Jan, 18, 1896. 
YACHT DESIGNING.— III. 
BY W. P, STEPHENS. 
[Continued from page S6.] 
In every estimate and comparison of yachts, as in pur- 
chasing or deciding on a design, there are three impor- 
tant subjects for consideration — cost, speed and size. 
The relation of these three variables is complex in the 
extreme, and it is a most difficult matter to establish a 
fixed standard of comparison for either one; they demand, 
however, the closest attention of designers and intending 
owners, and in fact of all who own or race yachts. While 
certain standards of "size" and even of speed are recog- 
nized from time to time, they are at best indefinite and 
devoid of all scientific basis. 
There are a few fortunate yachtsmen with whom cost 
does not figure. Having decided that they want a yacht 
of a certain size or class, they are in a position to place a 
carte blanche order with some famous designer. With the 
great body of yachtsmen, however, even the wealthier 
ones, cost must always be considered to a certain extent. 
A man wants a fair return for his money, and if he de- 
cides to build to a certain class, he does not expect to pay 
as much as in the next higher class. 
Throughout the following discussion we shall assume 
that the cost is a fixed quantity to this extent: that a 
yachtsman desirous of building to some certain class is 
prepared to set aside a sum sufficient to cover every possi- 
ble item of construction and equipment, allowing for good 
sound material and a workmanlike job throughout; or, to 
put the same thing in another way, having a certain sum 
to devote to a yacht, the estimates will be made to cover 
the largest possible yacht that can be built of good 
materials and workmanship and with complete outfit, for 
the assigned sum. Such a reasonable and business-like 
method is not followed as a rule; but having decided that 
he can afford a certain outlay, the prospective owner pro- 
ceeds to plan a larger yacht than can be fairly and hon- 
estly built for the money. He neglects entirely the 
smaller items of equipment which, though absolutely 
necessary before the yacht can be used, do not present 
themselves as actually part of the construction. He plans 
a large hull of necessarily inferior construction, he under- 
estimates on ballast, sails and interior fittings, and, to 
crown all, he ignores that large margin which is necessary 
in every vessel to cover various contingent expenses. 
Having started out in this way, he is generally able to find 
a builder who, being either a fool or a knave, will sign a 
contract to build the yacht. 
The general result is always a disastrous failure, it being 
merely a matter of detail whether the builder being a fool 
Buffers a heavy loss, or being a knave saves his pocket by 
giving the owner a worthless vessel. In either case the 
owner is apt to find by the time the yacht is really in com- 
mission that she has cost double his original estimate. 
If he can afford to pay the money and if the work has 
withal been well done, it is merely a case of "all's well 
that ends well," but in the ma jority of cases of this kind 
the owner finds that the unlooked for expense of building 
has so embarrassed him that he is unable for the time to 
race or even to run the yacht properly; and, what is very 
much worse, that he has a craft which requires expensive 
alterations and strengthening before she can be used at 
all. A yacht is, small or large, essentially an article of 
luxury and a most expensive one at that; so much so that 
very few men can afford to build one that is unsound, un- 
seaworthy or unmanageable and consequently worthless. 
W e would impress upon all yachtsmen the folly of that 
false economy which refuses to recogrjize at the outset all 
necessary and legitimate expenses. The question is much 
the same whether the yacht has a double skin of mahogany 
or a single skin of cedar, whether she is ballasted with 
lead or iron, whether her fin or board is of an expensive 
bronze or plain steel, whether her sails are of some special 
brand of canvas with a costly name or whether they are 
of plain honest cotton duck. This method of procedure 
is not confined to the small and cheaply built craft, but is 
found in the large steam yachts as well. The wise owner 
will start in with an estimate which will include every 
detail down to mops, brooms and equilgees; and though 
the circumstances may impel him to accept cherry in 
place of mahogany, iron fastenings in place of copper, and 
iron ballast in plaee of lead, he will allow for sound 
seasoned wood, for an adequate amount of fastenings 
properly and carefully placed, and for shipshape and 
workmanlike construction, however plain the finish may 
be. 
