Coaming construction poll

[Joe Nelson CS#35]

Wondering how most of you have made your coamings with the radiused corners. I would like mine to be "substantial". Maybe 3/8 to 1/2". Thinking of building them up from layers of 1/8" door skins...running the grain vertical around the corners. Any thoughts?

Second...how wide is too wide? I am thinking 5" would be nice. I dont want to add any additional support behind them. The carlins are 1.5", support of the coaming seems to be the limiting factor on coaming size. I like the sculped front but feel that the sides and back should be only about 1/2" or so above the deck...to facilitate sitting on the side decks.

Third...are the coamings generally made from straight pieces of stock and bent to the shape of the side decks or do you have to cut them to shape? I am talking about the vertical alignment with the side decks. I realize that the front will need sculpting to suit.

I am painting now...all I need to do is flip her back upright, paint the deck and install coaming and rigging. YAHOOOOOOOOOO!

[Brent]

My boat has radiused coamings made from a single thickness of 1/4" ply. It was less difficult than I expected getting the ply to bend. I find the 1/4" ample, but a double thickness would be easy to do. I think a nice way to get a thicker top edge (which will take the brunt of abuse) would be to add a 1/4" thick strip of mahogany along the forward edge.

These coamings stand about 2.5" above the deck in the front (making the total coaming piece height about 4.5"). These pieces are sculpted slightly to get the bottom edge align with the deck beams.

My coamings taper to flush with the deck on the sides. I did this to make sitting on the side deck comfortable, but find I ship a bit of water in the forward area of the cockpit. I endorse carrying back the the 1/2" coaming until maybe 18" forward of the mizzen to keep the cockpit a little dryer. These side coaming on my boat are about 2 " tall and are made from straight cuts of ply slightly taller than the final dimension, and trimmed to uniform curve along the deck using a router.

Up where you are (I am thinking lots of cool water temperatures) a dodger would be very nice. Think through a dodger design before finalizing the coaming design, so there is a place to secure the dodger.

[Joe Nelson CS#35]

I've made trial bending of the corners with 1/4" and it cracked before it got to the full bend.

I like the idea of adding a piece to the outside;

[Bruce Leonard]

I hope Ray Frechette sees this subject. Ray, a Maine Boatbuilder, built my CS 20 #51. He did a wonderful job on the boat overall but especially the coamings. It took a lot of trial and error to get it just right. My coaming are higher at the front of the cockpit. I remember joking with Ray at the time that he should "bottle" his solution and sell it.

Chime in Ray!

[double 7]

i built the coaming of my cs 17#77 with solid3/8 " thick ash,the corner 4' lenght where steamed and dry fitted with 4 hands ,,few days later they where epoxied in place and 4 straight piece where added in between.i follow abt the same procedure as ray frechette for scribbing and final dimension of coaming. choose your ash from same three or plank to have same colour and grain compatibility, the 2small piece front and rear camefrom same plank as the adjacent corner .steaming is not the only solution but it is easy one with good result. fern, double 7

[Rob Blackburn]

My only comment is to make them quite low as you get back from the centreboard case. Make them just as wide ie high as at the front but your bum will thank you if you have to sit on a 1cm lip for any lenght of time.

Our family calls our coaming the "Eric" after the builder of the boat as he reckons they are comfortable.. .(you reading this Eric?)

Rob