Coquina

[Don Olney]

The photo and text below is from the June 2003 WB Calendar:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid108/p985b445c19c841441f1de186c24352ce/f93ebb3a.jpg
Coquina-16'0' x 6' sailing and rowing boat designed by N.G. Herreshoff and built by Bullhouse Boat Works, Kennebunkport, Maine, 2001.

Her two-sail rig is called a dandy, but this term could apply to the entire boat. Simple, speedy, and durable, she is beautiful as well. In 1887, N.G. Herreshoff designed this sailing and rowing boat for his personal use. He kept his original Coquina hoisted up inside his boathouse, yet it took him but an instant to drop her in the water, toss in the ballast bags, step the masts, reeve the sheets, drop the centerboard, hoist the sails, and, according to her designeer, "be off before drifitng ashore." Only the transom of the original Coquina survived the 1938 hurricane, but her plans and measurements, as well as some photos and intriguing commentary, have been preserved. Inspired and guided by these documents, builders are now beginning to produce more of these dandy little boats. -- Maynard Bray

http://www.aandc.org/coquina.html

http://www.herreshoff.org/frames/coquina.htm

[Hwyl]

Thanks for posting Don. Dave is quite a builder. He usually sells everything as he builds it, but he was in a bad car wreck and wanted a boat as a "keeper" so he built this one. At a boat show, someone asked what a replacement cost would be--Dave told him and the client wrote him a cheque for 10% more if he could have that boat there and then. Dave turned him down.

[Don Olney]

So where can I get the plans, MIT?

[brian.cunningham]

That truely is a beatiful boat.

I talked to the building at the Maine Boatbuilder's show, specifically about that boat.

I liked the rudder being steered by the lines, actually it's so well balanced, that it's steered mostly by the sails.

really :cool: fast boat!

[Pernicious Atavist]

what a beaut! so, how does the steering work?

[whb]

There's that beaut word again. Shh I'm trying to explain to Wayne that it's a Canadian word.

Nice boat too, so I agree with the use of the word.

Howard

[Billy Bones]

I seem to recall one is for sale in Europe. I saw another at the WBShow/Maine last year

[Tom Galyen]

I agree with all that it is a beautiful boat. But then again it is a Herreshoff right? Expecting anything less would be like expecting something less than beautiful from a Joel White design.

I do have one question a term used in the opening entry. What is a "Ballast Bag" that would be thrown in the boat? I'm not familiar with the term. I know what a boyancy bag is but have not come across the term Ballast Bag before. could someone enlighten me? especially as this might be something that I need in "Three Sisters" when I go out by myself.

Thanks

Tom G.

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Just some bags made of canvas filled with sand or lead shot. You wouldn't want that extra weight laying in the boat while it was hanging from the ceiling.

Steven

[Pernicious Atavist]

hello? hello? how is she steered? anyone? hello?

for removable ballast i use collapsable, 5 gal plastic water containers sold for camping. fill em when i launch, dump em when i dock. no extra weight to lug around, though sand bags do sound like a very good idea.

[rbgarr]

The links show different boats: the first is a later design (same name, but 1905 instead of 1890s) with a more rounded stem, and the second (more like the original Coquina) gives an idea how the steering works. A line ran from the rudder through a pulley anchored on the transom edge, then to a hole in the transom, along the sheer under the deck to a midships pulley and across the boat. That line continued back to the rudder by a mirror image arrangement. The skipper steered by pulling the line athwartships to steer one way or the other.

It appears that the recent rebuild did away with an extra pulley on the transom edge.

[ 04-03-2004, 05:45 PM: Message edited by: rbgarr ]

[Pernicious Atavist]

thnaks! i didn't get any info othet than the pics on the initial pages. i guess that might be how it worked...

[DougWilde]

Don, yes, at MIT. Years ago I purchased a copy of the only plan then known (1/12 scale). It covers the Coquina of 1889 (#404) and another boat (#419) of 1892. Only two sections are shown, but one practiced in the arts could produce a boat. The terms of purchase were quite onerous (at least they let me keep my right testicle) and technically would not permit construction of the craft. Notes on the drawing discuss selection of wood for various parts as well as dimensions, no hull lines or offsets.