It should be borne in mind that it is always possible to 
get a very low estimate on any specifications; yacht build- 
ing is by no means the only trade in which there are men 
who, through lack of experience or lack of principle, are 
willing to sign a contract for a sum far below that at 
which the work can be done, the latter sort trusting to the 
chances of "getting even" through some evasion of the 
contract or a long bill of extras before the yacht is com- 
pleted. It is very seldom the case that several reputable 
builders cannot be found to give estimates on a complete 
set of specifications, from which the fair and reasonable 
cost of the proposed yacht may be ascertained. In the 
event of the figure being too high, there are three courses 
open to the owner: first, to cheapen the construction by 
substituting less costly materials, such as cherry for 
mahogany, iron for lead, etc. , as already mentioned, of 
course, providing that the original specifications are not 
made out on the cheaper basis; secondly, to reduce the 
size of the proposed yacht, thus retaining the quality of 
finish with a lesser outlay; and third, to hunt up some 
builder who will agree to underbid the others. This third 
course is not only of questionable honesty and unfair to 
the men who have estimated in good faith, but it is foolish 
in the extreme, and in the end most costly and unsatis- 
factory. 
In that general consideration of the question of cost 
which is the first step toward a new yacht, the owner will 
save time, money and annoyance, and will obtain in the 
end a better vessel, by facing boldly every possible item 
of construction and equipment, and by allowing for a fair 
compensation to both designer and builder for their very 
best efforts in his behalf. 
As long as one of the chief functions of a yacht is to 
move from place to place, the question of speed can never 
be ignored entirely. Between the racing machine on the 
one hand, and the houseboat snugly moored in some shel- 
tered spot on the other, there is the fast cruiser or ex- 
raoer, the cruiser and the tub; but, even though a man's 
ideas may lead him to deliberately plan and build a com- 
fortable tub, there is still the question of speed. He is 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
presumably prepared to be left miles astern by even the 
ordinary cruiser, but his soul will still revolt at being out- 
sailed by another tub that in his estimation is of less 
"size" than his own. Though it may be relegated to the 
lowest position on the list and subordinated to cost, con- 
venience and comfort, speed to a certain extent must be 
considered by the designer, if not by the owner. 
When we come to the question of what constitutes 
speed in a yacht we are met by the perplexing but incon- 
trovertible proposition that there is no such thing as ab- 
solute speed in yachting, but that it is in every sense a 
relative quality. Those to whom the proposition is new 
will probably be inclined to deny it on sight, but it can- 
not be disposed of in this summary way; and not until a 
man realizes the truth of it will he be at all qualified to 
discuss the endless question of measurement — to which 
no final answer will in all probability be found. 
By way of practical illustration let us assume that two 
yachts of utterly different types, as, for instance, the 
narrow and deep cutter Madge and her shoal and wide 
opponent Schemer, have the same waterline length, and 
sail a certain distance in company in exactly the same 
time. To the landsman, and to that certain portion of 
the yachting fraternity which believes in a measurement 
of waterline alone, they have the same absolute speed ; 
but what say the respective owners and their friends? 
The owner of the sloop claims that his yacht has less dis- 
placement, smaller "cubic contents," or shorter over-all 
length and a shorter "mean length," and consequently 
she is a smaller yacht than the cutter and must hence be 
considered as the faster of the two. 
The owner of the cutter has equally good arguments on 
the other side; by his standard of "size," the old tonnage 
rule, his yacht measures but 10 tons, while the wide shoal 
craft of his opponent measures at least 15 tons; hence his 
is the smaller and consequently faBter vessel. Both are 
right, for the fact is that yachts are fast or slow only 
under certain rules which attempt to establish an equality 
of "size;" and until some standard of "size" is adopted no 
comparisons of speed are possible. The truth of this 
proposition must be fully recognized by the designer be- 
fore he sets to work to design a "fast" yacht; he cannot 
ignore all rules, nor can he take cognizance of two 
or three at once and attempt to fit them all; but 
he must take the one particular rule of measurement, 
indifferent at best, and probably very bad, as a measure 
of the quantity or qualities of a yacht; and study to pro- 
duce a fast yacht for a certain mean length, waterline 
length, racing length, tonnage or rating, according to the 
unit of measurement established by the rule. It some- 
times happens that a yacht may be successful under two 
or more rules; but this cannot be looked for in most cases. 
