Valkyrie II

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Fatcat2: Introduction

In looking over the various designs by Jim Michalak and others, my goal for my second boat project was something with just a bit more room and comfort. I liked the size of the Vector, and the ease of handling a single gaff sail (although I suspect that those used to runnning witha balanced lug or sprit rig my take exception to the "ease of handling" thingy in regards toa gaff rig!). I also wanted to have a cabin large enough for me to overnight on the boat

The other thing that influenced my decision was having had the opportunity to sail on some of the other wooden boats in our fleet. I was finally convinced that the leeboard concept was really the best way to, in that it allows the builder to maximize the available space in a fairly compact overall package.

Jim Michalak's Fatcat2

After weighing all these factors, I finally decided on the Fatcat2, another Jim Michalak design. The boat is loosely patterned after the classic New England catboats of the late 1800's. A catboat, by the way is defined generally as a sailboat with a single mast well up in the eyes of the boat, usually carrying a gaff sail, and has proportions wherein the boat's beam is close to half of the waterline length. This results in a boat that is stable, comfortable, and easily managed by one person.

Typical Catboat

While I do plan on sticking pretty much to the design as laid out by Jim in his plans, there wil be a few changes to personalize the boat just a bit. These will include building some curve into the cabin top and the aft deck, and also installing flotation compartments in the cockpit that will double as full-length benches. Other than that, this should be pretty much a "by the numbers" construction project.

So- enough of the small talk. it's time to start building!

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Fatcat2 Built & Owned by Kenneth Purdy of Freeport, TX

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