

RECREATION 



far more complete than it could be without 

 certain provoking experiences. I feel no 

 doubt that L could take it apart and put it 

 together again in the dark. Every detail of 

 it is as familiar to my touch as the collar 

 button at the back of my neck. 



As soon as I had repaired the muffler I 

 took the boat to Quinsigamond Lake. It 

 is a larger sheet of water and clear of weeds. 

 Besides, I wanted to start among new 

 people, with eclat — which I certainly had 

 not done at Chebacco. Nor was I disap- 

 pointed. The Fayette even exceeded my 

 expectations, although, for awhile, there 

 were little matters which required adjust- 

 ment. One of these in particular was 

 solved quite happily. The gasoline tank 

 proved to be set too low to feed out all of 

 the fluid. It was a flat tank, about four 

 inches deep, and fitted snugly just below 

 the deck at the stern. As the weight of the 

 engine and myself was considerably greater 

 than that of the crew, the stern settled 

 down and the gasoline did not flow com- 

 pletely out. There was no way to raise 

 the tank and it seemed as though the 

 only alternative would be to get a heavier 

 crew. 



But the crew solved the problem herself. 

 "If you should sit up here, Billy, you 

 could handle the wheel quite well, and the 

 canoe would trim better." It was a noble 

 thought and I instantly adopted it. The 

 steering wheel was amidships on the port 

 side, within easy reach, and the engine 

 required little attention after starting. 

 The quarters were somewhat crowded, but 

 I never heard the crew grumble. 



I would advise any one designing a 

 motor canoe to place the wheel as I have 

 described. It has proved a very conveni- 

 ent and very pleasant arrangement. I use a 

 reversible propeller in the Fayette, and, owing 

 to the lightness of the craft, the suddenness 

 with which she can be stopped is astonishing. 

 I used to amuse myself by coming up to 

 the float at full speed until within one 

 length, to the great alarm of spectators ; then, 

 reversing the propeller, would swing along- 

 side as gently as a feather. One day, how- 

 ever, it was different. I had come up at 

 the usual headlong rate and reversed the 



wheel, when there was a jar. The engine 

 stopped instantly, while the Fayette dashed 

 to the float. But for a friendly and sturdy 

 foot, quickly thrust out, the bow would 

 have been stove in. 



Mortified and humbled, I hauled the 

 canoe up, and found that the end of a two- 

 inch hawser had become entangled in the 

 propeller. It had floated in at the psycho- 

 logical moment, when I needed every ounce 

 of back pressure I could command. 



And the Girl never screamed! She was 

 a great comfort to me. Great! 



It was with infinite glee that I clipped 

 an item from a local paper and sent it to 

 Smith. Smith! — the man who would com- 

 mence "first thing Monday morning." 

 Smith ! — who knew it all. Smith ! — who had 

 said I might get four miles an hour, if she 

 didn't shake apart in the first mile. The 

 item described a run of the Fayette over a 

 measured mile in 6.48 minutes. Nine and 

 a-quarter miles per hour! It repaid me for 

 all my trouble with Smith and with Brown 

 and his astigmatized assistant. I even be- 

 came reconciled to the loss o f my spring cruise . 

 With this performance in mind, I am by no 

 means doubtful that, with some few 

 changes now being made, and in good 

 water, the Fayette will be able to do ten 

 miles an hour, or better. 



When fitting in the engine, the canoe 

 was decked over for four feet at each end 

 and a neat combing run around the cock- 

 pit. This is the only strengthening which 

 was given to the frame, and it seems to be 

 ample. I think the elasticity of the frame 

 itself is a great factor of strength, as well 

 as comfort. The vibration of the little 

 boat, about which my friends made dreary 

 predictions, is by no means severe. It is 

 not nearly so noticeable as in a solidly- 

 framed launch, and doubtless this is due 

 to the elasticity to which I have referred. 



This summer the Fayette goes to her old 

 cruising ground on the Cobbosseecontee 

 and sister lakes. It is for such water she is 

 expressly adapted. In the ten-mile stretches 

 of those lakes she can let herself out and 

 scoot through the water like the dainty 

 little wild thing she is, without fear of con- 

 tact with weeds or treacherous rocks. 



