412 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Nov. 9, 1895i 



Beyond a vague and improbable rumor that the Prince of Wales has 

 ordered a yacht from Mr. Watson and will challenge for the America's 

 Cup, there are no new developments in international yachting this 

 week. Valkyrie still lies at the Erie Basin, and though it is not clear 

 how such an end may be made possible, we ;hope that before another 

 of these costly and useless toys is built some means may be found of 

 sailing a series of test races between her and Defender in order that 

 the exact merits of the two may be fully determined. Both are 

 capable of better work next season than in their first year, and in the 

 interests of yacht designing we sincerely hope that they may be raced 

 together, whether for the Cup or in the regular season's races. 



. Every American must take pride in the rapid progress in naval de- 

 sign and construction which the United States have made within the 

 past ten years, and in the remarkable qualities of some of the new 

 war vessels. Considering, however, that the designing and construc- 

 tion of the larger warships are at best, with all nations, but expert, 

 ments that may result in failure, it might be safer, as well as in better 

 taste, to wait for each new vessel to speak for herself through her 

 performances. The following extracts from the New York Herald of 

 two adjoining days show the risks which attend a premature brag- 

 ging. We understand that the designs of the Maine were made some 

 years ago, and before the present staff of naval constructors were in 

 charge; and the defects, if they really exist, are probably due to a 

 defective system by which the work of designing was divided among 

 many departments. At the same time there is something very ludic- 

 rous in the publication of the two conflicting statements so close to- 

 gether: 



Saturday, Oct. 26, 1895 — Why our cadets are barred out: It is an- 

 nounced that Great Britain will no longer permit the United States to 

 send naval cadets to the Royal School of Naval Architecture at 

 Greenwich, to learn the basin =>s S of designing ships. Current gossip 

 concerning the reasons for ibis action has not called general attention 

 to the most obvious one— namely, the folly of teaching our naval con- 

 structors how to design better ships than the English themselves turn 

 out. 



Not only has it been usual for our cadets at Greenwich to take the 

 first place in the classes there, but they have been so successful later 

 as ship designers that they have secured results in battle shiDs and 

 oruisers far beyond those attained by their English contemporaries. 



GOBLIN Sail Plan. 



Under these circumstances it is not surprising that the British Gov- 

 ernment should decline to give us further assistance in making the 

 United States Navy superior to Great Britain's. This action is prob- 

 ably a wise precaution, but it is also a confession. 



Sunday, Oct. 27.— Grave defects in the Maine. Owing to a blunder in 

 her design she draws 3ft. less aft than forward when she is ready for 

 sea. J ust brought to light. Having taken aboard all her stores, am- 

 munition and coal she is down by the head. Apparently a radical 

 fault. She also has a list to starboard that may indicate another 

 equally serious misfortune. Officers are reticent. A court of inquiry 

 may be needed to determine who is responsible for the bad design 



Goblin. 



15ft. sailing boat. 



The 15-footer Goblin was designed by W. P. Stephens for W S 

 Elliott, of the Marine and Field Club, and was built by Samuel Avers" 

 now of Nyack, N. Y., in 1893. She was intended for sailing about 

 Qravesend Bay and lower New York Bay with no thought of racing 

 there being then no class, but merely as a more comfortable and 

 powerful craft than the sailing canoe with its sliding seat. To this 

 S° d ' largely single-handed work in open water, a sail plan of but 

 ..iOOsq. tt. was given her, and this she carried easily with a centerboard 

 of galvanized iron of about lOOlbs. weight and 3001bs. of inside l*ad 

 She will carry three easily, but can be sailed by one at any time with 

 this rig and even less ballast. As the boat was wanted in a hurry in 

 the busy season, the design was made from one that was already care- 

 fully worked out for a larger boat, by taking the offsets of the body 

 plan with a larger scale than the original, and then spacing the sec- 

 tions a little further apart to make the required length of waterline 

 15ft. The ends too were altered, the fore overhang being lengthened 

 to suit the wishes of the owner, and in fact, in building tbe stem was 

 finally extended 3in. more than the drawing shows. • We offsets as 

 taken from the original drawing, were plotted and th« aasign newly 

 faired by a "contracted" drawing, the breadths and heights being 

 plotted to a scale of 2in. to the foot, while the length is reduced one^ 

 half. In this way all of the curves of the fore and aft lines are made 

 much rounder and fuller, and any errors are greatly increased, so that 

 they may be readily perceived and rectified. 



