INVESTIGATOR 563

The windsurfer rig sounds the easiest to rig. With a free standing mast, makes a Cat boat rig, common in the USA.

My vintage Fatty Knees 8' dinghy has a cat boat rig. (It was built in California long ago, perhaps the 1960s. Mast stepped right up in the bow and boom goes just past transom. It performs amazingly well. Has no boom vang, just a rope traveller over the tiller. The sail has a luff sleeve that goes around the mast, same as a windsurfer. To lower sail just pull whole rig out of mast step, as the rig is lightweight. The booms pivoting up gooseneck allows it all to be laid down ok. (However, would prefer the halyard and sail track recent version of rig, so sail could be reduced/ lowered with mast up, this extends its capabilities )

Crab claw rig, as on polynesian voyaging canoes?

The very same Andrew. Always been a bit fascinated by them actually

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_claw_sail

I think the Oceanic “D” in the diagram would fit the little orange cat. Mainly as it gives good clearance under the sail in the restricted seating of the cockpit. I think all these options would be fun to bugger about with. If I get my aluminium dinghy mast free standing I could just use cheap poly tarp and electrical conduit to experiment with till I decide on a rig and then use my windsurfer sail for the final product. I’ve been going to do this on my now 43 year old kayak with the assistance of an outrigger of some sort but never got around to it.

Oceanic D looks good, ive seen modern versions used on some sea kayaks.

When i was up in the Northern Cooks, we borrowed a 21 ft proa with crab claw rig F, had the tilting mast..the hull needed caulking and painting ,, and needed a new sail, never launched it.

this cat tender looks ok

Great design Andrew. Echos the theme of my spindrift but better because it’s light, 40kg as opposed to my 60kg. The poly Is pretty bulletproof and maintenance free but heavy. I have greatly improved my performance now since using the Tohey 5hp that came with it as it has a large anti cav/lift plate on the back. For a while I was using my old standard merc 5. I get an extra couple of knots with the newer outboard now.

Too many home jobs on at the moment so have not progressed much with plans to sail the little cat yet but have collected all the bits including proper dinghy rudder from council throw out….where else. “All the worlds a chandlery,”

Spotted this half tunnel semi cat dinghy,