She measures 20 feet overall, with an 18.5-foot waterline, an 8-foot beam, and a displacement of 3,000 pounds. Wood trim, a plumb stem, and a raised counter complete the traditional appearance. The keel-mounted rudder is controlled by a tiller.
Design and Construction
Legnos designed the Catboat 20 as a recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass. A fixed stub long keel carries a retractable centerboard, which pivots upward to reduce draft from 4.25 feet to 2.08 feet for shallow-water sailing.
The hull carries 700 pounds of ballast. Its length-to-beam ratio of 2.50 places the boat as roomier than 73 percent of similar designs. A displacement-length ratio of 211 puts her among moderate racers, while her ballast ratio of 24 percent is higher than only 12 percent of comparable sailboats. That modest ballast fraction reflects her role as a centerboard cruiser rather than a heavy keelboat.
Period reviewers called the raked, wineglass transom “pretty as a picture.” They also noted that the boat lacks the large beam-to-length ratio, displacement-length ratio of at least 200, and outboard barn-door rudder associated with typical working catboats.
Rig and Handling
The standard sail plan is a gaff-rigged catboat with 282 square feet of sail in a single mainsail. One alternative moved the mast farther aft and added a smaller mainsail, bowsprit, and jib, creating a gaffhead sloop. A further optional sloop configuration was also offered; period testers felt it may have lessened some of the boat’s worst features.
The single-sail cat rig keeps sail control straightforward. Estimated sheet runs call for:
- 15.2 meters of 8 mm mainsheet
- 6.1 meters of 8 mm jib or genoa sheet
- 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, the Catboat 20 is light on the water but not overcanvased. Her theoretical hull speed is about 5.6 to 5.8 knots. A capsize screening value of 2.22 would bar her from ocean races under that metric.
Test sailors wanted larger rudder and centerboard areas for better control. They also noted that the boat lacks the broad shoulders aft that help minimize broaching in heavy air and choppy seas. These characteristics are inherent in the gentleman-cruiser concept rather than construction defects, but they affect how the boat should be handled away from sheltered shores.
Accommodations
Below, the Catboat 20 sleeps two in a double V-berth in the bow cabin. Cabin headroom is just 47 inches.
The galley sits to port beside the companionway ladder and includes a two-burner stove and sink. The head is opposite, to starboard. It’s a compact interior suited to coastal cruising rather than liveaboard use, and the centerboard trunk necessarily takes up sole space amidships.
The Verdict
The Mystic Catboat 20 is a stylish pocket cruiser that trades the seaworthy breadth of a working catboat for the appearance of a 19th-century gentleman’s dayboat. Her retractable centerboard and simple cat rig make her an accessible choice for coastal and inland cruising. The low ballast ratio and modest rudder area, however, call for restraint in rough water.
Pros
- Centerboard retracts to 2.08 ft for shoal draft
- Sleeps two, with an enclosed galley and head
- Attractive wineglass transom and period styling
Cons
- Low ballast ratio limits windward ability compared with keelboats
- Small rudder and centerboard areas reduce control in heavy air
- Lacks the beam and aft volume of a working catboat to resist broaching