The "contracted" method of fairing, as it is called, is often used to 

 advantage where there is not room on the floor or the drawing board 

 for the full length of a design, or where the vessel is very narrow and 

 shallow, as in a shell boat; the curves being so nearly straight that it 

 is difficult to fair them. The true proportions of length, breadth and 

 depth are shown in the lower part of the drawing, with the arrange- 

 ment of mast, well and bulkheads. The boat was intended to be 

 beached or housed readily, being used a good deal in the shoal water 

 about the. Highlands and Pleasure Bay, consequently the ordinary 

 scag and rudder were used, with a plain triangular centerboard 

 While never raced, Goblin proved a particularly smart little craft in 

 spite of the moderate rig and cruising fittings. 



This design was used to a certain extent as the basis for that of 

 Ethel wynn, two important changes being made; the displacement was 



greater than required for racing, and in cutting it down the round was 

 taken out of the bottom and a flat V section substituted; and as Ethel- 

 wynn was intended to be raced -vith a crew of two as ballast' the sides 

 were extended 7in., making over a foot more beam to give as wide a 

 deck as possible for the crew to sit out on. At the same time other 

 considerations led to longer overhangs at each end. The design as it 

 stands, however, should make quite a fast 15 footer, and we have 

 shown the necessary changes in board and rudder to adapt it for rac- 

 ing. The arrangement of the well and coaming is the same as in Ethel- 

 wynn, there being two water-tight bulkheads with deck hatches these 

 hatches being placed just inside the coaming, which is extended over 

 «h™?i/ : « 6nterb °a rd m a v .*>? of manganese bronze or steel, 



about M>n- thick or even heavier if it is preferred to use it as ballast 

 The displacement is quite large enough to admit of the boat being 

 sailed well inside of the 15ft. waterline. s 

 . The details of construction of this class of boat are fully described 

 m the previous articles on La Gloria and Scarecrow "est-"oea 

 The dimensions are: 



Length, stemhead to taffrail goft 8in 



l.w.l 15ft' 



Overhang, forward ; ..'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. 2ft'. 6in. 



Beam, extreme.'.';;;;;;;;;;;;.\\\\\\\\v.\'.\';;;.\\' I": iou m . 

 Draft, n^U-."'. \\\" 4ft ' gfe- 



with board 3ft 



Freeboard, lowest n in 



Sheer, bow q m ;_ 



stern Stta 



Displacement, lbs i inn - ' 



Fore end, l.w.l to— ' 



midship section 8 75ft 



C-B...... 8.'07ft." 



C. L. R. with ordinary board.10.07ft. 



O- E 7.30ft; 



■ ^ 3ft. 6in. 



The stem is sided 2in., the keel, of oak, is sided 6in. at middle, taper- 

 ing to 2m. at ends, and lm. thick at middle, tapering to Urn at tran- 

 fT^J^ b ^P l %° e i8 0f oak ' 3iu - deft P and 2 ^ Q - wide, wi!h >|in. s!ot 

 b f h d ' , Tne f rames are siae d %m , moused l^l'n. at heels and 

 $ n ?hi^ ad ^h a nd K 8 ?^ ed ? Q - The . yanking is in fuu iengts, to finish 

 y 2 m. thick. The bulkheads are of two thicknesses of Min. pine or 

 cedar, crossing diagonally, with canvas between. The clamps are 

 3 X Mm- amidships, tapering to VA x y 2 m. at ends. P 

 The spars for the all-around rig, all solid, are: 



Mast, from fore end, l.w.l 3ft 6in 



diameter at deck 3iz m 



deck to truck 14ft. gin. 



hounds , ...12ft. 



Bowsprit, beyond l.w.l 4ft llin 



diameter 2Uin. 



Boom 15ft. dm. 



diameter 2 Min. rg 



Ga fl -v. 8ft. eS ~ 



diameter, oval , ^in. x lJ4m. 



