The Com-Pac Horizon Cat, also called the Horizon Cat 20, is an American trailerable

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by

Halsey Herreshoff Halsey Chase Herreshoff (born 1933) is a naval architect of production and custom yachts, sailor and former president of Herreshoff Marine Museum. At the museum he and Edward duMoulin founded the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 1992. Halsey is son o ...

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

and first built in 2002.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 29.

International Marine McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

, 2010. The boat is a development of Halsey Herreshoff's 1971 Herreshoff America, for which Com-Pac Yachts acquired the tooling in 2002. The Horizon Cat design was developed into the Com-Pac Horizon Day Cat daysailer in 2003.

Production

The Horizon Cat has been built by Com-Pac Yachts in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

since 2002 and remains in production.

Design

The manufacturer describes the design goals as "a classic boat for the diehard traditional sailor". The Com-Pac Horizon Cat is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

, with wood trim. It is a

gaff-rigged Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and shap ...

catboat A catboat (alternate spelling: cat boat) is a sailboat with a single sail on a single mast set well forward in the bow of a very beamy and (usually) shallow draft hull. Typically they are gaff rigged, though Bermuda rig is also used. Most are f ...

; with a

plumb stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

; a plumb transom; a transom-hung, kick-up

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

controlled by a

wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...

and a fixed stub

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

with a retractable

centerboard A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised t ...

. It displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centerboard extended and with it retracted, allowing ground transportation on a trailer. The boat is normally fitted with a small

outboard motor An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

for docking and maneuvering. A

Yanmar is a Japanese diesel engine, heavy machinery and agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1912. Yanmar manufactures and sells engines used in a wide range of applications, including seagoing vessels, pleasure boats, cons ...

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

of is optional. The design has sleeping accommodation for two people, with two straight settee

quarter berth A sleeping berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, ...

s in the main cabin. The

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

is located on bot sides, just forward of the settees. The galley is equipped with an icebox and a sink. The fresh water tank has a capacity of . The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

is located in the forepeak and has an accordion door. Cabin headroom is . The design has a

hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to- ...

of .

Operational history

In a 2003 article in ''Cruising World'', writer Jeremy McGeary praised the design's beam dimensions, which, but deviating from the norm for New England catboats, allowed to be legally trailerable. In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the Com-Pac Horizon 18 is a reconstruction of the Herreshoff America ... pursued after builder Hutchins bought the tooling from the last of many molders of the original vessel, first built in 1971 ... it is easy to see that many small changes were made in the design—for instance, adding two inches to the beam, and 100 pounds to the ballast (but without increasing the overall weight? hmmmm . . .). Best features: Reduced sail area ... may slow the Horizon down a little in light air, but advantages more than compensate, eg., reefing can be delayed a bit ... and less area results in a lighter mast and boom, making it easier to raise and lower the spars at a launching ramp. The modern deep and high-aspect rudder combined with the keel-centerboard combination should give the Horizon the ability to point higher. The four opening ports and cabintop hatch are a big, plus, especially in summer heat. Worst features: With the new underbody, the ability to remain comfortably upright "on the hard" is lost. As for the steering wheel shown, let it suffice to say a tiller would be better."

References

External links

*
Official photo gallery
{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 2000s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat types built by Com-Pac Yachts Sailboat type designs by Halsey Herreshoff

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References

External links