Design and Construction
The Horizon Cat is a big 20-footer by virtue of its proportions rather than its length. The 8-foot, 4-inch beam and lack of overhangs, coupled with a displacement of 2,500 pounds and a displacement-to-length ratio of 200, give the boat a heft and interior volume that belie the LOA. Its length-to-beam ratio of 2.4 places it firmly in the Cape Cod catboat lineage of wide, short-bodied hulls—the original "fatsos" of the genre. Com-Pac builds the Horizon Cat with excellent detailing; the boats always have a sparkle to them and show the careful finish one expects from the marque.
Rig and Handling
Catboats are traditionally gaff rigged, and the Horizon Cat follows that rule. The gaff rig keeps the center of pressure low to help stability and minimizes the complexity of the standing rigging, a real virtue for a boat meant to be stepped and unstepped without drama. The boat is rigged with normal reef cringles for a single, traditional reef, enough to shorten sail when the breeze builds. The aft location of the centerboard should help keep this cat well balanced, and the kick-up rudder is a forgiving detail in skinny water. Performance-wise, this boat is no rocket, but it won't be a pig either; it will go to weather about as well as you would expect a gaff-rigged boat to point, and it will offer a stiff ride for those who like to sail on the flat side. Board-up draft is p26 inches, making the shallow keel and centerboard combination a practical shoal-draft cruiser. Thirty-five miles will be a darn good day's run in this cat—modest range, but entirely in character for a pocket cruiser.
Accommodations
Below you have two berths and a forward compartment for a porta potty, a spartan but honest layout for a 20-foot cat. Four can sit in this cockpit in comfort, and the cockpit is clearly the social center of the boat. Boom gallows hold the boom when the sail is lowered and make the boom the ideal ridge pole for a cockpit tent while cruising—a small, thoughtful touch that extends the boat's usable living space outward when camped in the anchorage. Drawings show wheel steering, an unusual choice on a boat this size but one that reinforces the relaxed, big-boat feel Com-Pac was after.
Known Issues and Ownership Notes
The published record carries no documented defects, structural concerns, or flooding paths for the Horizon Cat. The redesign's shallow keel and centerboard and the kick-up rudder are the principal deviations from the Herreshoff America hull form, and the source material treats them as straightforward improvements rather than problem areas. Prospective owners should simply recognize that the boat is a gaff-rigged shoal-draft cruiser with a single traditional reef and a 26-inch board-up draft—limitations of mission, not flaws of execution.
The Verdict
The Horizon Cat is a thoughtfully updated catboat that trades the America's deeper profile for Com-Pac's shoal-draft cruising formula. It is a big, stable, easy-to-rig 20-footer with a comfortable cockpit and a practical trailerable draft, built with the marque's characteristic detailing. It will not win races, but it was never meant to.
Pros
- Wide 8-foot 4-inch beam and 2,500-pound displacement make a genuinely big 20-footer
- Gaff rig lowers center of pressure and simplifies standing rigging
- 26-inch board-up draft with shallow keel and centerboard for shoal cruising
- Comfortable four-person cockpit; boom gallows double as ridge pole for a cockpit tent
- Excellent build detailing
Cons
- Modest performance: no rocket, gaff-rig weatherly only to expectation, 35 miles a practical daily limit
- Single traditional reef only; limited shorthanded sail-shortening range
- Minimal belowdecks accommodation (two berths, porta-potty compartment)
