Sea Cat: The Future of Boatbuilding? Rob Dunbar shares some insight on a rather unique boat
Rob Dunbar


“Would you like to see my boat made from garbage bags? asked Scotty Millar of Sea Cat Enterprises. I immediately had thoughts of some crazy contraption made of milk cartons that you see on TV. Or maybe it’s a mass of garbage bags tied into little balloons held together in some ridiculous manner, which amounts to nothing more than a giant inner-tube. As I’m always in the mood for a good laugh I said, “Sure. I’d love to see it.”
To my great surprise the joke was on me. As I looked at this modern-day houseboat named Sea Cat, a light went on as I could see the future of boatbuilding.
At a distance Sea Cat looks like any other fibreglass houseboat boat with two major exceptions: It’s maintenance free and unsinkable. They said that about the Titanic, too, but that marvel of her time didn’t have today’s Coast Guard-approved foam filling every cavity in the hull. Scotty quickly informs me that Sea Cat could be cut up in a dozen pieces and will still float like a cork! The boat has been in the water for 10 uninterrupted years without ever leaking. She was thrown on the rocks by Hurricane Juan and didn’t suffer any damage to the hull.
Impressive as it sounds, a boat is ultimately judged by its seaworthiness. All questions were answered when Sea Cat, which was originally designed for calm lakes, successfully weathered a gale of 40 knots and eight to 10 foot waves for five hours while crossing the Northumberland Strait. During this particular sea trial the hapless crew also found a long rocky shoal hungry for a feast of fibreglass. It didn’t like the taste of recycled plastic bags and spit Sea Cat out, but not before taking a six-inch slice from the bottom of the engine and munched on the propeller.
Aside from being eco-friendly, there are many other advantages to owning this futuristic vessel. There are no plastic welds to break, no expensive fibreglass or wood repairs, a 50-year guarantee for trouble-free maintenance of the plastic, aside from pressure washing to remove growth. What is most attractive to any buyer is it’s 20 per cent less to purchase.
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Rob Dunbar is a sailor and freelance writer in Halifax. He can be reached Halifaxsailor@yahoo.ca. To learn more about the Sea Cat, go to http://members.tripod.com/Sea Catent/index.htm