I just picked up a vintage Damon Howatt Coronado recurve. Its a late 60s/early 70s vintage from what I can tell from some old catalogs I found on line.
I want to set it up this weekend and will twist up a new string for it. The sticking point is I cant find any listing for brace height. If nothing else Ill start at 8 inches and tune from there, but would love to have a better idea. The bow is AMO 60" #40 at 28 inches.
Anyone know the right brace height range for this bow?
Thanks!
All my 58" Howatts seem to like about 7-1/2" and 7- 3/4" and I have a Hunter that seems to like 73/4" so I'll say try it at 8" and see how it shoots like you said then try a lower brace as well .
Well I twisted up a 12 strand B50 string and found that, so far, 7 1/2 inches brace height works well and the bow is pretty quiet without silencers. I tried it with some 2016s I had laying around and it shoots very nicely. Not bad for a nearly 50 year old bow. I now own 3 Damon Howatts and have to say they were very well made bows.
I love them too!
My goodness Keefer, those are beauties! Can you give us the run down? Model, year, draw weight etc? Maybe we need to start a Damon Howatt photo thread?
I see a '74 Hunter on the right there. Happens to be my go to bow. Very nice group you have there👍
Rudy you are 100% correct on the Hi speed to the right but I sold it to a buddy and he is hunting with it this year. He just told me how good it shoots yesterday. I have a Hunter that is on the left and it's as new with green limbs Ultra Plus and I think it's either a 62 or 63 year . The Diablo was gifted to me on my 50th birthday cause it was the same age as I back then and that was 5 years ago by my good friend and buddy Fred.
The other two are Hi speeds and one is a Ultra plus and other isn't . One is 58" other 54" both very clean and dark in color as you see them.The heaviest weight is the Diablo which is 50# and others from 41 to 47# Here's the hunter specs.
Sorry for that showing upside down wasn't like that when I sent it? Here's another
One more for now!
Thanks Keefer! Ill post some pics tonight. The Coronado was a lower level bow and not as pretty, but still good looking,
[attachment=1,msg2829680]
Sorry for that big picture .I tried to delete it but not sure what to do? Anyway enjoy the Brazilian rosewood!
The Coronado
The Coronado riser
The Mamba
Here is a 1962 Diablo...
Compare the design of this 1961 Monterey to what other manufacturers were producing the same year.
Howatt's were ahead of their time...
An early 1960 Monterey...the layup on the risers was spectacular.
Quote from: dirtguy on November 02, 2018, 11:55:41 AM
I just picked up a vintage Damon Howatt Coronado recurve. Its a late 60s/early 70s vintage from what I can tell from some old catalogs I found on line.
I want to set it up this weekend and will twist up a new string for it. The sticking point is I cant find any listing for brace height. If nothing else Ill start at 8 inches and tune from there, but would love to have a better idea. The bow is AMO 60" #40 at 28 inches.
Anyone know the right brace height range for this bow?
Thanks!
Dirtguy
Your starting brace height would be lower.
If you let me know the serial digits on the bow I can tell you what year it was made.
Cheers!
One of the things I really like about late 1950's and 1960s Howatts is the variation, especially in limb glass. My current favorite is a knife-edge 1962 Hunter with white glass, which moved a previous owner, probably an elk hunter, to give it murals on the limbs, capturing some of the mystic of the Pacific Northwest .
Trees on the backs of the limbs. The belly side is roots and vines
The serial number is HO 2255 it seems to like 7.5 inches brace height
Thanks...it is an early 1972.
I was thinking you would hit optimum brace around 7.5". The Coronado and Cavalier models are plain Jane but DO NOT take a back seat in the performance department.
Howatt put a lot of work into their limb taper design and it shows in performance.
Gerald Denley
Thank you! its always nice to know the age of a bow. And yes, they may be plain Janes, but they can fling an arrow. I was pleasantly surprised at how crisply a 2016 shot out of the Coronado snapped into the target!