30/01/2026
The Cayman catboat stands as one of Cayman’s clearest expressions of design born from necessity and shaped to precision by people who understood the sea.
It carried people and goods between districts and supported fishing and turtle harvesting.
According to the Cayman Catboat Club, as outboard motors and automobiles became more common, the catboat gradually faded from everyday use.
Bruce saw room for reinterpretation.
“When I read something like that, I see a creative opportunity to reimagine something,” he writes.
His project, Catboat Concepts, takes the catboat out of pure memory and into design. Bruce looks at its shape, materials, utility, and connection to the sea, then translates those references into objects people can use today.
Copyright: © Bruce G. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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“These are just a few of my interpretations of the beautiful Cayman Catboat,” Bruce writes. Below, he shares the original spark behind each piece.
The Captain’s Pen is a metal gel ink pen with a sea turtle shell clip and black and white striped trim.
The reference becomes personal and portable, turning a cultural form into something held, used, and carried.
“When I thought about the women who stayed on island managing homes, families, and business while the men were away at sea, I started thinking about paperwork, agreements, and administration.”
That thought created a small object connected to the quieter forms of labour that also shaped Cayman life.
The Umbrella is designed with a durable canopy and a polished mahogany handle.
Shown against the familiar backdrop of George Town’s Clock Tower, the Umbrella places the catboat reference directly into Cayman’s everyday public life.
“I thought about the catboat flipped upside down, and how that shape could become shelter. That is where the umbrella idea came from.”
The Suitcase is an anodized aluminum travel piece with reinforced corner guards, a telescoping handle, and spinner wheels.
The concept carries the catboat’s old relationship with transportation into a modern travel object.
“The same idea of movement led me to think about travel, and then the suitcase.”
It is one of the clearest translations in the collection, carrying the catboat’s practical role into the way people move today.
The ‘Toat’ Bag is a structured canvas tote with a water-repellent finish and cotton rope handles. It became the top-voted concept in Bruce’s social media poll, a sign that the idea connected quickly.
The ‘Toat’ Bag also became the first concept to move from image to object.
“I’ve never made a bag in my life,” Bruce says. He started by asking friends and family to gather tote bags so he could feel the materials, measure the proportions, and understand what he wanted to create.
With help from YouTube, he built a tech pack and began working with suppliers to explain the product’s purpose and requirements. The payoff came when the first sample arrived.
“Nothing beats going from having a raw idea to unboxing this bag that seemed to emerge from my head,” Bruce says. “That’s a feeling you can’t really explain. You just have to create to experience.”
— Bruce G.
Register your interest in the Catboat Collection, from everyday pieces to limited collectible items.
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