com pac sun cat sailboat

Com-Pac Sun Cat

This easy-to-sail catboat makes quick work of daysails, yet is spacious enough for a weekend coastal cruise.

By the time his 17-foot Com-Pac Sun Cat came along in 2000, Mills was already famous for designing the Optimist pram in 1947 and the 15-foot Windmill in 1953, the latter a one-design dinghy made for sailing with a crew of two.

Mills had received the commission to design a catboat from Com-Pac Yachts, a company founded in 1974 in Clearwater, Florida, by W.L. Hutchins, who was fond of saying, “I know people who get on a power yacht to go somewhere. But, when I get on my sailing yacht, I am there.” 

The decision to once again tap Mills for his design skills came at a time when Hutchins was adding a line of catboats to its fleet. The company introduced the Picnic Cat and the Sun Cat while adding new technology such as the trademarked Mastendr Quick Rig Sailing System for raising and lowering the mast without having to remove the rigging.

According to Gerry Hutchins, who today runs the company with his brother, Richard, the Mastendr technology attracted customers interested in ease and convenience. The system allows the mast to be quickly lowered in preparation for trailering or, perhaps more importantly to coastal sailors, to fit under low bridges.

First impressions

At first glance, the Com-Pac Sun Cat seems like a little bit of everything. It’s clearly a catboat with main and gaff booms, a sassy elliptical cabin port window on each side, and a sweeping sheer with pronounced bow as though meant to take on the waves. The daysailer has a huge cockpit, while the version with a cuddy cabin has potential as an overnighter, and perhaps even a weekend coastal cruiser. The hull shape and construction appear robust, coupled with a hinged mast that takes the work out of unstepping and makes it easy to load the boat on a trailer. 

Construction

The Sun Cat is constructed as an open boat with a cockpit roomy enough for six adults. It is, in that sense, a picnic boat. It is also available with a cabin, which makes it capable of providing shelter on overnight trips and more accommodating during a day sail should the weather turn foul. The hull and decks are hand-laid fiberglass. In more recent years, Com-Pac has designed and introduced a stainless steel centerboard and centerboard trunk. Hull No. 471 was completed this spring.

What to look for

Catboats must endure tremendous strain on the mast with its single sail. This can cause the boat to flex and result in cracks or crazing in the gel coat. The oldest Sun Cats have been around for 16 years, which means it could be time to inspect and, if necessary, replace the standing rigging. Deck delamination is always a possibility. Close attention should also be paid to the mast hinge. 

The mast is fitted with a sturdy hinge that allows it to be quickly raised or lowered. The mast rests on a crutch aft of the tiller. To raise the sail, simultaneously raise the main halyard and the peak halyard, which lifts the gaff boom horizontally until the throat halyard reaches the block. Raise the peak halyard until the sail is up above the top of the mast. Both are led through Spinlock line clutches, and you can release them momentarily without dropping the sail.

The high cockpit coamings provide welcome back rests along the bench seats. The cockpit has a bridgedeck to keep water from entering the cabin should a wave wash over the boat. The traveler is mounted across the bridgedeck. The optional bimini is popular in warmer climates. Hutchins notes that the comfortable and spacious cockpit helps ensure that owners enjoy “hanging out” on their Sun Cats. The boat also features storage under the cockpit benches.

One version of the Com-Pac catboat has a cuddy cabin with two berths and space under the bridgedeck for a porta-potti. The Sun Cat at 17 feet is obviously a wide boat, with a 7-foot 3-inch beam. The cabin has an enclosed locker forward.

The Sun Cat requires an outboard engine for propulsion. The boat has an adjustable motor bracket on the transom. It typically handles a long-shaft outboard of approximately 5 horsepower.

The Sun Cat has no shortage of control lines and clutches that when used in tandem can finely tune the sails. The primary sail control is the peak halyard that controls  angle of the gaff boom, and small adjustments make a big difference in sail shape and performance. The downhaul controls the tension along the luff, and there are two outhauls, one for each boom. The traveler is mounted across the bridgedeck. 

According to Hutchins, the Sun Cat literally sold itself because it was trailerable, easy to rig, offered a shoal draft, had few moving parts and was nearly maintenance-free. The company even offered advice on how to sail this diminutive catboat, including how to veer off the wind for a more comfortable sail rather than attempt to pinch it. 

