By Bjorn Bakken, Instructor, IYRS
The curriculum for the first-year students at IYRS in Newport, Rhode Island is rebuilding Beetle Cat sail boats. More than 160 boats have been built over the last 25 years.
The school year starts with traditional measuring and lofting of the existing hull and concludes with a new hand built boat at the end of the school year. Teams of two or three students rebuild the boats as original with Cedar planking over a White Oak backbone of 23 steam bent frames. Coamings in White Oak and painted canvas covered decks the traditional way. New spars (mast, boom and gaff) are made in Douglas Fir with Doyle sails.
The school-year at IYRS ends with a week of sailing where students learn to sail in their own built boat.
“Launch Day” at IYRS, the 1st Saturday of June is always the highlight of the school year.
The Beetle Cat is a well known Cat boat in the Northeast US, a 12-feet, 4-inch long, 6-feet wide gaff rigged centerboard sailboat designed by John Beetle in New Bedford Massachusetts in 1921. More than 4,000 boats has been built over the last century. Beetle Inc. in Wareham, Mass. still builds new Beetle Cats today.
The student-built Beetle Cats are sold to the general public for the material cost of (US) $10.500. The boats come fully rigged ready to sail and the school can assist with acquiring a fitted trailer if needed.
For information, contact Bill Kenyon at IYRS, 401 848 5777 ext. 213.
This is a fantastic school which equips students with real-world skills and nurtures the affection for the beautiful look and legacy of traditional craft building. My 1954 Wagemaker was expertly worked on by one their graduates in 2022-23, Andrew Robb – at North Country Boatworks, Milford, CT. Not only do their graduates walk out with all the skills to care for our wooden boats, they also learn how to build a sustainable business model and develop a strong client relation.