Coquina
Description
The Coquina is a classic, lightweight sailing dinghy designed by the legendary American naval architect Nathanael G. Herreshoff in 1889 for his personal use. Often hailed as one of Herreshoff's favorite designs—he reportedly sailed it longer than any other of his personal yachts—this elegant 16'8" cat yawl embodies the golden age of wooden boat craftsmanship. It's prized for its balance, speed, and simplicity, making it an ideal daysailer for solo or short family outings. With a delicate lapstrake hull and gaff-rigged sails, the Coquina excels in light-to-moderate winds, offering responsive handling and a dry ride. Modern builders continue to produce faithful replicas using cedar or plywood, appealing to enthusiasts who value heritage and tweakable performance over modern speed demons like the Contender or Copperhead. While production numbers were limited in Herreshoff's era (fewer than a dozen originals), contemporary kits and plans have revived the class, with active builds from yards like Hylan & Brown. It's not a racing one-design but shines in informal club races or as a tender for larger yachts.
Construction Details
| Designer | Nathanael G. Herreshoff |
|---|---|
| Builder | Hylan & Brown |
| Length | 16.670 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | GAFF MAIN |
|---|---|
| Luff | 7.5 ft - (2286 mm) |
| Foot | 10.5 ft - (3200 mm) |
| Leech | 14 ft - (4267 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 80.87 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 11.896 ft - (3626 mm) |
| Head | 7.5 ft - (2286 mm) |
| Area | * 83.49 ft² |
| Sail Type | GAFF MIZZEN |
|---|---|
| Luff | 5.5 ft - (1676 mm) |
| Foot | 8 ft - (2438 mm) |
| Leech | 10.5 ft - (3200 mm) |
| Head | * 81.34 ft - (24792 mm) |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 5.5 ° |
| Area | * 46.5 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.