The Com-Pac Sun Cat 17 is an affordable, safe and sturdy boat ideal for adventurous coastal sailing and overnight gunkholing or a rollicking afternoon sail to a favorite picnic spot.

SAILING 's Value Guide (5-star rating system)

PRICE:  A used Com-Pac Yachts Sun Cat in good condition typically sells for between $6,000 and $12,000, while the market price for a new hull is just under $20,000 without a trailer. The trailer can add about $2,100.   ★★★

DESIGN QUALITY:  Clark Mills designed the gaff-rigged catboat as a comfortable family daysailer that could also be used as a weekender with a shoal draft that would allow gunkholing. The Sun Cat is one of three different deck styles available on the 17-foot hull.  ★★★

CONSTRUCTION QUALITY: The fiberglass Sun Cat Daysailer is an open boat with cockpit roomy enough for six adults while the standard Sun Cat boasts a cuddy cabin with two berths and space under the bridge deck for a porta-potti. The centerboard is stainless steel with a fiberglass trunk. The standing rigging is heavy duty.   ★★★

USER-FRIENDLINESS:  The boat is outfitted with the patented Mastendr quick-rig sailing system. The main boom, gaff boom, sail and rigging all remain in place while the boat is being trailered, which cuts down on preparation time prior to launch. The mast is on a hinge that makes for easy raising and lowering. On board there are plenty of line clutches and trim adjustment controls.  ★★★★

SAFETY:  Lazy jack systems are available to help ensure the main sail gets doused efficiently and safely while also controlling the gaff boom. The keel is weighted for stability.  ★★★

TYPICAL CONDITION:  All of these boats are less than 20 years old and many are trailered for daysailing, which suggests the overall number of hours in the water is usually modest.  ★★★

REFITTING:  Finding parts for a Sun Cat is easy since the company is still in business and technological assistance is also at hand.   ★★★★

SUPPORT: Com-Pac Yachts is part of the Hutchins Co., a family-owned-and-operated business founded in 1957 by W. L. Hutchins Sr. and is run by President Gerry Hutchins today. The company has been building boats in Clearwater, Florida, since 1974. The website is www.com-pacyachts.com and the company can be reached by phone at 727-443-4408.   ★★★★

AVAILABILITY: Construction of the Sun Cat began in 2000. According to Gerry Hutchins, hull No. 471 was just completed. Used Sun Cats were for sale in fall 2016 in at least five states.  ★★★

INVESTMENT AND RESALE:  A new Sun Cat can fetch $20,000 and a decade later will be valued at slightly more than half that amount. The boats are popular with families and have remained in demand, creating a brisk aftermarket.  ★★★

Overall 'SVG' Rating:   ★★★

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2023 Com-Pac Sun Cat

Clark Mills wanted to design a shoal daysailer that would rig and sail easily, quickly, and comfortably — as well as accommodate his family and friends. The Sun Cat was designed as an easily driven, roomy day boat and overnighter with a shoal draft to gunk hole along coasts and in harbors not accessible to more burdensome yachts.

Outfitted with the Mastendr™ quick rig sailing system and stainless steel centerboard with fiberglass trunk, the Sun Cat will provide convenient trailering and maintenance-free enjoyment. Individuals who appreciate timeless design and quality fabrication, who wish to explore coastal waters and quiet creeks, and who demand value from a yacht, will warmly relate to the "new tradition" that the Sun Cat brings.

Specifications

Basic boat info, contact form submission, more from com-pac.

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Small Craft Advisor

Com-Pac Sun Cat

The sun cat charms like the late-nineteenth century cape cod cat from which it is descended..

Among the first casualties of the fiberglass revolution in boatbuilding were character and aesthetics. Production-line speed and compound curves ruled.

1960’s designer : “Let’s do it in white over white with a white interior and big sliding plexiglass windows. And forget the teak; we’ll go with a stick-on racing stripe!”

1960’s Builder : “Sounds great! I’ll fire up the chopper gun.” Fortunately for those partial to the more traditional, a few boatbuilders have stayed the course. They’ve availed themselves of fiberglass’s advantages, but not to the exclusion of form.

