Caper Cat

The Caper Cat (or Caper Cat 14) is a 14 ft sailing catamaran manufactured by Calypso Sailcraft in Brisbane, Australia.^[1] While in many ways similar to other catamarans of its size (notably the Hobie Cat), a unique feature of the catamaran is its large storage capacity.^[2] Each hull contains large storage bins that make it an ideal boat for camping and short island-to-island cruising trips.^[3]

Caper Cat

Caper Cat Insignia
Development
Location	Sandgate[Brisbane], Queensland, Australia
Year	Circa 1970 -
No. built	Unknown
Brand	Calypso
Builder(s)	Calypso Sailcraft (Ross and Leslie Clarke)
Role	Recreational sailing
Name	Caper Cat
Boat
Crew	1–4 (6 adults max)
Draft	0.23 metres (9 in)
Trapeze	Optional, can be added
Hull
General	2
Type	Catamaran
Construction	Fibreglass Hull, Alloy Mast
Hull weight	111.13 kg (245.0 lb)
LOA	4.3 metres (14 ft)
Beam	2.29 metres (7.5ft)
Engine type	Optional Outboard Attachment (Max 5 H.P recommended)
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	n/a
Rudder(s)	"kick up" type fibreglass or alloy "squatter" shallow rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda
Mast length	6.71 metres (22 ft)
Sails
General	Sloop
Mainsail area	9.9 m2 (107 sq ft)
Jib/genoa area	3.3 m2 (36 sq ft)

In addition to the more common 14 ft version, 18 ft Caper Cats with extended storage capacity were also built, however few of these boats exist.

Although these boats are no longer in production, there are a large number still being sailed, especially around South East QLD. Ross and Leslie Clarke from Calypso (the manufacturer) it appears retired in circa 2012-2013 and handed over responsibility to LR Sails in Deception Bay QLD.^[4] http://www.lrsails.com.au/ who reportedly retain various spare parts (castings etc) and the patterns for both sails and trampolines.

There is an active Facebook forum dedicated to Calypso Sail Craft.^[5] There is also an active sub-forum on catsailor.net specifically dedicated to Caper Cat & Calypso Sailcraft^[6]