Today, a wide variety of sea-craft can be seen around the Cayman Islands. Many of them serve the tourist industry. Cruise ships, ferries, "pirate" ships, dive boats, glass-bottomed boats, motor boats, yachts and canoes - they are all there. Rarely seen nowadays though, is another small, unobtrusive vessel. Yet it is one which has played an important part in the history of these islands - the catboat.

The exact origins of the catboat are uncertain, although it has been a very popular style of small fishing boat on the eastern seaboard of the United States of America for over 200 years. It gets its name from the style of rigging (the way in which the mast and sails are arranged). John G. Rogers, in his book, Origins of Sea Terms, describes a catboat rig as "a fore-and-aft rig with a mast with a minimum of standard rigging and no headsails". Unlike many small boats, the mast of a catboat is always at the front, not in the middle.

Each area has its own particular type of catboat, and it is possible that they have all developed quite independently, although along similar lines. The boats were largely built by fishermen for their own use, or by small, family owned shipyards, and were made to suit the conditions in which they were to be used - mostly for off-shore fishing.

The first person known to have made a catboat in Cayman was Daniel Jervis of Cayman Brac, in 1904. It may be that he saw such boats elsewhere, although his son, Leopold ("Mr. Lee") Jervis, doesn't think so. Another popular version of the story goes that Daniel got the idea from seeing his wife shuck beans into a bucket of water, and noticed how well the husks floated. Mr. Lee, however, never heard his father tell either of these tales, and was inclined to think that he just set to and built a boat that would do the job he required of it.

Daniel learnt his shipwright skills while working on Grand Cayman and had gone out to sea with the turtle boats. At that time, the schooners would carry a number of dugout canoes on board. These would be let down into the water for the crew to catch the turtle. Daniel did not like the dugouts; they were too long and narrow to turn about quickly, and were not very stable. He wanted a short, wide, stable, manoeuvrable boat. So he built one with a shallow, six inch keel, a pointed stern and bow, and a single sail.

The Terror, as this first catboat was called, took 30 days to build and Daniel took it with him on his next turtling expedition. It was such a success that everyone wanted one just like it! Not only did it perform well in the water, but the size (between 14 and 20 feet long) meant that more boats could be fitted onto the schooner, increasing everyone's profits. It was now possible to take one catboat for every three men on the crew. The Terror continued in service until it was lost at sea in the 1932 storm.

The seamen of Cayman Brac soon became skilled at the construction of catboats which they built for both themselves and other islanders. Initially, they used the wood growing on the island, selecting the best branches with which to work. The wood of the Plopnut tree (Thespesia populnea) was a favourite, because it grew with a lot of curves. One shipbuilder made the construction process sound easy:"Pick the piece you want, with a natural curve, cut it, chop it on each side, fit it in."But making a catboat was an art. Adzes (a cutting tool with the blade at right angles to the handle) were used to cut the timbers to the exact bevel required. Mahogany, Fiddle Wood and Pomperra were used for the ribs, and Mahogany was used for the planking.

As time went on, and the demand for catboats continued to grow, it became necessary to import wood and Douglas Fir was used for planking. The thick canvas for the sail also had to be imported from the USA. One sail took 21 yards of cloth, which had to be cut to shape by hand. The women then stitched the sail, using a hand-held machine. It became the custom to paint the catboats blue. This was to minimize the glare of the sun on the sea being reflected back into the fishermen's eyes. Between voyages, the cat- boats would be pulled up on to the sand and stored in the shade, either under a tree or in a boat shed. A little seawater was left in the bottom of the boat so that the wood did not dry out and the planks shrink and separate.

In 1935, during Commissioner Cardinall's time, the first sailing regatta took place. Catboat races around the islands were held and boat owners would sometimes temporarily increase the size of the keel for more speed. Unfortunately, today only a few remain, but the catboat will forever be remembered with affection by many Caymanians.

Last Updated: 23 Nov 2011