The new Clark Mills-designed Sun Cat from the Hutchins Company epitomizes this tasteful blend. With oval portlights, teak boom gallows, a teak and holly cabin sole and a gaff rig, the Sun Cat charms like the late nineteenth-century Cape Cod Cat from which it is descended. But a close examination reveals some decidedly modern features. A manual bilge pump that can be operated from the cockpit, a stainless steel rub rail, a stainless steel centerboard and trunk, and a highaspect, aluminum kick-up rudder are all standard. This is a boat meant to be sailed—and with the easily rigged tabernacle mast—sailed often.

If the Sun Cat design sounds oddly familiar—you’re right. Clark Mills’ yard originally produced, or had independent sources produce, 50 Sun Cats back in the 1970s. They were built with Marconi rigs and bilge boards, but lacked keel or cabin. Eventually the molds were retooled for a cabin model with keel, but only 10 were produced.

The molds had lain fallow for over twenty years when Hutchins Company acquired them. Although it seems they’ve just started to build them, Com-Pac had Sun Cat #90 in the mold when we spoke with company head Gerry Hutchins. He told us that—based on unit sales—the Sun Cat is Hutchins’ new star. It’s obvious where Hutchins sees the small-boat market heading: He confirmed the rumor that they’ve been busy tooling a new 20-foot cruiser called Horizon Cat.

A prominent feature of the Clark Mills designed Sun Cat is her beam. Never mind that she’s slightly narrower than the traditional 2 to 1 ratio, 87 inches is spectacular beam for a craft 16’8” on deck. The effect is room—lots of room—enough for 3 or 4 crew on a daysail or as much gear as a weekending couple might require.

One look at the cabin’s interior shows the Sun Cat’s Com-Pac heritage. She has the generous teak trim, patterned upholstery and classic feel of other

Com-Pacs. The two side ports and forward hatch are openable, so there’s plenty of ventilation. Additional light comes from a small forward-facing round port.

In addition to sailing a Sun Cat ourselves, we asked owners across the country to share their opinions:

PERFORMANCE :

“P.J. does very, very well in light air and will ghost along when my windspeed meter shows 2 or 3 mph. On the other hand she loves a fresh breeze and will really romp along when the wind is 15 to 20. By GPS, she has sailed for an hour or more at 5-plus and even touched 6 a time or two for a few minutes. She points better than I thought she would, about 50 to 55 degrees either side of the wind, but she much prefers reaching to pinching.” Russ Browne, 2000 Sun Cat #16 P.J. Puddlejumper

“The boat ghosts along in light air. If you can feel the breeze on your face the boat will give you steerage way.” Matt Vreeland, #50 Loon

“Points better than I expected.” Joe Tasler, Lili Pad

“(In light airs the Sun Cat) performs surprisingly well, but the single sail must not be strapped in too tight to get best performance. (As for speed,) within the limitations of the single gaff-rigged sail, she goes well. Have not been able to check the boat speed in any specific way, but have done friendly competition with a Precision 21, which rates 255 PHRF. Most of the time I could keep up with him. Hope to race my boat in PHRF next spring and see how she performs in real racing. Doesn’t point as well as a normal marconi main and jib rig, but is acceptable. . . the centerboard is a real bonus.” Bob Mendes, Flood Tide

We sailed with skipper Dick Herman aboard his new Com-Pac Sun Cat and were impressed. She moved well in the light afternoon breeze. There wasn’t enough wind to get much feel for weather helm, but she had a comfortable “big boat” feel—steady, predictable and fairly upright.

Owners we spoke with seemed genuinely surprised at the competence of her performance. It’s as if they’d bought their boats for quality, style and ease of rigging, but were braced for substandard performance. The pleasant surprise is that the Sun Cat apparently holds her own just fine. While we don’t feel she’s competition for the Precision 21, neither will she embarrass her skipper.

TRAILERING AND LAUNCHING:

“She trailers like a dream. Because she has less draft than my former 19, and less freeboard, the center of gravity is lower and the boat rides beautifully behind the car.” Russ Browne, P.J. Puddlejumper

“I trailer mine with a Toyota Highlander. Last weekend I pulled the boat to a lake about 150 miles away at highway speeds of 65 to 70 mph. I have launched on both steep and shallow ramps. Never any problem, and I do not need an extension.” Joe Tasler, Lili Pad

The Sun Cat features Com-Pac’s popular keel/centerboard combo. As we’ve said many times before, this arrangement is hard to beat. The fixed shoal portion of the keel draws only 14” and provides the 300 or so pounds of ballast. An adjustable stainless centerboard drops down to draw 54” and provides improved windward performance.

