Design and Construction
Legnos drew the Catboat 20 as a recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass, with a fixed stub long keel and a retractable centerboard that pivots upward to lift the draft from 4.25 feet down to 2.08 feet for shallow-water work. The hull carries 700 pounds of ballast and a length-to-beam ratio of 2.50, which places her as roomier than 73 percent of similar designs. Her displacement-length ratio of 211 places her among moderate racers, while a ballast ratio of 24 percent sits higher than only 12 percent of comparable sailboats — a reflection of the centerboard cruiser's modest ballast fraction rather than a heavy keelboat's. Period reviewers praised her raked, wineglass transom as pretty as a picture, yet noted she lacks the big beam-to-length ratio, the displacement-length ratio of at least 200, and the outboard barn-door rudder that characterize typical working cats anchor.
Rig and Handling
The standard rig is a gaff-rigged catboat carrying 282 square feet in a single mainsail, though an alternative positions the mast further aft with a smaller mainsail, bowsprit, and jib to make a gaffhead sloop. A further optional sloop configuration was offered, which period testers felt may have lessened some of her worst features. The single-sail cat plan keeps control simple: estimated sheet runs call for 15.2 meters of 8 mm mainsheet, 6.1 meters of 8 mm jib or genoa sheet, and 13.4 meters of 8 mm spinnaker sheet. With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 21.70 and a wetted surface near 16 square meters, she is light on the water but not overcanvased. Her theoretical hull speed is about 5.6 to 5.8 knots, and her capsize screening value of 2.22 would bar her from ocean races under that metric.
Accommodations
Below, the Catboat 20 sleeps two on a double V-berth in the bow cabin, with a cabin headroom of just 47 inches. The galley sits to port at the companionway ladder and is equipped with a two-burner stove and a sink; opposite it to starboard is the head. The compact interior suits coastal cruising rather than liveaboard use, and the centerboard trunk necessarily occupies sole space amidships.
Known Issues
Test sailors flagged that she lacks larger rudder and centerboard areas for better control, and lacks the big shoulders aft that minimize broaching in heavy air and choppy seas anchor. These are inherent to the gentleman-cruiser concept rather than defects of construction, but they shape how the boat should be handled off a sheltered shore.
The Verdict
The Mystic Catboat 20 is a stylish pocket cruiser that trades the seaworthy breadth of a working catboat for the looks of a 19th century gentleman's dayboat. Her shallow-draft centerboard and simple cat rig make her an accessible coastal and inland cruiser, while the low ballast ratio and modest rudder area counsel restraint in rough water.
Pros
- Centerboard retracts to 2.08 ft for shoal draft
- Sleeps two with enclosed galley and head
- Pretty wineglass transom and period styling
Cons
- Low ballast ratio limits windward ability versus keelboats
- Small rudder and centerboard area reduce control in heavy air
- Lacks working-cat beam and aft volume to resist broaching
