Joe wrote:
Fuzzy Logic wrote:
"Joe" wrote in news:1166122839.066555.275550
@j72g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Why do they call "cat boats" cat boats?
Because of the rigging:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catboat

So why is the boat called a cat boat because of the rigging? Is it cat
like?

Someone just said Hey I'll call this a cat boat for no reason at all?

Joe

To "cat about" or "cat around" was a phrase meaning to spend time
aimlessly. Of course, the early catboats were work boats.

I always associated it with the term cathead, which was a timber on
the bow from which the cat (the tackle) was used to raise the anchor.
Perhaps the rigging of a catboat resembled that of the cathead.

But really, to cat was clang for vomit.