Couta

Couta boat, Kathleen Mary sailing on Pittwater, February 29th 2020

A couta boat is a type of sailing vessel originally designed and built in Victoria, Australia, around the fishing ports of Sorrento and Queenscliff, and along Victoria's west coast as far west as Portland. Mostly used from around 1870 until the 1930s, the couta boat survived as a commercial fishing vessel until the 1950s. From the 1970s onwards, a community of enthusiasts started restoring old couta boats to use recreationally.