Handy Cat 14

BoatsHandy Cat 14

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.03 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 340 kg of hull, so roughly 950 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 340 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draft shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draftDraws 0.30 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

CoastalBluewater

At 2.94 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.94

EasygoingPowered-up

31.1 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 31.1

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

Draws more than ~90% of boats her size on file

Compared with 99 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Rig & sail area

Rig

Gaff head Cat

Ratios

SA / displacement

31.1

Capsize screening

2.94

Hull

Hull type

Centerboard (Trunk)

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 1969

Designer

Merle Hallett

Builder

Cape Dory, Handy Boat Serv

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Open 5.005.00 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA high-performance sport boat from Jean Marie Finot featuring a rotating spar and an ultra-light displacement

Miranda Merron ready for Vendée Globe8:58 from SEILmagasinet

Drascombe Dabber4.72 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA John Watkinson-designed sprit-rigged daysailer with a centerboard, built since 1970 for shallow-water versatility

Getting Underway - Portland to Boston23:16 from The Mariner

Sandpiper 154.72 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA Breck Marshall-designed gaff-rigged catboat with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited light-air sailing

Sandpiper 32 Sharpie Schooner Refit0:04 from Atom Voyager

Farr 50005.08 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA Bruce Farr-designed fractional sloop featuring a swing keel and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively performance

"Hello World" in the ARC10:27 from SEILmagasinet

RS Quest4.29 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 140kg fractional sloop with a centerboard trunk designed for stable, versatile training and family sailing

Sea Cadet National Sailing and Windsurfing Regatta 20250:48 from City Sailing

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Hermann CatA Charles Wittholz-designed gaff-rigged catboat later produced by Cape Cod Shipbuilding as the Cape Cod Cat Hobie 14The original Hobie Cat, this lightweight beach catamaran features a rotating spar and a high power-to-weight ratio Cape Cod CatA gaff-rigged catboat with a keel-centerboard configuration, designed by Charles Wittholz for shallow-water versatility Barnstable Cat BoatA fiberglass adaptation of the iconic 1921 John Beetle design, offering a low-maintenance take on the classic catboat Catalina Yachts Expo 14.2A 1997 evolution of the 14.2 hull, utilizing a simplified unstayed cat rig for straightforward, responsive daysailing Menger Boatworks Cat 15A gaff-rigged daysailer with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, later produced as the Thom Cat 15

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Handy Cat 14

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