TPI knew how to build a really strong vessel. The sail boats they built for the
Navy Annapolis school were ballistic. The sea trial was in a full gale.
The mast testing story would take pages to tell. They were built so strong testing to failure was impossible in the shop. I never liked balsa or any cored
hull. The early cat
ketch boats were strong and good sailing boats. If you look at the
history of American Sail
Fishing boats, you’ll see why
men working in small boats
offshore liked the rig. My grandfather’s
boat had four unstated masts. Tall for summer, short for
winter. Removable stone ballast. Trusted her more than a lot of modern designs I built. Off No Mans Land, the Atlantic in
winter is as nasty as it gets and Fore and Aft free standing rig was designed to take it.
I’ve got a lot of strings holding up the sticks. Lots of things to fail. Every boat design is a compromise and everything in it as well.
I’d feel safe taking one of the early TPI cat
ketch boats off soundings. Maybe not to the arctic, but I’d build that design in
aluminum any day.
Lot of
noise in the posts from people who have never built anything. TPI built good boats and low cost, boats. Nothing wrong with free standing spars nor cat ketch boats. Just my professional opinion.
Captain Mark