Designer: Leigh H. Coolidge

Little is known about Leigh H. Coolidge (1870-1959), but he was an extraordinary and prolific Northwest boat designer of many famous vessels, ranging from elegant yachts to working tugboats. From his drafting table emerged elegant yachts, rum runners, ferry boats, work boats, tug boats and barges during his long career. His work during the 1920's and 1930's is particularly notable, as well as his Miki-class tugs from the WWII era. All of these vessels he designed with apparently equal ease, including many iconic vessels still in existence today.

In 1924, he collaborated with N.J. Blanchard of the N.J. Blanchard Boat Company to design a raised deck cruiser that was revolutionary, in that it was intended to appeal to the average man, not the millionaire.

The boatyards of the era were fascinated by the idea of standardizing boat building, following the lead of the automobile industry. The concept of actually being able to see a vessel before you bought it was a radical notion. It was the beginning of a whole new era. Up until this time, nearly all vessels were one-of-a-kind, entirely custom, and destined only for the very wealthy. These custom vessels were often much larger and were certainly more expensive, but the boatyards typically didn't actually make much money on building these custom vessels because it was a such a competitive business getting the contract. The bidding had to be aggressive to get the business, but if you miscalculated and underbid the contract, it might put your boatyard out of business. Democratization of the boat business had appeal on many levels, not the least of which was the potential increase in steady income flow.

Background

Leigh Coolidge was born and raised in Boston, and studied naval architecture in the east. He moved to Seattle with his wife and three children sometime between 1890 and 1901. Coolidge opened an office at 1st and Dearborn streets in Seattle, and soon became known as a talented designer of ships and an exacting taskmaster in the supervision of their construction.

He reportedly had few friends and was by nature a loner. There are many anecdotes that indicate that his personality was rather difficult, that he was known for being rather rigid, inflexible, and aloof. He had a tendency to dress rather more formally and elegantly than his associates on the waterfront, sporting a Van Dyke beard, and topping off his elegant suits with a Homburg hat. Thus, he gained the not entirely complimentary nickname,"The Duke".

Coolidge Propeller

Coolidge also was a perfectionist in matters related to his craft. By 1910, reluctant to delegate any detail of the vessels he was designing to others who might not have the same exacting standards, he started designing the propellers for the vessels that originated on his drafting table, along with many other aspects of the vessels.

At this time, there were no propeller manufacturers on the west coast of the United States. Most Northwest shipbuilders sourced their propellers in New York and Maine. At first Coolidge just made the patterns for his propellers, and had others cast and machine them locally. In 1914, he established a small machine shop on Marion Street as an adjunct to his naval architecture business, which ultimately grew into the Coolidge Propeller Company. The machinery was initially rather primitive, but the shop grew to be able to manufacture propellers up to 50" in size during this period.

In 1923, Coolidge hired an experienced young Fred Dobbs as the general manager of the small company, giving him a minority interest in the company in addition to his salary. Coolidge, although removed from everyday matters, remained fully in control. He and Dobbs had differing ideas on how to grow the business, and Coolidge's personality traits remained difficult. By 1926, things had come to a head. Dobbs offered to quit, but Coolidge countered with an offer to have Dobbs buy him out. They ultimately agreed on terms. Dobbs bought out Coolidge and became sole owner, but retained the existing company name of Coolidge Propeller since it was already well established and still the only propeller shop on the Pacific Coast.

Dobbs successfully grew the company over the next 50+ years into a fixture within the Seattle maritime community, with worldwide business manufacturing propeller and propulsion equipment for a wide range of vessels, handling increasingly complicated solutions for propulsion challenges. The company was sold following Dobbs' death in 1986 and the plant closed in 1989.

Leigh Coolidge's legacy, in addition to the pleasure and working craft he designed, was a world famous propeller & propulsion company, reflecting his name, guided by his original passion for excellence, but without his involvement.

Some Notable Vessels Designed by Coolidge

Notable Pleasure Vessels:

Arlene 38' 1929 Builder: N.J. Blanchard Boat Company

Blanche 36' 1928 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company fka: Dorothy M, Blue Boy, Cimarron

Colleen 36' 1928 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Contessa 36' 1924 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company fka: Elsinore, Gilwin,Lady Deanna, Patheja

Corsair II 50' 1926 Builder: Martinac Shipyard

Cutterhead 36' 1926 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Dorleon 36' 1924 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company fka: Titus

Elgwen 36' 1928 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Faun 36' 1926 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Kay-Don 32' 1926 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company fka: Sally Bruce

Kiyi 50' 1926 Builder: Schertzer

Latitude 32' 1929 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company fka: Iwanna, Ananda, Adagio, Martha E, Barney Bean

Mer-Na 36' 1930 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Merrilee 36' 1926 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Muralyn 36' 1927 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Nanita 36' 1927 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Opalo 36' 1926 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Resolute 36' 1926 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company fka: Rowena

Susie 36' 1927 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company

Tum Tum 36' 1929 Builder: NJ Blanchard Boat Company/Hasegawa

Work Vessels:

The Prince of Wales ca. 1923

Miki-Class tugboats ca. 1940's Various shipbuilding firms in Seattle, San Francisco, East Coast including NY: 61 were built. Three are known to exist today in the Salish Sea: Galene, Dominion, and K__________.