Who is currently building a Coquina?

[Breeeze]

I started building a N. G. Herreshoff Coquina per Doug Hylan's plans last year, and I'm almost done with planking.

Is anyone out there who also is currently building a Coquina?

Please post / let me know. This is a great boat!

Hans

[DrakeChristensen]

I can only say I'm gonna start later this spring...getting things together now and looking over the 500+ picture CD that Hylan and Bray put out while I plan things out.

Got any tips and/or pictures to share?

[Norske3]

How long ?....post a profile drawing? smile.gif

[Breeeze]

For all who need info about the boat, I recommend Doug Hylan's site, where you can buy plans and a great CD:

http://www.dhylanboats.com/index2.html

The boat was also featured in the Nov/Dec 2005 Wooden Boat Magazine.

Please don't use this post for non-building related discussions about the boat, but rather start another post - my intention was to connect with other folks who build a Coquina, sorry.

Anyhow, I strongly encourage to build her - this is a great boat, you'll love it - Nat Herreshoff was a true genious, and this is the boat he loved most for his own personal use - you'll know why...

Have fun!

Breeeze

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Breeze:

Are you building it traditonally or glued lap? Have the plans been accurate or did you line off too? Seems there was another thread way back about a someone not real happy with the plans. He pointed out the discrepancy and was told, "Bummer..." Forgive the fifth hand info - I'm sure I read it here though since the WB article. It is the coolest looking boat - very distinctive. A real head turner!

[Breeeze]

Captain Pre-Capsize,

I'm building glued lapsrake.

The plans are very accurate. The only adjustment I made so far was when I scribed the outline of the molds. The plans show the 1:1 outline of half of each mold, and have a distance noted from a point on the plan sheet to the point where the mid-mold plumb line intersects the bottom (opposite from the keel, you build upside down) of the mold. This intersection is not on the sheet, because the plans would be too large.

You transfer the intersection and plumb line to the mold stock, then, after scribing the mold outline of one half of the mold, flip the sheet along the plumb line to scribe the other half. When I flipped the sheet, the outline for the bottom of the molds was not exactly square to the plumb line, so I made a very small adjustment of about 1/16th" to 1/8th". The effect is that the beam at the sheer will be minimally wider by about 1/8th" than without the adjustment.

This is my first boat after building kayaks, and I lack the comparison to tell if I made an error, or if the plans were off a slight bit. In any case, the plans are super accurate, especially when you keep in mind that no lofting is required, assuming you work accurately and measure, instead of eyeballing and accumulating the resulting erors (my ladder fame is level by a tolerance of 1/16th" acrosss the entire legth, and the molds are exactly where they are supposed to be).

So far I hung 8 of the 11 planks, and all touch the molds where they should, and all come out fair. I had to spread only 3 planks outward by 3/32th" at one spot each, between molds 2 and 4, or 4 and 6, until the epoxy hardened to eliminate a slighty flat spot.

Big compliments to Doug Hylan! This is a great boat, and building has so far been plain fun! The only power tools I use are a 12" Jet bandsaw, a cordless drill/driver and a router.

Do you plan to build?

Breeeze

[Breeeze]

I'd like to get back to my earlier post, it has been a while since I started the post, so there may be more folks out there who actually build...

So, please send a "sign of life" so we can connect.

I finished the hull on the outside, put all frames in and currently build the centerboard trunk.

Thank you, and good building,

Breeeze

[Breeeze]

I added a few recent pictures from my project to my website:

http://web.mac.com/w123.153/iWeb/Breeze

Breeeze

[Thorne]

V'er Nice! More pics, pleeeze.

[Wild Wassa]

What is the best tacking angle you can get with a Coquina?

I watched a Coquina unable to tack in less than what looked like about 140-150 degrees just recently when trying to leave Lotus Bay. The sailors didn't look like novices at all. All other boats were just sailing straight out of the Bay on what appeared to be normal to average headings where as the Coquena appeared to need to continually reach to make way.

After watching the Coquina attempting to tack and watching her stall on several occassions attempting to go through turns ... I can only say the design appears to handle and respond very badly. Is that the design, the setup or the sailors?

The same Coquina recently couldn't get out of the way of the floating resteraunt the Southern Cross which was doing less than a slow walking speed when the Coquina ran into her while attempting to avoid a collision. The Coquina's responce to going through the turn was shocking and despite attempting to come to a stop the Southern Cross still colllided with an out of control boat.

The Southern Cross' Captain told me that the Coquina because of the rudder setup can't turn adaquately or respond quickly to any problems and has been involved in several near collisions to add to two collisions with the Southern Cross. After the second collision with the Southern Cross the Coquina's Skipper has been reported to the ACT Water Police as a hazzard to shipping.

Is the Coquina as bad a boat to sail as I have seen on a couple of occassions now ... and from the incidents that have been explained to me?

Warren.

[Alex Low]

Ahoy,

The Silva Bay Shipyard School is currently building one: www.boatschool.com (http://www.boatschool.com) . Check out the new blog section for photos of her under construction.

