shaped; the entrance is lone and sharp, with tlie 

 greatest beam abaft midlength; and the run is short 

 and rather full. 



Scale of the model is 1 inch to the foot; at this 

 scale the vessel would be about 21 feet on deck, 

 7 feet 3 inches moulded beam, draft aft about 1 foot 

 9 inches, 1 foot 1 inch forward, and centerboarcl 

 6 feet long. 



Given by U. S. Fish Commission. 



EASTERN CATBOAT, 1875-80 

 Rigged Model, usnm 25026 



Catboats of the type illustrated in this model were 

 formerly used in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island 

 shore fisheries from Narrangansett Bay to Cape Ann, 

 with some \'ariation in model. The fishing cats were 

 generally quite seaworthy and fast; their rig was 

 smaller for their length than in the racing and 

 pleasure -sailing catboats, and their hulls were usually 

 better formed for rough water work. Catboats of the 

 appearance of this model were particularly popular 

 at Newport, Rhode Island, and in Massachusetts at 

 Buzzard's Bay, Martha's \'ineyard, Nantucket. Fal- 

 mouth, and to the eastward at Plymouth, Cohasset, 

 Hingham. and in Boston harbor. In other ports 

 the cats often had rather tipright flat transoms with 

 the rudder hung outboard; this model of cat was 

 particularly popular at Chatham, Cape Cod, and 

 vicinity and became known as the "Cape cat.'' 

 Usually the Chatham catboats were more powerful 

 boats than the type shown in the model. 



This model is of a wide, centerboard catboat having 

 a long, sharp entrance, rather long and very fine run, 

 straight keel with some drag, skeg, upright post, 

 raking V^ransom with rudder post through its heel, 

 an upright and nearly straight stem, and strong sheer. 

 The midsection shows a rising straight flooi, a high 

 and rather hard bilge, and an upright or slightly 

 flaring topside. The mast is stepped close to the 

 stem, abaft this is a tnmk cabin and an oval cockpit 

 in which are seats around the sides and after end 

 (stone or iron ballast was stowed under the cockpit 

 floor). The large centerboard is located amidships. 

 Rigged without shrouds or stays pnd with a boomed 

 gaff-sail. 



Scale of the model is 1 inch to the foot, for a boat 

 measuring 19 feet 9 inches on deck, 7 feet 6 inches 

 beam, moulded depth amidships about 3 feet, mast 

 standing above deck 19 feet 6 inches, boom 22 feet, 

 and gaff 1 1 feet. 



The model represents a medium-size fishing catboat 



built about 1875; this type ranged in length from about 

 18 to 25 feet, but catboats for use in the fishing-party 

 business in the summer season were as large as 40 feet 

 on deck, and the Cape cats commonly ranged from 

 20 to 24 feet. Some of the eastern cats had counters 

 which brought their deck length above the average, 

 without a comparative increase in beam, depth, and 

 waterline length. Catboats in the vicinity of Mar- 

 tha's Vineyard often had live wells on each side of 

 the centerboard case and some had these covered by 

 a deck and hatch at gunwale height, so that the cockpit 

 was separated from the cabin tnmk by a bridge deck, 

 but the cockpit coaming usually enclosed the well 

 hatches as well as the cockpit, which was not self- 

 Ijailing though often watertight. Some cats had a 

 plank bowsprit and forestay, often no more than a form 

 of cathead to handle the ground-tackle, but some set a 

 small jib on the forestay. The catboats of the 1870's 

 and 1880's usually steered with a tiller but all large 

 boats, and later boats above 25 feet in length, were 

 steered with a wheel and gear. 

 Gi\cn by \\'illiam H. Chase, Jr. 



PROVIDENCE or NEWPORT BOAT, about 1875 

 Rigged Model, usnm 29537 



This rigged model of a small, rowing-sailino, fishing 

 boat represents a type, variously named Pro\idence 

 River boat or Newpcrt boat, once popular on Narra- 

 gansctt Bay, in Rhode Island, in the lobster and hook- 

 and-line fisheries. 



The model shows a lapstrake, keel, rowing-and- 

 sailing boat, open and with wide gunwale caps, hav- 

 ing a sharp entrance and short run, a live well amid- 

 ships, good sheer, straight keel and skeg, curved 

 stem, raking transom with rudder outboard, and 

 midsection with rising floor, easy bilge, and flaring 

 topside. It is cat-rigged with the mast stepped in a 

 thwart and a gafT-and-boom mainsail, and is fitted to 

 row. A bowsprit and jib were added in light weather. 



Made by a prominent boatbuildcr, T. D. .Stoddard, 

 of Newport, Rhode Island, it represents a boat built 

 before 1876. Boats of this form and size, varying 

 slightly in model and appearance, were built at 

 Providence, Newport, Warren and Bristol; they ranged 

 in length from about 1 1 feet to nearly 1 5 feet. 



Model represents the larger of the boats; scale is 

 1 Jo inch to the foot, producing a boat 13 feet 6 inches 

 long, 1 ] feet 8 inches on the straight part of the keel, 

 and 5 feet 4 inches beam; the mast was 15 feet long. 



Given by J. M. K. Southwick. Restored by Merritt 

 Edson, 1958. 



266 



