INDEPENDENCE

Aaron Turner led a group of students and volunteers at Workshop Residence in San Francisco, California, in the construction of a Coquina cat-ketch. They started with plans by Doug Hylan and Maynard Bray, who drew their plans from the work of Nat Herreshoff, who in 1889 had built the Coquina as his own personal boat for daily use. Aaron and his team made modifications to the Hylan plans to more accurately reflect Herreshoff's original construction.The team worked on for eight weeks, with people able to sign up for the whole time period or just a day at time. The class size ranged from two to a dozen people. They launched INDEPENDENCE on September 24, 2013.The boat  was traditionally constructed with Port Orford cedar planking and deck, white oak skeleton, sheerstrake, and trim. The spars are Douglas-fir.  Douglas Fowler made the sails and J.M. Reineck made the hardware. The boat is currently located in Santa Monica, California, and is for sale. A complete set of building molds, strong back or ladder frame and other patterns is free to a good home.   Click here for a video of INDEPENDENCE’s launch.