Seeing the Beauty of the Details: Cape Cod Catboats

Much of the magic of wooden boats is in the details: the way a mast heel fits into the step, the way a fastener bites into a frame. In this short clip, Bill Sauerbrey, a boatbuilder with Beetle, Inc., in Wareham, Massachusetts, explains the beauty of fitting such details together into a complete wooden sailing yacht. Sauerbrey would know, as he was one of the lead builders on the 28′ catboat Kathleen, one of the most impressive catboats to hit Cape Cod waters in years.

A Beetle catboat recently built at Beetle, Inc., is currently on display at the Boatbuilders Show on Cape Cod through February 12.

This excerpt from our latest film “Wood/Sails/Dreams” explores the resurgence of wooden boats and traditional wooden boat building that began in the 1970s. We hope to bring “Wood/Sails/Dreams” to the big screen in time for the 40th running of the Opera House Cup, on August 19, 2012.

Source: https://www.vimeo.com/31676425