226 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



[April 4, 1889. 



LINES AND DECK PLAN CANOE "A T L A N TIS, ,! 



The Atlantis was evolved after a good deal of well-directed 

 study tc realize certain specific requirements. 



The original idea was to "do" the New England and New Bruns- 

 wick coast as it had not been done since the days of Cnptu in 

 •lorn bmitb who after he escaped the wiles of the duskv Poca- 

 hontas and the little obligation owincr her, cruised from P*»nobs<-ot 

 to Cape Cod m a ship's boat. 



The proposed boat must not he too wide to be conveniently put 

 into a baggage car, nor loo bulky to be hoisted at will over a ves- 

 sel s side. There was at that time no idea of doing the whole trip 

 in the canoe. The boat was rather to be used iu following up 

 some ot the myriad nooks and corners of the coast inacces-'ilue 

 to larger boars, because of rocks, reefs, mud flats, etc. Certain] v, 

 there, was a rich mine for the reflective traveler to work. In the 

 same spirit Lossing, the historian, had gone over the adjacent 

 shores, and our friend proposed to work a similar vein among the 

 islands and out ot the way places difficult of access from land, 

 fetoddard wanted a handy little boat that could be transported as 

 a bicycle may be on shore, and yet one sufficiently safe to meet a 

 heavy squall and containing all the comforts of the usual canoe 

 camp. 



^A£ l0c £ roodel , was m *de and the lines carefully drafted by Mr. 

 Stoddard, and the whole thing in detail handed over for* con- 

 struction to Joyner, the builder of the Cid, the Pecowsic, and 

 other well-known A. C. A. canoes. The materials used were "those 

 common m wei -built canoes: Keel, oak; stem and slernpo-ts, 

 hackma.tack; planking, white cedar, smooth lap on the outvie- 

 ribs, red elm inserted after the shell is formed according to 

 Joyner's method The deck is formed of lateral * 4 in. strips, 

 alternately ot butternut and spruce; cockpit coaming, oak; trim- 

 mings, walnut. 



The lines are here reproduced from a reduction of the origi- 

 drawings. The floor is quite flat for nearly half its length; 

 the bilges at the midship section are very full and the sides per- 

 pendicular, the entrance is sharp as a knife below the watering: 

 the stem has a slight rake aft above water. At the bow the watei- 

 iine is almost straight; above water, forward, the hows flare to a 

 marked degree, giving them an unusually hollow appearance, but 



MIDSHIP S KCTION— ' 'ATLANTIS. " 



ability of hatches, the deck was replanked and the forward com- 

 partment sealed. D is a movable thwart above the centerboard 

 trunk. Forward of the trunk is a metal compartment, E E, open- 

 ing through a second hatch on deck, which extended from the 

 port side two-thirds across the boat, leaving room to starboard 

 for stowing spars, oars and paddles. F is a large metal compart- 

 ui.-nt with hatch opening into the cockpit, It could be slid into 

 the cock pit like a drawer, and removed from the boat at will. It 

 contained valuables such as camera, dry plates, charts, com- 



passes, ship's library, medicines, clean collars, etc.. lacking only 

 the usual liquid blanket to make it a complete captain's locker 

 The drop-rudder, then a novelty, is now too well known to need 

 description. In this case it was fast- 

 ened by three common strap-gudg- 

 eons to the sternpost by a brass rod. 

 The rudderpost,7j,was made of heavy 

 sheet brass, folded around the rdd; 

 making a tube from which the rod 

 is withdrawn to take off the rudder. 

 Three nicks were cut into the brass 

 to admit the gudgeons, so that the 

 rudder came close to the sternpost. 



The tiller, which is shown in the 

 deck plan, was a straight bar, hung 

 at its center upon the usual lock 

 joint. It was parallel to the rudder 

 head and worked with it; it was 

 .... ,. , . , . much handier than the single stick, 

 tiller, which is always m the way. 



