Description
The Glen-L Gato (or L Gato), a nimble 16-foot symmetrical-hull catamaran daysailer designed by Glen L. Witt in the 1970s and offered through Glen-L Marine Designs, channels the exhilarating spirit of beach cats with its lightweight plywood construction tailored for amateur builders seeking high-speed thrills on lakes, bays, or coastal races—much like its feline-inspired sibling, the La Chatte, but with twin hulls for amplified stability and planning prowess. Measuring 16 feet LOA with a 7-foot 6-inch beam (narrow hulls at 14 inches each for efficient lift) and 8-inch draft (daggerboards up; 3 feet down), it displaces a mere 325 pounds (no ballast, crew weight enhances righting), enabling car-topping via a knockdown system (cockpit tray on roof racks, hulls nested atop—no trailer needed, though Series 1000 compatible) and effortless beach launches. The cat-rigged sloop deploys 159 square feet of sail (120 sq ft main, 39 sq ft jib on a freestanding aluminum mast; SA/D ~28 for explosive takeoff), hitting plane-off speeds of 8–12 knots reaching in 10–15 knots of breeze with responsive twin daggerboards and kick-up rudders for nimble tacks; reefing via slab points keeps it forgiving for solo or tandem crews.
