Sept. 29, 1887.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



193 



line is shown with sufficient accuracy in the sketch ahove, the 

 rake of sternpost is a little greater than 45 degrees, to judge hy 

 the eye, the overhang and sheer are like all the Watson boats, hut 

 the line of keel differs, as shown by the full in contrast with the 

 dotted line. The keel from the heel of sternpost forward some 

 20ft. is nearly straight and parallel with the waterline; from this 

 point it curves upward for another 20ft,, and then runB Quito 

 straight to the forefoot, where there is a sharp turn just below the 

 water. 



Above the water is a handsome clipper stem such as graces 

 Wendur, Lenore and Doris, a new feature in large cutter-rigged 

 yachts, but long followed in schooners, yawls and the small cut- 

 ters, both tonnage and length class. This stem is objected to by 

 many on the score of appearance, but as to its utility there can be 

 no doubt, and it will be a prominent feature of the coming yachts 

 on both sides of the water. The form of the midship section is 

 shown by the drawing, the dotted lines representing Vanduara 



Every part of the plating is perfect in shape and finish, the only 

 projections being the edges of keel and plating, four on each side, 

 and the chainplates. Thistle's designer has done his work well, iu 

 every part the form is beautifully moulded, every line is fair and 

 true for its entire length, and the model is one that an artist or 

 sculptor, though wholly unfamiliar with yachts, might look at 

 with appreciation and enjoyment as a work of art. 



The many comparisons made between Thistle and her prede- 

 cessors of the cutter family were naturally in favor of her, but it 

 must be remembered that under the old rule the designer was 

 restricted to certain fixed dimensions which in themselves 

 dictated within narrow limits the form of the yacht, and the main 

 effort of the designer was to secuie power to carry lead and can- 

 vas, without regard to refinement of form; in short the problem 

 was, during the last years of the tonnage rule, rather one of 

 engineering than of legitimate designing. With the tax on sail 

 area imposed by the present British rule the field of the designer 



enlarged to the same waterline as Thistle. The waterline for- 

 ward shows a barely perceptible hollow, perhaps an inch, while 

 aft it is moderately full. The section lines of the bow for some 

 distance abaft the stem are of a V-shape, the bow being fined 

 away, but by no means hollow. Looking at the yacht from the 

 top of the dock the bow seems unduly small and the part below 

 water overbalanced by the projecting stem and flaring topsides, 

 but this view is very deceptive. From the level of the waterline 

 the yacht looks very small in the whole underwater body, and 

 many who saw her only from this point of view went away with 

 the idea that she was deficient in power, but a look up at the hull 

 from below gives a very di fferent impression. Like all well-pro- 

 portioned vessels, Thistle does not look her size, and most of those 

 who saw her underestimated her power. This was especially so 

 with those who had just come from a visit to Volunteer, docked 

 but a short distance away. The latter lay low down in a box 

 dock, the ends overhanging, and consequently looked verv large, 

 while Thistle, alone in the graving dock nearlv 500ft. long, was 

 proportionately dwarfed. 



The keel of Thistle is a beautiful piece of flanging, a semi- 

 circular trough about 2ft. in diameter at the largest part and 

 some 50ft. long, diminishing in size from the lowest point to its 

 Junction with the stem forging. It is bent from ^in. plate iron. 

 The garboard is about 3ft. wide, the keel overlapping on the lower 

 edge. The next strake, about SOin. wide, overlaps the upper edge 

 of garboard and lower edge of the third strake, the fourth overlaps 

 the third, while above the latter joint the hull is entirely flush. 



is expanded and the importance of form as well as power is recog- 

 nized, but curiously enough, the present tendencv in this country, 

 under the New York rule, seems to be in the same direction as of 

 old abroad, to hang on the lead and pile on canvas, the only limit 

 being the strength of spars; rigging and equipment. It looks as 

 though, if a given boat is to be beaten, it must be done by more 

 power, through lead and beam, or depth, and an increased sail 

 area; and this certainly is not yacht designing, but savors strongly 

 of the old sandbag days, when the best boat was the one which 

 carried the most bags to windward, the longest boom— and did not 

 npBet until she had crossed the finish line. Under the present 

 Y. R. A. rule the designer certainly has such opportunities as 

 were never offered him before since lead keels came in, and a 

 comparison of his effortB under the altered condition with the 

 older boats is by no means a fair one to the latter. 