The Joyner centerboard is interesting merely as a nautical 

 curiosity. It could be deflected to either side, while at anv 

 depth, so as to be kept always at right angles to the surface of 

 the water when the boat heeled over. If there is anything i* 

 the principle it is useful only to racers, and 1 notice none of 

 them will use it, When it was found that the trunk compromised 



CHABT BOX. 



giving the boat great lifting power in a heavy sea, making her 

 dash the water aside instead of taking it on deck. The extreme 

 width of the deck is carried very far forward and aft. The same, 

 principle is worked out for the lines of the stern as those of the 

 bow. The quarters are broad above water to make lifting power 

 astern, but the gradual fairness of the run is not sacrificed. The 

 flat floor and straight sides increase the buoyancy and capacity, 

 and the heavy bilges make her unusually steady on the wind for 

 so narrow a boat. She easily carries 150ft. of sail in a stiff breeze. 

 It will be remembered that beam had to be sacrificed to porta- 

 bility. I think great cleverness was displayed in trvingto com- 

 pensate for the consequent loss of stability by her peculiar lines. 

 Her dimensions are: 



Length over all 18ft. 



Beam, extreme. ... HI I,. 



Draft of water ' tH n 



Freeboard, bow 1ft, 9kin. 



midships 6tn. 



stern 1ft. 6in. 



Cockpit, length » 7ft 



width V." " 28in. 



The deck plan will show the internal arrangement. A is a 



hfTiFY 1 ""SjnaHy accessible through a circular 



metal hatch, and fitted with rack* for kerosene and gasoline cans, 

 extra lanterns, etc. B is a wooden bulkhead just forward of the 

 mast tube. C is the opening for the Joyner deflecting center- 

 board, which was subsequently replaced by a large Radix folding 

 i oard. At the same time, experience having taught the unreli- 







*P / — 



» J. *' "»v 



A PIECE OP THE "ATLANTIS" CHART. 



APRONED IN— FROM HTANNIS TO MONOMOT POINT. 



had togo° Tt ° f Stoddai ' d ' s feet tlle beautifully scientific device 



THE OUTFIT. 



Alongside of the centerboard trunk was ample room for a tnnl 

 chest, about 18xl0x7in., and the aprons, oilskins, tenVetc?, X * ^ 

 side, and an enormous infernal machine in the shape of a gasoline 

 cooking stove on the other. This stove was made to swing from 

 the coamings like a hmnacle, so we could cook or keep warm at 

 sea; when set up it made us look like an amateur steam launch 

 under way. Its description must be deferred until a truthful nar- 

 rative of events may hrmg its unhappy being into action. 



1 he stores, comprising a barrel of wheat flour, a barrel of buck- 

 wheat, a chest ot tea, a side of bacon, a dairy, a hennery, etc etc 

 (I'm not speaking of the size of the barrels, chests, etc J, were kent 

 '° % * e . locker forward. Stoddard had two weaknesses-the one 

 for food, the other tor rest. 



He insisted upon keeping the otherwise comfortable cockpit 

 hke * 8 May-day truck with feather beds, pillows? com- 

 fortables, etc-,, sheathed m glove-fitting rubber bags What 

 astonished me was that these unheard-of luxuries would alwavs 

 keep dry. On sundry occasions I blessed his genius of orieinalitv 

 when m some corned and salt-saturated rookery on a rockv 

 island miles from shore, the no more nautical hut now thorough' 

 domesticated Stoddard donned his spotless robedenm, and spread 

 carefully over some pile of knotty seines his downy comfortables 

 and snowy sheets tor our repose. Yes, sheet, on islands where 

 they were known only as the ropes that hold the sails to the wind 

 ^K d d^M nto " PMadlM!r ot solitude 



halldea me a spare pillow with a linen cover. Had r 

 read "Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine" before that time the ex. 

 penenee might not have been so strikingly novel " Neide had 

 S^ me i 1 ?^ sl S! p on ^ e ground with blankets of woo] and 

 lubber, and I thought a cork mattress was the greatest luxurv a 

 canoeist was allowed. 



The tent was an ordinary A tent of red striped duck, pointed at 

 either end to shed water in every direction. It was raised over 

 nearly the whole length of the boat upon light wooden stretchers, 

 a stout line sewed m the peak forming the ridgepole. The bottoms 

 of the two sides buttoned close under the gunwale beading The 

 anchor cartes lead inside of the tent fore and aft. so that they 

 could be managed from within. * 



When we preferred to sleep in some hospitable cabin, light- 

 house or hotel, the entire cockpit was covered with a waterproof 

 canvas apron, which overlapped the cockpit coaming and was 



