and aft sail,behind the mast. A boat that is cat-rigged can also be described as having a Una rig.

Laser dinghiesare cat-rigged, as areFinn dinghies,Optimists,manyFreedom Yachtsand many traditional fishing vessels.

Also cat-rigged arecatboats,a traditional style of wide-beamed, shallow-draft boat, typicallygaff-riggedwith acentreboard.Formerly common on the East Coast of the United States they are more commonly seen as dinghy-sized open daysailers and class racers.

The terms cat-rigged, and catboat, should not be confused withcatamarans.Catamarans are not related to the term cat-rigged, though catamarans can be cat-rigged, if they have a single sail and no jib.

The term 'cat' may come from the 'cat head', a protruding cross beam, not far behind the bow, or head, of a sailing ship, to which the anchor was attached when the vessel was preparing for sea. The mast of a cat-rigged boat is stepped near the point where the 'cat head' would be.

See also

• Glossary of nautical terms

Further reading

• Grayson, Stan (2002).Cape Cod Catboats.Marblehead, MA: Devereux Books.ISBN1-928862-05-5.
• Leavens, John M.; Chapelle, Howard I. (September 1991).The Catboat Book(paperback). Middleboro, MA: Catboat Association with Intl Marine Publishing Co. pp.160.ISBN0877423148.ISBN978-0877423140