H-14

[Badley Built]

Has any seen or heard of a Herreshoff H-14 dinghy being built? This is the 14 foot dinghy with the arc bottom as described in Sensible Cruising Designs.

RonB.

[johnw]

A fleet of them were built in Florida when the boat was first designed. Don't know of any recently.

[rbgarr]

IIRC a WBF member 'Gunderson' from Kittery, Maine has one that he's mentioned here. Or maybe it was something only similar to it. Perhaps he could be contacted through these folks who are selling his Rhodes sloop: http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1962/Rhodes-Ranger-Sloop-1546952/Kittery/ME/United-States

[Badley Built]

So, not many built in quite some time I'd imagine. Too bad, it looks like a nice little boat.

Here's what I'm thinking.... I've been looking around for a camp-cruiser/daysailer/raider/coastal-voyager that I can also take the family to the lake in. We have a nice ocean cruiser (wooden Newick tri) and a Thistle ('glass) for racing. The tri is great but wont work for several of the criteria. Same with the Thistle, lots of fun to race, too complicated for family daysailing and not suitable for the raids. So, one of the boats under consideration is the H-14. Also really like the Goat Island Skiff and the Pathfinder. Not really nuts about the plywood construction methods though. I'm more of a strip plank kinda guy.

The H-14 is not perfect either. The hull shape looks very good for rowing, the width is what I would consider ideal. However, the boat is too short and a little heavy when built to plan. It's easy enough to lighten up the boat quite a bit by building it with modern strip plank techniques. And I can simply stretch out the boats molds for a longer boat. I'd think in doing so a little bit of rocker should be taken out of bottom or it will probably float too high. I'm taking a w.a.g. at taking out an inch.

For a rig I don't think I could do much better than the Goat Island Skiff rig. Looks great and works even better from everything I've seen on the web. Maybe add a little mizzen for the raids.

I'd be interested in others thoughts on this idea.

RonB.

[johnw]

For strip planked, have you considered a Kingston lobsterboat? There's one in Chappelle's American Small Sailing Craft that was designed at about 15'6", the model later lengthened with a counter stern by a couple feet. Big, open cockpit, plenty of carrying capacity, and with a beam of under 5', shouldn't row too badly.

[rbgarr]

If I were to go on a RAID that presumably included sailing and rowing rough(ish) passages, camping and beaching, I might feel both secure and challenged by John Welsford's Walkabout design. It may be too heavy for what you want?

http://www.woodenboat.net.nz/Boats/BoatWalkabout/walkabout.html

[john l]

i've always saw a connection between the kingston lobster boats and coquina.
coquina looks like a refinement of one in my eyes. anyone see that or know about herreshoff's influence in designing the coquina.

[rbgarr]

AFAIK NGH had designed, built and owned several cat yawls in different sizes by the time he designed Coquina. He grew up sailing cat boats and may have appreciated the mizzen as a steadying/cruising sail on the larger cat yawls he'd sailed. I imagine he had leapfrogged any workboat influences by the time he had Coquina built and had the smartest, most efficient type he could imagine (for his purpose) and simply had his small boat shop put her together to his liking. It's been noted that he could shove her off from the beach into the wind and singlehandedly have her sails up and drawing before floating backwards to where he launched.