374 GOODYEAR ON GUM- ELASTIC. 



well, not only as a boat but as a life-boat which he so much 

 needs. That so little has been done in this art by civilized 

 nations, would seem only to be accounted for by the fact that 

 their rivals were so far in advance, as to baffle their attempts to 

 equal them, or that they have not had the material suitable to 

 build with. Considering the suitableness of vulcanized fabrics 

 for such purposes, and the improvements of the writer and 

 others, in the construction of the boats hereafter noticed, it may 

 be hoped that better success will attend this manufacture in 

 future ; and it will be little to the credit of the India rubber 

 manufactories, if they are not able to make better portable and 

 life-boats than have yet been built. A few only of the various 

 kinds which may be made of these materials are here noticed. 



PORTABLE BOAT. 



A very light and strong portable boat is made from India 

 rubber whalebone board in sheets, in the following manner. 

 The sheets of board are cemented together upon a model or 

 form of the shape required. It is next taken off, and placed 

 inside another model of the same shape, in which it is vulcan- 

 ized. The knees, gunwale, and braces are made of wood or iron 

 covered with caoutchouc whalebone, and are cemented in before 

 vulcanizing. 



PORTABLE FOLDING BOATS. 



The portable folding boats that are deemed most deserving of 

 notice, are the two following, as represented in the plate , 

 figs. 1 and 2. The plan upon which these two are made is very 

 similar, but they are folded together in different ways. That 

 represented by fig. 1 occupies, when folded, less space in length 

 than No. 2, but more in thickness. The covering of them both 



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