Proceedings. 9 



body plan. This necessitates a narrow and high form of 

 boat, with small side-air-cases, and therefore with small 

 stability. My experiments indicate that from 50 to 60 

 per cent of the available stability at all angles up to about 

 90 , has to be sacrificed in order to obtain the self-righting 

 quality. This serious diminution of stability necessarily 

 increases the liability to capsizing. It also proportionately 

 reduces the sail-carrying power, and thereby the power of 

 beating to windward, and it hinders rowing by so increasing 

 the boats' rolling as to have earned for the self-righting life- 

 boats the nickname of ' roly poly boats.' dth. The heavy 

 keel required for a self-righting boat is claimed as a valuable 

 attribute of the system ; but, in fact, heavy keels are used on 

 all classes of sailing boats, and non-righting boats can advan- 

 tageously carry heavier keels than the self-righters. Thus, 

 I find no element of the self-righting power which is, on 

 the whole, beneficial to the ordinary use of a lifeboat ; and, 

 therefore, I venture to hope that the forthcoming practical 

 competition between different types of lifeboats will 

 result in the success of some more stable type. The 

 Northumberland Prize Committee, who first introduced 

 self-righting, only valued this quality at 6 points out of 100 

 points apportioned to the various desirable qualities in life- 

 boats ; yet, for nearly forty years past, 50 or 60 per cent of 

 stability and sailing power, and 30 per cent of momentum, 

 have been sacrificed for this one object. Now that methodical 

 competitive examinations are at last to be extended to life- 

 boats, we may hope for increased safety and greatly increased 

 efficiency in the lifeboat service, which has for a century 

 past been one of our noblest and most honoured 

 institutions." 



