RebelCat 1. The addition of a jib (foresail) improved speed and overall handling. This is the reservoir near Paraibuna, about two hours north of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Step-by-step construction pics here.
Step-by-step construction pics here.
RebelCat 2 on Lake Sajuaro near Phoenix, Arizona, probably 2003. This was an odd experiment. It sailed fast but had some design errors. After this pic was taken, my father wisely went ashore - there was no wind anyway - and a friend joined me. The wind finally picked up, I added the jib (not shown here) and we flew across the lake. We were then harassed by powerboats and their huge wakes which caused some damage to the cat, so we called it a day.
Step-by-step construction pics here.
RebelCat 3 on the south island of New Zealand 2004. Made from driftwood, it can actually be called a catamaran, because the word, which is from India, means 'bound logs'. It started with two, then three logs, but I had to add more due to them being full of water. It sailed nicely with two aboard, but we nearly got swept out to sea by the huge river current you see in the background.
Step-by-step construction pics here.
RebelCat 4 near Prescott, Arizona. Here it's nearing completion, with two 20-foot pontoons of 15-inch diameter PVC, one male, one female (of course). This was a massive undertaking lasting two months of 2006, culminating in the successful launch on Lake Powell (AZ-UT) with some other boatbuilders. Check out duckworksmagazine.com for more cool boats. This link takes you to a page on my cat at the Duckworks site.
Step-by-step construction pics here.
RebelCat 4 on Lake Powell, maiden voyage, in fact the first time it was all assembled! Sailed like a bat out of, um, a cave, in spite of lots of motorboats and strange wind turbulence from cliffs and narrow canyons. This cat is actually a two-person craft, but I managed, sometimes poorly, to sail it in challenging conditions. Did I say challenging? We had a storm that weekend that would set records in Arizona. Downpour? Enough rain to raise the level of this 180-mile-long lake 18 inches in two days. I finally parked in a small cove and waited out the storm.
This is the first RebelCat (possible the first sailboat ever) to have PVC pontoons shaped front and back. The PVC was heated over a large ceramic kiln and folded around foam forms placed inside. I think I may have invented this. After many trials with smaller pipe over a fire, I discovered how to cut and fold the pipe so that the result is a perfect wedge, just like modern cats and tris, especially the big ones. The knife-like nose cuts through waves instead of pushing them down. It's more efficient to separate the water and move it to the sides than to push it under the hull.
This boat is for sale, because I am moving on to the next RebelCat and have no room for a boat collection. This boat knocks down into pieces that fit on the rack of my pickup. But looking at the assembled cat, you'd never believe it could pack so small. The price: less than the cost of materials, which was $2000.
RebelCat 5 in the works right now. As you can see, I've returned to the scale of the original, RebelCat1. Why? It was the most fun and least complicated in every way. It's small enough to carry on a car roof-rack or in the back of a pickup - even on a small trailer behind a bicycle. The is the version that will redefine sailing freedom and simplicity. What other sailboat can you carry behind your bike?
Great features of this cat:
1. Inexpensive to build, probably less than $150
2. Easy to build - no boatbuilding experience necessary
3. Small and light - carry on your car or in your pickup
4. Can even be pulled on a trailer behind a bike.
5. Easy to store - hang in garage.
6. Unsinkable! Can't fill with water. No bailing, ever.
7. Easy to right in case of capsize.
8. Easy to get on and off the boat. No sides to climb over.
9. Hard to tip over. Sits stable on the water.
10. Fast! Easily twice as fast as a dinghy its size. Cats move!
11. Easy and cheap to repair. Materials available everywhere.
12. Quiet sailing. Leaves very little wake.
13. Shallow draft; no keel - pull right up on the beach.
Free plans*:
If you buy my plans for this cat and build it, I'll refund your money
if you send me some pics and a short video clip of it sailing to put on
this site. You get free plans to build this cool cat, AND you get public
recognition on the Internet. People all over the world will see you and
your sailboat. Special prizes for those who make improvements on the design.
Details coming soon. Stay tuned.
*Plans free for the first 20 RebelCat 5 plans buyers
who send me pics and video.
