36 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Jan. 11, 1896. 
declared that an iron hull would never float. Under Mr. 
Center's ownership and personal handling Vindex proved 
as remarkable in this country as Mosquito had been 
abroad, and, though nearly ten years were to pass before 
yachtsmen would be ready to accept the keel model, the 
cutter rig and the iron hull, it was the practical and ir- 
refutable demonstration which she gave that first 
silenced and eventually convinced the most obstinate. 
It was during this period that American yachtsmen 
were divided into two parties — one, the larger by far at 
first, taking the. side of the practical builder who took 
part personally in the actual handiwork of his yard; the 
other, at first very small, contending for the employment 
of a trained and educated specialist, untrammeled by the 
business details of building, and necessarily enjoying far 
more extended opportunities for carefully planning a 
yacht than the man of more limited education, whose 
time Was largely taken up with his machines and his 
workmen. While most of the yachts of this period were 
built from the model by the old. builders, some very suc- 
cessful ones, among them White Cap, Madcap and In- 
trepid, were designed by Mr. Smith; and then, at the end 
of 1879, came out the "iron pot," Mischief, also de- 
signed by him. She was the best of the centerboard 
sloops, a carefully worked out design embodying many 
modern ideas in model, construction, ballasting and rig; 
and her well-deserved success settled forever the issue be- 
tween the old methods and the new. The brief but bril- 
liant career of the late Edward Burgess and the achieve- 
ments on both sides of the Atlantic of N. G. Herreshoff 
are so nearly matters of to-day that they hardly form a 
part of the history of the origin of designing. 
Apart from the professionals mentioned and others of- 
more recent date, there have been many amateurs who 
have contributed largely to the advancement of yachting 
and designing through special studies and excellent prac- 
tical work ; their names being known to our readers through 
such published designs as those of Petrel, designed by 
John Hyslop, a yacht far in advance of her day: the 90ft. 
racing schooner Sea Fox, designed by her owner, A. Cass 
Canfield; and the experimental compromise cutter Thetis 
and the 90ft. cruising schooner designed by Henry Bry- 
ant. The late Eobert Center was a skillful amateur 
designer and a most exact and painstaking draftsman, 
delighting in fine and accurate work. 
The experience of some years has shown that the 
builder and designer are in no way antagonistic, but that 
their interests are in common; and that the division and 
specialization of the work has been an advantage to all 
concerned. On the part of the builder, he is in the long 
run paid as much for building from an outside design as 
he was when he furnished the model or built "out of his 
head" without one: he is relieved of much detail work, 
and, if he faithfully follows the design, of all responsibil- 
ity for the performance of the yacht. On the part of the 
owner, it may be said that he pays more for his yacht 
to the amount of the designer's fee, but this is small in 
proportion to the total cost of the yacht; and he certainly 
has a far better knowledge of what he will get and a bet- 
ter guarantee of good performance in ordering designs 
and specifications of a designer of reputation than in 
making a contract with a builder on the basis of a 
roughly-cut model which probably showed neither spars, 
rudder, keel, centerboard or cabin trunk. 
There is, it is true, no positive guarantee that the work 
of the most talented designer will not prove a failure; nor 
is there any redress for the owner if this should unfor- 
tunately prove the case, but the same is true in the case 
of the builder, and in a greater degree. In discussing the 
relations of builder and designer it must be borne in mind 
that the general adoption of modern methods has greatly 
altered the whole question; and that, while the builder of 
a generation ago or less was almost always wedded to 
certain crude ways of his own, many of the builders 
of to-day are well versed in the methods of the professional 
designer. 
For the yachtsman with any taste for science, study 
or practical work in connection with yachts, designing is 
one of the most delightful of recreations. A study of it 
even to a limited extent cannot fail to make him more 
observant and to teach him much that is of value con- 
cerning his yacht. It iB not to be expected that with 
limited time and opportunities for study he will surpass 
or even equal the professional who is making a life work 
of designing; but with intelligence and diligence he may 
at least win the respect and commendation of the latter, 
and may add materially to the sum total of naval knowl- 
edge. While his opportunities are in some respects more 
limited, at the same time he is often enabled to pursue 
certain lines of study from which the designer is barred 
by the demands of a business that is both arduous and 
exacting. 