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• See the 23 Pilothouse

Welcome to the Com-Pac Idea

Com-Pac Yachts began business in 1974 with our first boat, the Com-Pac 16. The idea then was to build a seaworthy yacht with a strong commitment to value. (For the full story, see Hutchins Company Profile .) Since then we have expanded our line and today we have twelve models, six cat-rigged sailboats, five sloop rigged sailboats and one power launch. The Com-Pac line covers a wide range of sizes from a 14' day sailor to the Com-Pac 27/3 cruising yacht . Each model, regardless of size, is built with the same exacting attention to detail and that same commitment to value.

Our line of modern cat-rigged models (dubbed “A New Breed of Catboat”) offer the ultimate in trailer-sailing ease and rig set up. All come with the Mastendr™ quick-rig sailing system that allows for the boom, sail, and gaff to be left installed on the boat while the mast is folded or raised. The shrouds stay attached and the head stay disconnects with the flip of the pre-adjusted forestay self-locking lever. This system, unique to Com-Pac, adds an ease and convenience to trailer sailing that is really astounding. Your mast is up and you are ready to go in seconds, not minutes.

Our newest sloop-rigged models are the Eclipse SL , the Legacy , and the Legacy Sport daysailer. We consider these yachts “crossover” models. We have taken all of the convenience and features of our cat boat line and applied them to these new exciting sloops. Features include the Mastendr™ (Eclipse), Boomtendr™ (Legacy & Sport), keel centerboard hull configuration and low riding trailers for ease of launching and retrieval.

• See the Horizon Day Cat

The three traditionally rigged sloops ( 23/IV , 23 Pilothouse , and 27/3 ) have full masthead, eight stay rigs and fixed keels. As such they can be sailed in areas and conditions that lesser sloops would be wise to avoid. Many of our sloops have long cruises to their credit. Coastal cruising, Gulf of Mexico crossings, and long term Bahamas cruises are a few that are recorded. The 23/IV and 23 Pilothouse are trailerable but they are still full fledged cruising yachts. We did not compromise sea-worthiness or comfort. When the 23/IV or 23 Pilothouse is fitted with the available custom trailer, they can easily be taken over the road for vacation or winter storage.

• See the Com-Pac 35

The new launch with the available electric propulsion is perfect for an evening of touring the harbor, canals and waterways or even more varied areas of interest with the standard 2 cylinder diesel engine.

All of our models come with an extraordinary list of amenities and standard equipment. From the 14' Picnic Cat to the 27' cruiser, you will find everything you need for that day sail, day cruise, weekend getaway or extended cruise.

If you are looking for something other than an “off the shelf” yacht, then Com-Pac is for you. Many builders today do not give you any more choices than cushion fabric and canvas colors. Whether your yacht is 14' or 27', nowhere else will you find the freedom of involvement and creativity you will find by sitting down with us and discussing your dream yacht. Our answer to 95% of requests for personalization is “we can do that.”

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• Sailboat Guide

2006 Hutchins Com-Pac Sun Cat

• Description

Seller's Description

Very clean 2006 Com-Pac Sun Cat 17 with 5 HP Honda Four Stroke on trailer. Well equiped and ready to launch and sail anywhere! We’ve enjoyed sailing this head turner in Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay, Saco Maine and the Connecticut River. Easy to maintain, tow, rig, launch and retrieve at any boat ramp. Shoal draft with centerboard, maneuverable and stable, but quick in all wind conditions. Spacious cockpit and cuddy cabin with full size V-birth, porta-potti, storage, lighting and ventilation for day sails or cozy overnights. Includes 2021 Garmin Echomap UHD 64CV Chartplotter and Sonar Combo mounted inside cabin bulkhead on swing-arm as well as navigation lights and anchor. Bottom completely stripped and refinished 2020.

Equipment: Anchor and rode, boathook, life jackets, paddle, docklines, Doyle mainsail,original heavy duty bunk trailer in excellent condition

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

A daysailer model (without the cuddy/cabin) is also available.

This listing is presented by SailboatListings.com . Visit their website for more information or to contact the seller.

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