MOTOR BOAT 



3974 



MOTORCYCLE 



A number of small, inexpensive motors so 

 constructed that they can be attached to a row- 

 boat or a canoe are on the market. By use of 

 such a device any rowboat with a keel and rud- 

 der can quickly be converted into a motor boat 

 that can be operated by any boy or girl old 

 enough to row. 



Commercial Uses. Although the motor boat 

 was first designed for pleasure, its advent has 

 had a marked influence on water transporta- 

 tion. It has nearly driven the small steamboat 

 from the water, because the motor is much 



MOTOR ATTACHMENT 



A recent invention which converts an ordinary 

 rowboat into a motor boat. 



lighter, less expensive to operate, and because 

 no licensed engineer is required. Moreover, 

 lightening the weight enables boats propelled 

 by the gas engine to navigate waters too shal- 

 low for a steamboat. For these and other rea- 

 sons we find many small ferries and excursion 

 boats in harbors and on lakes to be propelled 

 by gas engines. The motor has also replaced 

 the sail on most ocean fishing boats. The mo- 

 tor enables the fishermen to follow the fish, and 

 to market their catch without depending upon 

 the wind. In lobster fishing and oyster dredg- 

 ing this type of boat is also in general use. 



History and Classification. A motor boat 

 was exhibited at the Paris Exposition in 1889, 

 and at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893 a 

 number of electric launches were in operation. 

 The power for these launches was supplied by 

 a storage battery; but the weight of the bat- 

 tery and the inconvenience of charging it made 

 these launches impracticable, except in certain 

 localities. A naphtha launch in which naphtha 

 was used for fuel was developed at about the 

 same time ; but as the gas engine was perfected, 

 the advantages of this style of motor brought 

 it into general use. 



Four classes of boats driven by internal-com- 

 bustion engines are recognized: (1) the pleas- 

 ure launch, from twenty to thirty feet long; 

 (2) speed boats; (3) the hydroplane, a type of 

 speed boat partially supported in the water by 

 planes attached to the hull; (4) the cruiser, 

 which is virtually a pleasure yacht, sixty-five 

 or more feet in length. W.F.R. 



Consult Russell's Motor Boats: Construction 

 and Operation; Hartford's The Motor Launch: 

 How to Build and Run. 



MOTORCYCLE, mo'tcrsyk'l, a bicycle 

 equipped with a motor. The engine, which is 

 driven by gasoline, is constructed after the sim- 

 plest design and made as light as possible. The 

 first really successful machine was perfected in 

 1900, and the motorcycle is now so dependable 

 that it is used for dispatch carrying in war, po- 

 lice service in cities, touring over country roads 

 and other hard service. At the present time 

 there are about fifty different makes of motor- 

 cycles on the American and Canadian markets. 

 Many improvements have been added in the 

 past decade, increased speed, comfort and dura- 

 bility being the qualities considered. The stand- 

 ard type is a 7-horse-power machine; those 

 provided with levers giving two rates of speed 

 are now generally regarded as superior to the 

 single-speed type of machine. They will run 

 from fifty to ninety miles on a gallon of gaso- 

 line, but the latter mileage can be achieved 

 only under favorable conditions. 



In the earlier experiments with motor-driven 

 bicycles a belt was sometimes substituted for 

 the chain drive. The belt is retained by some 

 manufacturers, but the more recent tendency 

 has been to restore the chain and to enclose it 

 in a dust-proof case. Engines are of two types, 

 single or twin cylinder, the twin cylinder pre- 

 dominating in the newer models. Magneto ig- 

 nition is standard, and the machine is oiled by 

 a mechanical pump. The automatic-ratchet type 

 of engine starter has gained in favor. 



Manufacturers are now concentrating their 

 attention largely on increasing the comfort of 

 operation. Cradle-spring frames and forks to 

 absorb shocks have been introduced, and the 

 footboards have been readjusted so as to form 

 a natural leg rest. To lessen leg cramp, the 

 wheel base is now lengthened. Not the least 

 important improvement has been the installa- 

 tion of larger gasoline tanks, which make a wide 

 range of travel possible. In fact, the tendency 

 has been to give to the motorcycle as many of 

 the advantages of the automobile as possible, 

 and it may some day compete successfully with 



