Description
The Woodlark 13 is a compact, traditional-style catboat designed by British naval architect Paul Fisher of Selway-Fisher Design (often credited as a Selway-Fisher plan), emphasizing simplicity, seaworthiness, and family-friendly versatility for day sailing, beach camping, and light cruising. At just 13 feet (LOD 13'; beam 6'; draft 9"/2'8" board up/down; sail area 115 sq. ft.), it captures the beamy, stable charm of classic American catboats like those from Nantucket heritage, but in an accessible, trailerable package ideal for beginners or small crews. Its round-bilge hull, built via strip-plank construction over chipboard molds (using affordable woods like cedar or Douglas fir, epoxied without beveling), offers a smooth, characterful shape with a barndoor rudder and optional steel centerplate for added stiffness. The gaff-rigged mainsail setup is minimalist—"a cat working boat rig with a minimum of strings"—though plans include alternatives like a gunter rig with jib (converting it to a sloop) or bilge keels with inboard engine for shoal-water motoring.
