Modeled after a small catboat, she is a nice size model, perfect for a desk or end table, 15" overall, 21" tall (base to the top of mast) with a beam of 6 1/4"
If you've been browsing on the internet, you will be hard pressed to find something that represents boats that are North American in design, and are executed as finely overall. You can spend a lot more money for so called "museum quality" detailing, but you can get the same satisfaction from our new line of moderately priced, high quality models.
OUR UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTEE: If not completely satisfied with your purchase it may be returned, if without damage, within three days of receipt in its original packaging and condition. Return items must be insured for their full value. A prior email authorization by us for the return is required. Unfortunately, no refund will be made for the cost of shipping, packaging and handling unless we are in error.
In addition to the Beetle cat and Marshall 18, we offer the Schooner Bluenose in two sizes, the three masted schooner Wawona, the Herreshoff 12.5 Doughboy, a Friendship sloop, Schooners America, and Adventuress, two Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks, J Class Rainbow, and Endeavour, the also S & S DORADE and the New Odyssey, a classic 1920 Motor Yacht, and the New Garwood Speedster. Please inquire or tell us which ones you'd like to see at auction.
As a retired professional mariner and collector myself, I see many models that are sold at give away prices, and when you look at them closely, you can see why. They are not true to the original and are mostly of foreign vessels. We are in the process of changing that by providing high quality models of boats known and loved by American sailors at a reasonable price, that will give you lasting enjoyment, and pride of ownership.
CATBOAT HISTORY: Catboats started out as workboats. According to marine historian Howard I. Chapelle, beamy, single-sailed centerboarders with half-decked hulls and barn door rudders began to appear in America around 1840, when, for the first time, there was sufficient demand to make fishing from small boats profitable. Sailed mostly in Lower New York Harbor and on Cape Cod Bay, cats fished, freighted, ferried, and packeted for decades. Their simplicity, stability, and shallow draft made them versatile, and their efficiency and ease of handling made them popular. In the 1880s and ‘90s, catboat racing flourished, especially around New York. In that Gilded Age, unlimited “sandbaggers” with huge sail area and live ballast crew who moved from side to side with each tack to keep the boats upright. The Beetle, has that same expansive sail area for her short length and large barndoor rudder which helps her from heading up in a fresh breeze.
BEETLE CAT BOAT HISTORY: The Beetle Cat is one of the most successful low cost daysailers around. This boating tradition was started by the Beetle family back in 1920, continued by the Concordia Company and today is carried on by Beetle Inc.
The Beetle Cat is a fun boat and has been around for a long time. Some Beetle Cat owners belong to the 'New England Beetle Cat Boat Association', an association of serious Beetle Cat owners who sponsor regattas and other events involving the Beetle Cat. In order to join you need a Beetle Cat that meets all of the specifications set forth in their rules, which are based on the original specifications of the Beetle Cat produced in the 1920's and still being produced today.
The Beetle Cat was named after the Beetle family who originally designed and built the boat. They lived for generations at Clark’s Point, New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Beetles were widely known for their well designed and constructied Beetle whaleboats. These big double-ended boatss were the craft from which harpooners and their crews pursued the great whales for their oil. They were built with mass production techniques developed by the Beetles that allowed them to build the boats quickly while maintaining high standards of workmanship.
In 1920 the John Beetle designed a small gaff cat rigged sailboat for his children, this was the first Beetle Cat. Its design was based on the twenty to thirty foot catboats used for shallow water fishing along Cape Cod. Outsiders, impressed with the Beetle Cat's performance in New England coastal waters and rivers, were quick to express interest. With this interest in the Beetle Cat and the demise of the whaling industry, the Beetles shifted production to the Beetle Cat. Using some of their manufacturing techniques they had used in building their whaleboats, they were able to make the Beetle Cat fairly inexpensive. This allowed the average working person to own one.
During World War II, all production of the Beetle Cat ended. After the war Ruth’s brother Carl, produced more Beetle Cats, but became more interested in plastics for boatbuilding. Carl sold the rights to the Beetle Cats to the Concordia Company in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Concordia received more orders than they anticipated, and turned to New Bedford boatbuilder Palmer Scott for help. Leo Telesmanick was put in charge of building the Beetles. In 1960, Palmer retired and his entire Beetle crew including Leo was transferred to Concordia. Concordia set up a separate Beetle Cat operation. Leo made a number of changes in methods to improve productivity and insure uniformity of the hulls as well as changing from galvanized to bronze fastenings. Many of the patterns and the basic jig that the boat is built on are still used today.
In 1993 The Beetle Cat division was sold to Charlie York, and he now operates it as Beetle, Inc. Given this history Beetle Cat's probably hold the record for being the one design in the longest continuous production. Loyalty is also very high with many boats having been in the same family for as much as three or four generations.
BEETLE CATBOAT DIMENSION
Length 12'4"
Beam 6'1"
Draft '7"
Displacement 450 lbs.
Sail Area100 sq.ft.
MODEL DIMENSIONS: 15" L x 21" H x 6 1/4" W WEIGHT 1 lbs
MINOR ASSEMBLY REQUIRED: To save cost, this model is shipped with its mast down. It only has a headstay so it's a simple affair to step the mast, and rig the halyard and lazyjacks, and attach the sails. The detailed instructions are excellent, but in the remote chance you have a problem, email or call us for guidance.
International buyers welcome, but inquire first. We have customers in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, England, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Kuwait, USVI and the Eastern Caribbean. The list is growing weekly.
Preferred payment by PayPal. Their credit card service OK.
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