Menger Boatworks

Last updated

Menger Boatworks
Type Privately held company
Industry Boat building
Founded1976
Defunct2004
Headquarters
Babylon, New York
,
United States
Key people
President: William Menger
Products Sailboats

Menger Boatworks was an American boat builder based in Babylon, New York on Long Island. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats, particularly catboats and character boats. [1] [2]

Contents

The company was founded by William Menger in 1976. Hs son Andrew Menger also worked there and contributed to boat design. [1] [2]

History

The first design produced was the Menger Oysterman 23. A William Menger design, it was a "character boat" based upon the general lines of the Howard Chappelle-designed Blue Crab skipjack. The boat was intended to resemble a traditional 19th century oyster fishing boat of Chesapeake Bay. It was produced with a ketch or optional masthead sloop rig. [1] [2] [3]

The Oysterman 23 was followed by a series of catboats, all designed with the traditional east coast catboat features, such as shallow drafts and plumb stems. The Menger Cat 17 was designed by Andrew Menger in 1983 and based on the lines of a 1905 William Goeller design. When the molds for the Cat 17 were destroyed in a fire caused by lightning in 1990, the slightly larger Menger Cat 19 was designed by father and son team William and Andrew Menger as a replacement boat for the product line. The design was noted by reviewer Steve Henkel as being well-made, but expensive. [1] [2] [4] [5]

The Menger Cat 23, also designed by William and Andrew Menger, was added to the line in 1990. A 1991 review of the boat in Cruising World noted that it has, "tremendous cabin volume, load-carrying potential and form stability that come of this salty, ageless design." [6] [7]

The company went out of business in 2004. [1] [2]

Some of the company designs were picked up and produced by Wagner Boatworks of Oyster Bay, New York and also by Thompson Boatworks of West Sayville, New York. The Menger Cat 15 and 19 remain in production under the name Thom Cat 15 and 19. [1] [2] [8]

Boats

Summary of boats built by Menger Boatworks: [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

Catboat Type of sailboat

A catboat is a sailboat with a single sail on a single mast set well forward in the bow of a very beamy and (usually) shallow draft hull. Typically they are gaff rigged, though Bermuda rig is also used. Most are fitted with a centreboard, although some have a keel. The hull can be 12 to 40 feet long with a beam half as wide as the hull length at the waterline. The type is mainly found on that part of the Eastern seaboard of the USA from New Jersey to Massachussets.

San Juan 24 Sailboat class

The San Juan 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Bruce Kirby as an International Offshore Rule Quarter Ton class racer.

The Cape Cod Cat, also called the Cape Cod Cat 17 and the Hermann Cat, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Charles Whittholz as a day sailer/cruiser and first built in 1968.

The Alerion Express 19 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Gary Hoyt as a cruiser and first built in 1998.

The Bay Hen 21 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Reuben Trane as a pocket cruiser and first built in 1984.

The Com-Pac Horizon Cat, also called the Horizon Cat 20, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Halsey Herreshoff as cruiser and first built in 2002.

The Com-Pac Sun Cat, also called the Com-Pac Sun Cat 17, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Clark Mills as a pocket cruiser and first built in 2000.

The Freedom 21 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Gary Hoyt and first built in 1982. It was available as a catboat or sloop rig.

The Herreshoff America, also called the Herreshoff America 18, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Halsey Chase Herreshoff as a cruiser and first built in 1971.

The Menger Cat 17 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Andrew Menger as a daysailer and cruiser and first built in 1983.

The Menger Cat 19, also sold as the Thom Cat 19 Catboat, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by father and son team Bill Menger and Andrew Menger as a daysailer and cruiser and first built in 1990.

The Menger Cat 23, also called the Thom Cat 23. is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Bill and Andrew Menger, based on the work of Francis Sweisguth. It was intended as daysailer and cruiser and first built in 1990.

The Menger Oysterman 23 is an American trailerable skipjack that was designed by Bill Menger as a daysailer and cruiser and first built in 1977.

The Menger Cat 15, also called the Menger Cat Daysailer and the Thom Cat 15 Daysailer, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Bill Menger and Andrew Menger as a daysailer and first built in 2001.

The Mystic Catboat 20 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Peter Legnos as a cruiser and first built in 1974.

The North Star 500 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat that was designed by the American firm of Sparkman & Stephens as an International Offshore Rule Quarter Ton class racer and first built in 1973. The boat was Sparkman & Stephens' design #2135.

The Pearson 23C is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Shaw as a cruiser and first built in 1983.

The Pearson 23 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Shaw as a cruiser and first built in 1978.

The Precision 165 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Jim Taylor as a pocket cruiser and first built in 1995.

The Yankee 26 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as an International Offshore Rule Quarter Ton class racer-cruiser and first built in 1974. The boat is Sparkman & Stephens design #2065.1.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Menger Boatworks (USA) 1976 - 2004". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, pages 42, 43, 183 and 237. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN   978-0-07-163652-0
  3. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Oysterman 23 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  4. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Menger Cat 17 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  5. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Menger Cat 19 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  6. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Menger Cat 23 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  7. ↑ Warren, Quentin (September 1991). "Menger Cat 19 and 23". Cruising World. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  8. ↑ Thompson Boatworks (16 June 2010). "Thom Cat 19". thompsonboatworks.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
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