SAILING CRAFT AND MOTOR-PUNTS 299 



(gun-metal) shipped on one tail shaft. The propellers should 

 have blades of a fine pitch, i.e. the set of them must not be of 

 much twist, for, being in a tunnel, they will simply churn if 

 otherwise, and speed in the craft will be lost. We cannot 

 specialise on the motor ; suffice it to say that a good 

 petrol engine of about 12 horse-power (two cylinders) of 

 modern and up-to-date pattern, installed in the launch as per 

 sketch, will, if in good order, develop enough power to 

 propel the craft along at a speed somewhere between eight 

 and ten knots per hour. If a large punt-gun is mounted on 

 the fore-deck, the petrol tank will have to be fixed under the 

 after-deck, though under the fore-deck is its correct place. 

 For the wildfowler's motor launch a good silencer for the 

 exhaust gases from the engine is an absolute necessity, if 

 success is to attend the craft as a shooting boat. 



The launch hull may be made of wood or steel — wood for 

 preference. We would give some remarks on the building of 

 the launch, and detail sheer and half-breadth plans for its con- 

 struction, but fear that in doing so we may be trespassing 

 upon another subject, and one not intended to be covered 

 by the title of this book. Unlike gunning-punts, launches are 

 everywhere upon the market. A practical launch-builder will 

 be able to strike his own lines and produce the wildfowler's 

 launch from the design herewith. I think all that may be 

 found differing from ordinary launches in the design here 

 figured, besides the tunnel arrangement, will be the low-set 

 bow and freeboard, extra long fore-deck, narrow side-decks, 

 and coaming to inboard quarters. This launch will be found 

 a suitable one to make fairly long trips in from harbour ; yet 

 it is not of sufficient size to be of service as a coasting cruiser. 