The actual work of designing is most fascinating; there 
is no combination of inanimate matter which comes so 
near to life and intelligence as a vessel, and the creation 
of one that will move hither or thither at the will of her 
owner, that will be weatherly, able and easy, possessing 
those qualities which are generally recognized as desir- 
able, that will be beautiful to the eye, and above all faster 
than some other of her fellows, is an achievement that 
well repays the pains. The general planning of a yacht is 
a most interesting problem, given certain assumed condi- 
tions to attain certain results; the drawing is clean, light 
work, with a certain charm of its own as the solid form 
develops itself by degrees from the many straight and 
curved lines of the one flat surface of the drawing board 
just as the image does on a photographic plate; the vari- 
ous calculations are interesting and open a wide field for 
investigation to those who are fond of mathematical prob- 
lems; the construction presents a different but no less 
interesting problem of a mechanical nature, and the artistic 
possibilities of a design are almost unlimited. 
Thejtiouse architect is called on to produce a structure 
that is at once strong, convenient in arrangement and 
beautiful, but in doing this he need not consider floata- 
tion, speed or weight of construction; the naval architect 
is called on to produce greater strength with a very lim- 
ited amount of material, to arrange to advantage a form 
that is peculiarly awkward so far as division into rooms 
is concerned, and at the same time to give the first place 
to speed and weatherly qualities. The painter or sculptor 
finds his work finished when he succeeds in gratifying 
the eye; the yacht designer, on the other hand, even 
though he has achieved perfection in all other respects, is 
still open to condemnation if he turns out a craft that is 
lacking in beauty and grace. There is, perhaps, no occu- 
pation which makes such extensive demands at once on 
the deductive powers and the mechanical and artistic 
ability. 
Modern Design and Construction. 
The following case, as reported by the Yachtsman, is a most perti- 
nent commentary on fin de sidcle design and construction. Without 
attempting: to decide the exact merits of the case, we are of the opin- 
ion that the man who deliberately purchases a racing machine of 10ft. 
beam and 16ft. l.w.l.; with bent frames nailed to keel and devoid of any 
adequate system of floor construction, has no one to blame but himself 
when the trap falls to pieces. While poor workmanship and split gar- 
boards may have been contributory causes, one does not have to look 
far for the main causes, the structural weakness of such an ex- 
treme form, and the very inadequate scantling and extreme light con- 
struction. 
The caBe of Forrestt & Co. vs. Colley was tried before Mr. .TuBtice 
Grantham in the Queen's Bench Division on Dec. 20. Mr. Channell, Q. 
C, and Sir Lennox Napier, instructed by Mr. George Terrell, appeared 
for the plaintiffs, the well-known yacht and ship builders of Wiven- 
hoe; Mr. Joseph Walton, Q. C, and Mr. Poyser, instructed by Sandi- 
lands & Co., were for the defendant. 
Mr. Channel!, Q. C, in opening the case, said that the action was for 
£91, the balance of the agreed price of the 1-rater Wivern, built by 
the plaintiffs for the defendant, Mr. P. Colley, of Woodbridge, Suf- 
folk. In March, 1S95, some correspondence took place between the 
plaintiffs and defendant as to altering the Doushka, so as to make her 
more suitable for river sailing on the Orwell, Deben and East Coast. 
Eventually the defendant decided to order a new boat of "the beamy, 
unballasted centerboard type to Mr. H. W. Ridsdale'S design, the 
plaintiffs agreeing to allow him something for the Doushka. She was 
to be similar to one then building for Mr. W. P. Burton, about 15ft. on 
the waterline, 10ft. beam, and 25ft; over all, with 400sq. ft. of sail. In 
April the defendant wrote: "I will let you build me whatever you 
think will race. Do not forget that our rivers want plenty of sail; in 
the sea a large hull and small sail will do, but in the Orwell, with the 
water quite smooth and plenty of calms, we want plenty of sail. * * * 
All I asic is a fast boat. I do not want to be beaten by Mr. Burton." 