Even when limited to one rule, most erroneous compar- 
isons of speed are often made by experienced yachtsmen, 
as in the oft-repeated statement that the cutters of 80 to 
90ft. waterline are the "fastest" yachts in the world. It 
is true that these great racing machines can attain a 
speed upward of 14 knots, while the little 15-footers are 
forced to be content with about 6 knots; but it is equally 
true that the winners of the 15ft. class are, by all yacht- 
ing usage, considered as "fast;" while there have been 
many yacbts in the 90ft. class within the past ten years 
which, though capable of upward of 12 knots, are recog- 
nized by yachtsmen the world over as failures, because 
they were "slow." 
Speed, then— the great desideratum to many yachtsmen, 
and of more or less importance to everyone — is a mere 
relative quality, dependent on measurement and class; 
and only to be considered by the designer in connection 
with certain rules and conditions. 
The Herreshoffs. 
Auckland, New Zealand, Nov. 29, 1895.— Editor Forest and Stream; 
A good deal of discussion has been occasioned in local yachting circles 
lately regarding the Herreshoff Brothers. The New Zealand Herald 
lately published a note referring to the America Cup, In which one of 
the brothers is described as being blind, but that he is the designer of 
the famous yachts for which the Arm is celebrated the world over. In 
a letter to the same journal Mr. A. Buchanan, one of the most active 
local yachtsmen, says that this is wrong, and ihat it is not the blind 
Herreshoff who does all the work credited to him, but his brother 
Nat. To definitely settle the matter will you kindly oblige by stating 
who is right and who is wrong? Lynx. 
[From the clippings inclosed with the above we should say that both 
sides are in part right. N. G. Herreshoff is not blind and is the de- 
signer for the firm, while J. B. Herreshoff, who has been totally blind 
since boyhood, is the president and business head of the company. 
While the actual designing of Vigilant, Defender, Dacotah and other 
famous yachts iB the work of N, G. Herreshoff, there is no question 
that the elder member of the firm, who at one time, in spite of his 
blindness, carried on yacht building on a small scale, attending to all 
details, and even wording at the bench, has worked with him in the 
planning and discussion of dimensions and details. J. B. Herreshoff 
B9 
is |in many respects a wonderful man, thoroughly conversant with 
yachts and yacht building, and with a delicacy of touch in handling a 
model that goes far to compensate for his great misfortune.] 
Illawarra. 
This handsome steam yacht is now building at the Bath Iron Works, 
Bath, Me., for Eugene Tompkins, of Boston, Mass. The keel was laid 
during the latter par*-, of December, and the vessel will be completed 
next May, in time for the yachting season of 1896, The designer of 
the vessel is Charles Ridgley Hanscom, of Bath, Me., designer of the 
beautiful steam yachts Peregrine and Eleanor. The principal dimen- 
sions of the Illawarra are: 
Length over all 129ft. 10h». 
l.w.1 , 106ft. 3in. 
Beam 18ft. 6in. 
Depth of hold 10ft. 6in. 
Mean draft , 7ft. 6in. 
The vessel is remarkably roomy and seaworthy for a boat of her 
class, and all her fittings and furnishings are des'gned to be elegant 
and tasteful. The accommodation will comprise all the requisites 
necessary for comfort and convenience, the owner's quarters (con- 
sisting of four staterooms) and main saloon being on the lower deck 
aft. The officers and crew are berthed forward on the lower deck 
and a deck house on the main deck forward is devoted to a galley, 
dining and observation rooms. 
The motive power consists of a vertical triple expansion engine of 
350 h. p., with cylinders 11, 19 and 30in. The condenser is separate 
from the engine frame and the high pressure cylinder is placed in the 
center, with the low aft. The propeller is four-b'aded, of manganese 
bronze, 6ft. 6in. diameter. There will be two Almy water tube boilers 
with a working pressure of 2001bs. The coal bunkers have a capacity 
of about twenty tons of coal, and fresh-water tanks are provided 
with a capacity of 2,500 gallons. The vessel is provided with a William- 
son sten-m steerer and a Hyde steam brake windlass. She will have a 
very complete electric plant, including a 12in. search light and a stor- 
age battery of ten hours 1 endurance. 
The Illawarra will carry three boats— a 20ft. naphtha launch, a 20ft. 
gig and a 14ft. dinghy. She will have two pole masts, each about 52ft. 
high above deck, and will be rigged as a two-masted schooner with 
French sliding gaffs. The total sail area will be 2,500sq. ft. 
