Morgab Ohlson says (and I may misquote due to an eccentric quoting style used
previously):

Boats with a Cat rig have a tendencie towards max beam and max draft closer
to the bow.

...that must be because of the mast weight, isn't it?

More probably because that was the "right" shape for a boat during the years
(hundreds of them) the cat rig developed - as for the draft, that is usually
deeper at the stern, unless you are talking purely about the canoe body, in
which case it is all part of the "wider section, deeper section" thing.

A difference in sailpower between a front or rear mast position is the roll
forces applied.

Do tell. Roll forces should be identical, although the yawing forces as a
result of position will change. So will the overall balance of the boat, big
time.
Look in Chappelle sometime, and compare the underwater parts of catboats to
schooners. See what I mean?

Steve

Steve
Stephen C. Baker - Yacht Designer
http://members.aol.com/SailDesign/pr...cbweb/home.htm