Afterward the defendant agreed to takeover the boat building for Mr. 
Burton instead of having a new one. The Wivern was launched on 
June 1, and sailed in Harwich regatta on June 3, when she led for a 
short time, but fell behind owing to the centerplate being bent, so that 
it could not be got up. The next day she was towed back to Wiven- 
hoe to have this defect remedied, and it was found that one of the gar- 
boards was cracked as if by a blow. She was repaired by Messrs. For- 
restt, and on July 6 the defendant took her back to Harwich. On July 
18 the defendant wrote as follows: "Dear Sir— I capsized the Wivern 
to-day, and owing to the capsize I had a good look at her bottom. I am 
sorry to say I must decline to take her, and request you to return me 
the Doushka, and let me know where I shall deliver the Wivern to you. 
The planks on each side of her keel are no good at all, they split while 
you were building her, and were patched up, etc. * * *" The defend- 
ant had refused to pay anything for the Wivern on the ground that she 
was unseaworthy and improperly constructed; the plaintiffs were 
therefore obliged to bring this action. 
Mr. Dixon Kemp, secretary of the Y. R. A„ gave evidence for the 
plaintiffs. He said he went down to Shingle street in October last, 
and saw the Wivern lying en the beach, She was an extreme example 
of the type of boat produced by the old Y. R. A, rule of measurement. 
He thought the type was extinct now, owing to the alteration of the 
rule. The shape of the boat was governed by the rule of measurement 
in force, It was very important, for racing purposes, to have the con- 
struction as light as possible, and designers ran a good many risks for 
that reason. He found both garboards were split, and the keelson 
timbers were burst away. He concluded that this was done by some 
violent shock. She looked as if she had been chucked on the beach 
by the sea, and lay broadside on, with no supports, resting on the 
shingle. She was sufficiently strongly constructed for racing in calm 
weather in sheltered waters; the construction was clever for this pur- 
pose; but a fln-bub-keel would not have stopped on her five minutes 
—the strain would have been quite different. The mere fact of cap- 
sizing could not have caused the injury sustained. All the heels of the 
timbers were wrenched quite away ; that extent of damage could not 
possibly have been done when she was afloat. 
In cross-examination by Mr. Joseph Walton, witness said he never 
saw such a boat before. At the time the Wivern was ordered an 
alteration in the rule was contemplated. The planking was unusually 
wide— a little light; it had bulged inward and come away from the 
timbers and driven the frames up from the keel. He would probably 
have designed a stronger frame-construction himself. 
Mr. H, W. Ridsdale, the designer of the Wivern, bore out counsel's 
opening statement. He said that Mr. Colley wished everything to be 
sacrificed to speed, and said he did not care whether she was sea- 
worthy or not. He was certain that Mr. Colley was inexperienced in 
sailing such a boat. 
Cross-examined by Mr. Walton, witness said he should not be sur- 
prised at anything Mr. Colley did with a boat. The damage might 
have been caused by Mr. and Mrs. Colley sitting on the keel when the 
Wivern capsized, or in other ways. The boat was to be of the best 
construction, and there was no haggling as to price. 
Mr. Johnson, one of the directors of Forrestt & Co., was examined as 
to a conversation with Mr. Colley before the race, in which he ex- 
pressed his satisfaction with the boat. Cross-examined: Mr. Colley 
said that the centerplate had got bent when they went aground. 
Harry Wood, shipwright in the employ of Messrs. Forrestt, said 
that the boat was only intended for smooth water sailing. The planks 
were SJ^in. wide, and she was strongly constructed with longitudinal 
bulkheads, and timbers spaced 6in, 
Mr. Ridsdale (re-called) spoke as to seeing the bent centerplate at 
Harwick regatta. It came up with difficulty. John Simons ff rom 
Messrs. Forrestt's) said he repaired the damage to the starboard 
strake after Harwick regatta. He thought the boat bad been bumped. 