During Thursday and Friday Thistle was visited by hundreds 

 of people, among them Gen. Paine and Mr. Burgess. The bottom 

 was thoroughly cleaned and sandpapered, the defects in the 

 cement were made good by repeated coats until all was drv, hard 

 and smooth as the old cement, the topsides exchanged their dead 

 black for a glossy coat, and the bottom was painted. Mr. Watson 

 waa everywhere about the boat, watchinc; and superintending 

 everything and even laying on the cement himself, while Captain 

 Barr and his crew were busy with the gear and rigging. On Fri- 

 day she was floated and towed to her old anchorage off Tompkins- 



At the same time that Thistle was docked at the Erie Basin, her 



rival was towed to Tebo's dry dock, a small floating dock at the 

 foot of Tebo's pier, Twenty-third street, South Brooklyn, and bv 

 noon she too was high and dry. The two docks are a couple of mile's 

 apart by land, but only a short distance by water, and soon all the 

 idle rowboats in the vicinity of South Brooklyn were busy ferry- 

 ing passengers from one to the other. The new Boston boat is a 

 large and powerful craft and shows it in every line, but when it 

 comes to a comparison with Puritan in point of model the older 

 boat can well hold her own. Two years of trial and thought have 

 shown some minor improvements over the older boats, but the 

 chief superiority over both Puritan and Mayflower is size and 

 especially depth. The new boat is deeper in actual draft than 

 both, the draft probably being as much as 10ft. 6in. compared 

 with Mayflower's 10ft,; but beyond this the greatest draft is well 

 amidships, the keel havingadecided rocker, while Mayflower drew 

 most at the sternpost. Thus the ballast is considerably lower than 

 in last year's boat, while the steel trough keel and the absence 

 of an inside keel of wood, makes all the weight practically in 

 the keel, with no "inside ballast" in the common acceptance of 

 the term. In general features Volunteer resembles her two sis- 

 ters, the chief points of difference being the clipper stem, the cut- 

 ting away of the forefoot, the greater depth amidships and the 

 shape of the stem. The stem is different from Thistle's, shorter 

 and not so handsome, the forefoot is cut awav considerably more 

 than in Mayflower, but much less than Thistle, while the addi- 

 tional de_pth increases the apparent reduction. The midship sec- 

 tion, besides the extra depth, has a harder bilge than Mayflower 

 a medium, it is stated, between her and Puritan. The sheer is not 

 as perfect as in the others, but this is probably due to the build- 

 ers. The responsibility for the stern rests clearlv with the latter- 

 seen from below the iron work is in proper shape to make such a 

 stern as Mr. Burgess obviously intended, a counterpart of Puritan 

 and Mayflower as well as the rest of his boats, large and small 

 The fault is in the wooden superstructure of the stern, which is 

 very clumsily worked, the rail and bulwark turning sharply in 

 giving a peculiar and most awkward shape to the sternboard and 

 by no means improving the sheer. The bottom of the boat is a 

 poor piece of work, but as far as speed goes it looks much worse 

 than it really is. The seams and rivets show and the plating is 

 unfair locally, but seams and projections have all been smoothed 

 down, the surface has been well painted and then potleaded and 



Solished. The result is a hard smooth surface for a time, at least 

 uring the races, and the vessel should suffer little in speed. 

 While on the dock the board was overhauled and strength- 

 ened, about 8in. depth being cut from the top side. The 

 withe on the end of the bowsprit was replaced with a new one, 

 and every part of hull and gear thoroughly overhauled. The new 

 boom and mainsail have been sent ashore, the old ones being used 

 for the races. On Monday Volunteer came off the dock and went 

 back to Bay Ridge. 



But little authentic information concerning the dimensions and 

 elements of either boat has been made known by the designers 

 but the following details will serve to give a fair idea of the two! 

 Only the dimensions marked * are official, but the others are 

 approximately correct: 



Volunteer. Thistle. 



♦Length over all 106.23ft. 108.05ft. 



♦Length on l.w.l 85.88 86.46 



♦Beam, extreme 23.16 20.03 



*Hold. 10.90 14.10 



Draft 10.50 13 P 



♦Sailing length, N. Y. Y. C. rule 89.35 8P' 



Sail area, sq.. f t 9,271.00 8,^ 



Sad area, sq. root 96.30 (in- 

 Perpendicular 108.00 -Oonf 



Base of sail plan 171.50 



The displacement of neither boat is known, bi\' ud e to 

 teer is probably between 130 and 135 tons, while? ia tioa. 

 140 or a little more. j,? Qes tton 

 In comparing the two it becomes necess? Port anc e 

 the old subject, so often discussed in our col 

 ship and nomenclature of each, but we shr 

 briefly and in only a general way, as it is 