Doug Wilde

[Dave Hadfield]

From the photo, the steering line appears to be dead-ended on the transom, going from there to a block at the rudder-head, to another one at the hole through the transom and then forward. (It's a bit fuzzy. Perhaps I'm wrong.)

This would give a 2:1 purchase -- handy in case she develops a bit of helm pressure.

She looks lovely indeed, but I wonder, seeing the twist in those sails, if a leg-o-mutton sprit rig might answer better.

[Keith Wilson]

Doug, can you tell us exactly what are the terms under which MIT will release copies of the Holy Relics of Saint Herreshoff to the common folk? I've heard rumors, but no accurate information. Their web site is vague, and I've never been serious enough to ask them.

[ 04-07-2004, 03:08 PM: Message edited by: Keith Wilson ]

[DougWilde]

When I purchased, the plans were strictly for study purposes. No boat could be built from them. The last I heard I thought they were charging $X per foot of boat as the fee to build one.

Unless new drawings were found and made available, the one I have does not include lines or offsets. With the two sections and using the floor boards as guides one could produce a set of lines. Now, since I have no known lines, how can Hart prove I am building Capt. Nat's boat? All that could be said is the layout is the same.

And if there are no lines (and the folks at MIT could not locate any at the time of my purchase) the best that can be said about the boat in the picture is that it was inspired by Coquina, because the hull's the thing, isn't it?

Doug

[Keith Wilson]

You know, MIT irritates me almost enough to get me to find a couple of Herreshoff boats with cooperative owners, measure them, draw plans, and post the plans on the web for all to use. Information like that should be spread around, (at least for a reasonable fee) not kept from the eyes of the Unworthy. :rolleyes:

Coquina's a gorgeous boat, anyway, even though the steering arrangment seems decidedly odd.

[rbgarr]

The MIT Museum has published a guide to the design records of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Those records were loaned and then donated to MIT. Joel White, among others, helped fund the research, compilation and publication of the guide. Maynard Bray and Ben Fuller contributed their expertise. It's called 'The Guide to The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection'.

According to the guide, the fee (in addition to plan fees) for making a half model from collection plans is $10. For a full model, $40. It's $15.00 per foot for a full size boat (two may be built per year).

If the boat is built in a manner sufficiently close (as is known and is practical) to dimensions, methods and materials used, MIT may be willing to 'certify' the boat(s) as reproductions. The stated goal is to encourage building "a boat which reflects the physical and aesthetic qualities of the original". I've seen boats built 'to Herreshoff designs' that lack these qualities, and they are sadly commonplace in appearance. Thus, if a way to ensure the boats are built with greater care and attention is to put a few financial and administrative hurdles in the way, then so be it. My opinion only.

The fees go to support the Museum's activities specifically related to the collection as I understand it.

I've requested information on plans for boats I'm interested in (NGH's Bar Harbor 30 and A. S. DeW. Herreshoff's powerboat SHEERNESS) but have found that the collection doesn't have much in the way of records. So it goes. If they did, and I were to decide to build one of those boats (each is 50' long) the fee would be $750 plus the cost of the printed plans. That's not a bad deal at all if the plans were available for the selling. But as I understand it, lines and offsets for NGH designs often don't exist since his designs were built from loftings based on a proprietary formula based on lines taken from his halfmodels.

For smaller boats it might be more costly than folks are used to. $300 fee plus plans cost for a twenty footer is a bit steeper than what we typically pay at WB.

Mystic's plans are a bit less expensive at $12 per sheet for non-members. Members can get them for 25% less than that. Ten sheets of a 40' LFH powerboat I am interested in would be $142.50 including shipping and handling. The plans are stamped 'For study purposes only' ...but I'm not aware of a cadre of Mystic Seaport boatbuilding police roaming the country ;)

[ 04-09-2004, 11:52 AM: Message edited by: rbgarr ]

[ken mcclure]

Originally posted by whb:
There's that beaut word again. ... it's a Canadian word...
Howard:D :D :D

Like "cut the grass" in Canada is "meau ze lawn"

[Don Olney]

.