Alex

[Breeeze]

Maybe the skipper insisted on having the right of way (was the Southern Cross under engine power? Or on port tack?)?

I trust N.G. Herreshoff (and Doug Hylan) would have found out if the boat didn't tack, though some historic records indicate that N.G. didn't know how to tack and as a result always jibed.

?!?

[Concordia 33]

It's kind of hard to believe that Captain Nat couldn't tack, he was well known for his racing skill in Marblehead, and sucessfully skippered Valiant in the America's cup. Since we are talking about building a Herreshoff design, Daniel Skirra adapted the design of Gloriana - creating "Little Gloriana". It's a sweet little boat.

[mike hanyi]

Coquina tacks just fine, its just some idiots dont know how to sail her.

look under the water you have a skeg and a long centerboard, and a barn door rudder, she needs to be slow tacked,only deep daggerboards and spade rudders turn on a dime. Ive been out in 30 kts(yes, and never capsized her either) and had no trouble tacking her, and she points just fine, I found she sails best flat in heavy weather, and she needs some weight just in front of the centerboard to keep her waterline in the water when close hauled in chop.

As with most boats she needs to accelerate just off the wind and then you can come up pretty high, with your foot you can alter the sheeting angle to the low side getting the gaff to flatten out = flatter sails for close hauling. if its blowing like stink and you are trying to pinch then your dumping all the speed out of the boat and of course you wont come thru as you got no boatspeed in the first place.

Come on guys- it is a perfect design created by the master, learn how to sail a gaffer first before condeming what you dont know about.

I was sailing my COQUINA II long before Hylan ever considered building one, had her 5 years and well over 500 miles logged mostly distance cruising not puttering in a puddle for a few hours.

[Wild Wassa]

"Coquina tacks just fine, its just some idiots dont know how to sail her ... ... and of course you wont come thru as you got no boatspeed in the first place."

That answers that part of my enquiry.

"Come on guys- it is a perfect design created by the master."

A good objective answer ... but her designer "didn't know how to tack and as a result only jibed." I think Hereshoff could still be sailing the Cocquina that I've seen of a few occassions now.

"... had her 5 years and well over 500 miles logged mostly distance cruising not puttering in a puddle for a few hours."

You have answered most of my questions more than adequately and have confirmed my thoughts.

Now how about that tacking angle?

Now about being "just fine" ... is a "just fine" angle, relative to other Coquinas?

Warren.

[mike hanyi]

I think an honest 50-55 degrees when you know the boat, took me a season.

I did many races in our local club and could outpoint allmost all of them.

remember that the board was designed for the 183sq-ft.
with the 131 the board is a very large surface thet is not always needed, in light wind I sailed her with half board (metal board)
now with a wooden one as Hylan proposes you could shape it into a better foil shape and she should point better then my boat did.

If I was asked about the metal/wooden centerboard question I would say build a wood board(for the foil) and put in exactly the same amount of weight with lead, it really makes her very stable when the puff comes unexpectedly. old Nat never liked hiking out(gentleman dont hike)...remember he used sandbags... and I did not.

[mike hanyi]

I remember one race when I could not make the mark, I came as close as I could and still having speed, dumped the mainsheet causing her to head up, as soon as I was abeam of the mark I hardened the main sheet, lifted the board, and dumped the mizzen and she turned on a dime around that mark... and to this day they still talk about it in Lovisa as they never seen anything like it done!

this with a perfectly trained crewmember and 3 years under my belt with coquina

[Mick Herron]

I am building Coquina in glued lapstrake.
I have the hull planked up to the Gar Board. I painted the hull and I am about to cut and shape the garboard, which will be finished clear
Located in the Atlanta area

[Stashu]

Did anyone mention the tiller-less steering arrangement and how it affects overall handling? Must take some getting used to?

[Bill Perkins]

Mick ; I think you're confusing the garboard with the shearstrake.

[StevenBauer]

I didn't want to mention it, Bill, but I think so, too. :)



Steven

[Clinton B Chase]

You guys, varnishing the garboard is the new thing to do! :)

[Mick Herron]

I stand corrected. It is the shearstrake

[Breeeze]

Thanks to all of you for keeping this post alive. I'm happy that I learnt about three other builders in the process, and there likely are more out there—great.

I added a lot more pictures from my project to my website. I'm not completely done yet, so please be tolerant about some dead links and more items that still need fixing:

http://web.mac.com/w123.153/iWeb/Breeze

Let me know how you like the site.

Merry Christmas, and fair winds in 2008,

Breeeze

[PeterSibley]

I added a few recent pictures from my project to my website:

http://web.mac.com/w123.153/iWeb/Breeze

Breeeze

Very ,very nice work !:)

[Breeeze]

Thank you, Peter, I appreciate.

The site is not completely done yet, I'll get more pictures about cutting and hanging planks, but that may take until after Christmas.

Breeeze

http://web.mac.com/w123.153/iWeb/Breeze

[PaulC]

From one whom sometimes struggles with such things, it is nice to see a nice, methodical assembly and construction. Very nice looking boat!