"The Story of the Couta Boat""The Story of the Couta Boat"Our principal objective is "the revival, restoration and preservation of the Australian Couta boat and their heritage."
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BackgroundIt started with this fish... |
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The barracouta (Thyrsites atun) was one of the most important food fishes found in Australian waters. 'Couta as they are known, grow to about three or four feet in length and are hooked by trolling lines baited with a strip of rawhide wired to a barbless hook. This fish became the mainstay of the "fish and chips" trade supplying Melbourne with an abundance of inexpensive fish.
One fishing fleet was based in Queenscliff, a port two miles inside the notorious Port Phillips Heads (the Rip) of Melbourne, Australia. From a small community in 1850 it had expanded to a thriving community of some 120 families with fishing as their primary income in the 1930's.
From
1850 the records describe a flat bottomed type of net boat being
used for inshore fishing in the estuaries of Victoria. By the
1890's when fishing had moved offshore, the fishermen needed a
better boat to negotiate the Rip and the open waters of the Bass
Strait and beyond. The boat that evolved was deeper in draft and
decked in forward to produce a dry boat in all but the roughest
of seas.
The typical dimensions for the Couta boat were 26 foot in length with a 10 foot beam and a draught of 3 foot 3 inches. Built of New Zealand Kauri, they were usually planked full length on ribs that were also commonly Kauri although some builders opted for Blackwood. Their draught was increased by a substantial steel centreplate making an overall draft of 8'. The mast was stepped about a third of the way back from the bow and a few inches further aft the cockpit started and ran to within 12 inches of the stern. Combings were round forward and aft.
The development of design was a product of the fisherman's knowledge combined with the builder's skill. The fishermen knew what they wanted of their craft and as each new boat came out of a yard, its performance was watched with considerable interest - if a new design proved successful, the builder would receive more commissions for similar boats.
Before the First World War all the boats were engineless but soldiers serving overseas were introduced to small inboard engines and when they returned to Australia they brought the new technology with them. The transition from sail to power was nevertheless, slow and some boats continued to fish under sail right up to the Second World War.
When
Tim Phillips first spotted "Mermerus" sailing
in Port Phillip Bay she was one of only two Couta boats which
remained afloat and in one piece. She was built in 1938 by Ken
Lacco at Rosebud for the MacKinnon fishing family of Sorrento,
who still own her today.
This encounter was a turning point for Tim who with considerable assistance from Ken Lacco set about turning his building skills to the preservation and restoration of the Couta boat fleet of Port Phillip Bay. With a committed kernel of enthusiasts the Couta Boat revival was started, an active fleet of over a hundred boats in three states of Australia are testament to their success.
"The aim, when restoring is to keep the boats as authentic as possible. The only materials used are timber, Kauri Pine from New Zealand for the hulls. Local Australian timber for the ribs and thwarts and Tasmanian King Billy Pine for the decks. Copper is used for the nails and some fittings. Where the rigging was originally "served", that is marlin and tar were wrapped around the steel shrouds to protect them, galvanised and stainless steel today negate the need for such necessities."
"Muriel" was a product of the
turn of the century engineless era and is very deep and
beautifully balanced. Designed and built by Mitchie Lacco, she
was launched in 1917. Her original owner, Gus Johnson, sailed her
for only eighteen months before passing her on. The second owner,
Andy Johansen renamed the boat "Muriel" after
his sister who loaned him the money to buy her.
"Muriel" stayed with Andy until the 1980's, a period of over sixty years. In her working life, "Muriel" wore out twenty-eight mainsails and Tim believes that she has sailed well in excess of 300,000 miles - not bad for a boat that measures just 26' by 10' by 3'3". Like most of her type, "Muriel" is gaff sloop rigged with a loose footed mainsail. Her wooden mast is 5" in diameter, 30' tall and stayed by a cap and lower stay. There is no running backstay. The jib is set on flying on a long bowsprit.
When Tim Phillips bought "Muriel" from Andy Johansen her hull, typically planked in full length New Zealand Kauri, was in good condition but there was still three months work to bring her back to original condition. Repowered with an 18hp Yanmar she is now capable of pushing along at about 6.5 knots.
Built in 1929, by the Lacco clan at a time when the family were struggling through the Depression, the building of the "Rob Roy" started the family's rise from financial ruin. The 27' 6" boat lead an active commercial life fishing out of Western Port Bay until the 1970's. In May 1991, the "Rob Roy" was lying as sunken wreck beside Port Phillip Bay's St. Kilda Pier. Authorities raised her, but as she was being towed across the top end of the Port Phillip Bay to Williamstown, she sank again. It wasn't until a particularly low tide, the boat resurfaced and was recovered.
The restoration was a massive project, undertaken at The Wooden Boatshop, involving more than 1500 man hours. Over a period of 11 months, barnacles were painstakingly removed from the hull and the craft disassembled plank by plank. The old keel was removed and replaced, some damaged frames were taken out, a new stem installed and some planking renewed. 5,000 copper rivets later, a new engine, mast and sails and "Rob Roy" was ready to rejoin the fleet in November 1993.
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New boats present
an entirely different challenge. "The Couta Boat
Club have strict guidelines for new boats. I consider the
new boats we build are part of the evolution of the
class," says Tim Phillips. "They're not built
for racing. My design philosophy is to go back
to the era prior to the influence of engines, to the time
when the boats were purely commercial sailing and fishing
vessels. Any new boat should have good sailing characteristics, be well balanced, and not too big down the stern. It should have good carrying capacity, and obviously, it should sail fast. The hull needs enough depth forward to drift well for flathead, which was also quite a big part of the early fishermen's activities. If the boat is too shallow forward it will drift off at the head." Attempting to follow the bottom-dwelling flathead fishermen would sail their Couta boats under a loose sheeted, luffing mainsail. The boats would drift along with tide and wind, lying ahull. They would occasionally luff up into the breeze, and if a hull was too shallow forward it would fall away, start sailing, and move too fast. Thus hull shape was (and is ) vitally important. |
The Couta boat fishermen sailed more miles in a year than most yachtsmen do in a lifetime. They worked in one of the most inhospitable seascapes in the world. Speed was a matter of survival. First to the Barracouta schools got the best catch. First back to the quay got the best price for the fish and first on to the overnight train for the Melbourne markets. Less time spent on the water meant less chance of meeting bad weather.
A fierce
rivalry evolved from this need for speed resulting in
"fishing boat" regattas held on Boxing Day or New Years
Day. Competition was intense, whole communities would turn out,
bets were laid and friendships strained. The local police
intervened to settle racing disputes on the wharf.
Many boats were hauled out the day before the race to have their bottoms polished and black leaded, new sails were ordered, and some of the crack boats had silk racing sails. Every effort was made to capture not only the purse of "Gold Guineas" but the prestige and status that went with it.
The
Couta Boat Club is an association of enthusiasts dedicated to
preserving these fishing work boats and the excitement of the era
of sail - especially the regatta days when crowds of locals and
visitors would gather to see competing boats.
The associations premier objective is the revival, restoration and preservation of these craft and their heritage. The associations stringent rules protect the integrity of the competitors boats, ensuring they remain true to their uniquely Australian heritage.
Members actively promote Couta boats
participating in the International
Rendezvous for Boats and Sailors
at Brest and Douarnenez in France and local regattas such as The Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, Tasmania.
For information about the Couta Boat Club contact wbs@woodenboatshop.com.au
© 2001 The Wooden Boatshop, 129 Hotham Road, Sorrento, Victoria, Australia. 3943