[Philip Maynard]

I believe Mike Hanyi's related to Herreshoff and here are pictures of his coquina II

web page (http://www.raidfinland.com/ENGLISH/rentals.html)

[Scott Sawtelle]

A picture of Mike Hanyi's boat is in the launchings section of WB 156. The description says that he obtained plans and offsets.

[StevenBauer]

Here's a bump for Clint. smile.gif

There is an ad in the back of the current WoodenBoat:

Build N.G.Herreshoff's Coquina. 16'8" sailing and rowing boat. Under license from MIT's Hart Nautical Collection, Maynard Bray and Doug Hylan have produced a builder's package designed for both amateur and professional builders. Plans--11 sheets of detailed drawings for both cedar and glued lapstrake construction.

Plans - $200 + $10 S&H
CD with photos and text - $50 + $5 S&H
Study plans - $10 + $2 S&H

Send to :
Coquina
P.O. Box 58
Brooklin, Maine
04616

Steven

[Norske3]

Whoa...$200...pricey for a little boat.

[Bill Perkins]

Steven I saw that too ;ripped the page out and placed it in my "maybe someday" file .I wish the Mystic Seaport boat livery would supply themselves with one of these , so the boat could be seen and tried out .

[preston]

See http://www.dhylanboats.com/dhbplanzs.html

Preston

[Hwyl]

Talk to the real expert, forget the pretenders

http://bullhouseboatworks.com/project2.shtml

Steven, I'd be glad to introduce you.

[ 09-19-2005, 02:08 PM: Message edited by: Hwyl ]

[Dave Fleming]

For a very readable article by Eric Sponberg on how NG Herreshoff made his half models and then took the lines from them may I suggest Professional Boatbuilder, Issue 54, August/September 1998.

Professional Boatbuilder is a sister publication of our host.

Back Issues should be available.

Further reading might include LFH's biography of his father.

[Clinton B Chase]

Wow, Coquina fits the bill...this has a lot of potential for a project...but I don't know what to think of the line controlled steering...I would want to modify to add a tiller. How hard could this be?

Cheers,
Clint

[ 09-20-2005, 05:16 PM: Message edited by: Clinton B Chase ]

[JimD]

I would want to modify to add a tiller. How hard could this be?
It would be a lot easier if you offset the mizzen :D

[sawcutmill]

When one changes things on a Herreshoff design, one is messing with GOD.Why would one do that?
Perfection is just that -PERFECTION!
"Coquina" is by all accounts perfect!
stephen

[JimD]

Ok, more seriously, since Coquina is a ketch rather than a yawl it looks like one would have to laminate a very long, snakey curved tiller to get around the mizzen even if the mizzen were offset. The mizzen is too far forward of the rudder post for a practical tiller and not forward enough for the the helmsman to sit aft of the mizzen. Obviously this was clear to Mr H, hence the unorthodox rudder control system.

[Clinton B Chase]

Ah, yes the mizzen is in the way...I get it!

Oh, well...so much for Coquina...i need a tiller...but i would be open to trying her out.

Cheers,
Clint

[Thorne]

Well, you **could** make a really 'S-curve' tiller a la Caledonia Yawl, but it would take some getting used to. Somewhere I saw a lovely photo of one with a deep curve in the tiller that fitted neatly around the mast.

;- )

There is also the option of putting an arm/extension right off the tiller head to get around that pesky mast -- check out the Caledonia Yawl pics at www.duckflatwoodenboats.com (http://www.duckflatwoodenboats.com) in OZ

http://www.duckflatwoodenboats.com/designers/oughtred/CaledonianYawlTas.jpg

[ 09-23-2005, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: Thorne ]

[Don Olney]

Bump for Figment!

[Figment]

Ah, yes. I thought there had been another Coquina thread recently, but I just couldn't search it up. Thanks, Don!