After years of sailing Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands in my 30-footer, I was looking for a trailerable boat that I could sail summers in Minnesota and winters in Florida. My boatbuilding friend Jim Wagner suggested building one—an undertaking I would not have tackled on my own—and so I settled on Charles Wittholz’s “15 Foot Plywood Catboat.”Its gaff rig allows for plenty of sail area (170 sq ft) on a mast only 20′ long. The shallow draft of 18″ (with the centerboard up) is a good match for both Florida’s shallow Gulf waters—where my wife and I sail in the winter—and the city lakes around our summer home in Minneapolis. The mast is stepped far forward, allowing for a generous cockpit that can accommodate six, and a small cuddy cabin with room for a portable head, a large cooler, and storage. A catboat’s beam is traditionally half its length, and our boat follows this rule: 7′ 4″ on her almost 15′ length. A hard chine contributes to the cockpit’s roominess and the boat’s overall stability.The plans, purchased from The WoodenBoat Store, include a page of notes from the designer and seven sheets of drawings with instructions, two sail plans, offsets for lofting, and options for inboard-engine and fixed-keel versions.
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Al, as I read this the plans are on my desk in front of me! Glad you wrote this I saw your photo in Woodenboat and was dying to know more about it. I’ve been wanting to build the Wittholz Corvus 15 for years. Nice job! Dave
Thanks David, ‘glad it’s useful!