A New Cape Cod Cat. 
The new boat which Nelson Huckins, Jr., of Onset, is building from 
his own designs specially to defeat Rooster, the crack 20ft. cat 
owned by the "Adams hoys" of Boston, is attracting considerable 
attention, not only from the promise of speed which she gives, but 
also because of the reputation her builder has already made with Gilt 
Edge, Melro and Rex, which captured so many first prizes in and 
around Boston last season. 
■The boat is an enlargement of one of Huckins's most successful boats 
of last season, the 20-footer Sylph, which was easily the best boat of 
her class in the bay. Even Grilse, the importation from Lake Min- 
netonka, had to lower her colors on several occasions. As Sylph 
was a ;wide departure from prevailing models of her size, and an eye- 
opener in the matter of speed, so is the new boat a wide departure 
from anything yet seen in a 20-footer. If she shows a speed propor- 
tionate to that shown by her smaller sister, the other boats of her 
class will need to be very fast to keep in the Drocession. 
The new boat is about 29ft. over all, 10ft. beam and 1ft. draft. Her 
six feet of overhang is about equally divided forward and aft. She 
will have no ballast outside or inside, unless a little should be needed 
for fore and aft trim, but in place thereof will have a lead weighted 
centerboard weighing 6001bs., which will be hung in the usual way and 
be raised by a winch at the after end. The board will be made of 1 J^in. 
oak and the lead will be so run into the after end and lower side as to 
be at the lowest possible point when the board is down and yet not 
come above the waterline whe a the board is raised. The board will 
be rising 8ft. in length and have a depth of 5ft. 
The boat will also have a metal board forward 3ft. long and 2ft. 
deep, a feature which her designer has found to be of great value in 
last season's experiments, especially in his shallow or light draft 
boats. She will have about 1ft. at least freeboard and very little 
sheer. In model she shows long and easy lines, while every inch 
of her overhang will be utilized aft when she heels and forward 
when she goes into a sea. The midship section shows a little 
keel below the garboard, a quick turn at the garboard into a 
straight floor with considerable dead rise, which in turn runs 
into a very easy bilge and a topside with no tumble home. The fore 
and aft lines show no hollow in the main body either above or 
below the waterline. The forward overhang carries out the lines of 
the upper forebody in splendid shape, while the after overhang ex- 
tends the lines of what is an unusually clean looking run. 
The line of the keel is an easy upward sweep forward and aft until 
close to the waterline; then a sharper upward turn and then a reverse 
curve, taking the overhang along close to the water. The features of 
the model, outside the peculiar overhang, appear to be straight floor 
and easy bilge, and the exceedingly long fore and aft lines on both 
floor and side. The deck line is not a segment of a circle, but is notice- 
ably flattened amidships, giving that long Bide to sail on when heeled 
which many good judges of modeling deem an essential feature. The . 
diagonals are of course long, easy and sweeping, and although the 
boat has an extreme beam, she has not much body to drag through 
the water, and will be all on the surface. 
In construction she is extremely light, yet the details show that 
strength is provided for. The keel is of white oak and the frames of 
the same wood MXj^in. They are, however, spaced only6in. centers, 
so they make up in numbers for smallness in size. Extra strength is 
gained by bent knees of the same size as the frames on every other 
deck carlin, while the frames forward at the shrouds are extra heavy. 
The boat has extra bilge strakes running the whole length l^x2in. 
The planking will be of the best %in. pine, running full length, and 
copper riveted. The deck, which is flush, is of J^in. matched pine 
covered with canvas. 
The mast is 6in. spruce, 30ft. long, and hollow. The boom is 33ft. 
and gaff 20ft., both hollow. The mainBail has 15ft. hoist. The boat 
will be steered with a balanced metal rudder. 
Mr. Huckins expects great things of the boat, and she gives many 
indications of not disappointing him. He will also build a large sec- 
ond-class cat for David Whittemore, of Newton, which he expects will 
be a winner. She will be 33ft. over all, on similar lines to the Rex. 
Huckins's business has increased so that it has become hp cessary for 
him to build a large addition to his shop, something which he intends 
doing early in the spring, — Boston Globe. 
STEEL STEAM YACHT ILLAWARRA Designed by C. R. Hanscom fob Eugene Tompkins. 
