Design and Construction
The Atlantic City Cat Boat is built predominantly of solid laminate fabmat—stitched fiberglass fabric—with wood trim, a construction approach that keeps the hull honest and straightforward without the complications of a cored layup. The hull itself carries a plumb stem and an angled transom, and the shallow-draft, transom-hung rudder is controlled by a tiller or optional wheel. Below the waterline, a retractable weighted centerboard gives the boat a draft of 5.00 feet with the board down and just 2.00 feet with it retracted, letting her wander into shoal anchorages that deeper keelboats cannot reach. The centerboard shape uses a cutout forward to avoid cluttering up the cabin with a centerboard trunk, a clever bit of packaging that preserves living space amidships. At 8,000 pounds displacement with 2,200 pounds of ballast, she is a substantial little ship.
Rig and Handling
This is a gaff-rigged catboat with aluminum spars, and all 452 square feet of sail live in one big piece of cloth. Mainsail hoops replace more conventional cars on the mast, reinforcing the traditional catboat character that Richard Sherwood described in 1994 as a classic catboat. That single expansive sail gives the boat simple, uncluttered control from a single station, but the same geometry means the rig demands respect: Steve Henkel noted in a 2010 review that her sail area, all in one big piece of cloth, can be hard to manage. The BMW diesel of 12 horsepower is fitted not for passage-making but for docking and maneuvering, which suits a boat whose propulsion priorities are harbor precision and the occasional calm-day nudge.
Accommodations
For a 24-footer, the interior is remarkably social. Sleeping accommodation is provided for six people, arranged as a convertible aft dinette double berth and two forward cabin settees with pilot berths above them. The head sits in the forepeak, and the cabin stands 6.17 feet of headroom, enough for most adults to move without ducking. An optional galley on the port side just forward of the companionway ladder is L-shaped and equipped with a two-burner stove, while a navigation station and a fireplace were also factory options for those who wanted a more equipped cruising setup. The cutout centerboard geometry keeps the main cabin floor open rather than interrupted by a trunk, which helps the modest beam of 11 feet feel usable.
Refits and Ownership
Owners shopping the used market will find a boat whose factory options—galley, navigation station, fireplace—were exactly that, optional, so individual hulls vary in fitted equipment. The solid laminate fabmat hull and wood trim suggest a straightforward refit path for cosmetic and systems work, though the single-piece gaff catboat sail is a specialized item to replace or re-cut. The 12 hp BMW diesel is a period-correct auxiliary whose docking-and-maneuvering role means low hours are plausible but a careful survey of cooling and mounts remains wise.
The Verdict
The Atlantic City Cat Boat is a focused expression of the catboat ideal: one big gaff sail, a shallow retractable board, and a surprisingly capacious cabin for six. She rewards a sailor who enjoys traditional rigging and shoal-water freedom more than speed under auxiliary power or a deep-keel sea-kindly motion.
Pros
- Retractable weighted centerboard gives 5-foot draft down, 2-foot up for shoal access
- Six-berth layout with 6.17-foot headroom in a 24-foot hull
- Solid laminate fabmat construction with wood trim, no core to degrade
- Centerboard cutout preserves cabin floor space
Cons
- 452-square-foot single sail can be hard to manage
- BMW diesel is only 12 hp, suited to docking rather than passage-making
- Galley, nav station, and fireplace were optional, so many boats lack them