Mr. H. G. Rouse said he had recently examined the Wivern as she lay 
at Shingle street, and thought she was very well constructed, The 
timbers originally crossed the keel on the top and were nailed down. 
Cross-examined by Mr. Poyser: The timbers had lifted about 4in. when 
he saw them. 
Mr. Joseph Walton, Q. C, opened the ease for the defendant. He 
repudiated the suggestion of Mr, Ridsdale that his client, Mr. Colley, 
was inexperienced in handling small yachts. He admitted that the 
Wivern was built for racing simply, but contended that she should be 
fit for something more than sailing in perfectly calm weather. The 
centerplate got bent first when sailing round from Brightlingsea, and 
again when racing at Harwich, so that it could not be housed; after- 
ward it touched the ground. When the Wivern capsized she was taken 
charge of by experienced sailors, laid ashore, covered up with a sail, 
and it was found that nothing but weakness of construction had caused 
the timbers to come up as they did. 
Mr. Philip Colley, the defendant, denied that the Wivern had ever 
touched the ground till the end of the race at Harwich; the center- 
plate was bent in sailing. He was quite satisfied with the boat then. 
He described the circumstances of the capsizing of the Wivern in the 
middle of the River Aide, owing to a foul puff of wind. Witness and 
his wife and man were thrown into the water; they climbed on to the 
keel and paddled her to the shore. Afterward, when she was hauled 
ashore in a suitable place, he saw that the garboard strakes were split. 
Cross-examined by Mr. Channell, he did not notice anything wrong 
when they were sitting on the keel, When they got ashore the defects 
were pointed out to him. 
Reginald Colley, son of the defendant, confirmed his father's ac- 
count. The boat made a good deal of water on the Sunday at Har- 
wich. Charles Barwood, sailor in defendant's employment, 'gave sim- 
ilar evidence. After the capsize he noticed the garboards were split 
on each side and the timbers displaced. Cross-examined: She leaked 
badly. James Barwood, skipper to Mr. Colley, said no damage was 
done in the course of righting and hauling her up. Mr. Alfred Bur- 
goyne, yacht builder at Kingston-on-Thames, said he examined the 
Wivern in August. She lay securely on the beach. All the timbers 
were sprung and the bottom of the boat corrugated. There was no 
proper fastening of the timbers to the keel; the planking— which was 
about 12in. wide— was sprung; the decks were also corrugated. Cross- 
examined: She was well designed, and otherwise in good order. Mr. 
W. H. Orvis, yacht and ship builder, of Ipswich, confirmed the 
evidence of the last witness. He attributed the damage entirely to 
weakness of construction, Mr. Justice Grantham, in giving judg- 
ment, said the defendant had failed to satisfy him that 
the timbers and garboards had started owing to faulty 
construction. The learned Judge dealt at some length with, 
the correspondence, from which, he said, it was clear that the defend- 
ant's one idea was to get the fastest boat possible under the then ex- 
isting rule, irrespective of seaworthiness or any other qualities. Such 
a boat must of neceEsity be lightly constructed, and would require 
careful handling and looking after, A man who bought a delicate 
machine like that, 2Gft. long and ^'gin. thick, must not be surprised if 
something went wrong. He thought it highly probable that the dam- 
age to the boat's bottom was caused by the three people sitting on the 
keel when she capsized. She might also have been strained in right- 
ing her again, as the side must have rested on the shingle. The plain- 
tiffs' case was further strengthened by the defendant agreeing to take 
over the boat then building lor Mr. Burton instead of having a new 
one. In the end he gave judgment for the plaintiffs for the full 
amount claimed, namely, £91 and costs, and held that they were en- 
titled to retain the Doushka as well, 
Amateur and Professional. 
In connection with the adoption of permanent racing rules by the 
Yacht Racing Union of Long Island Sound, two Important questions 
have been raised which should be settled as effectually as possible, 
but which are likely to prove very difficult. One of these is the differ- 
ence between an amateur or "Corinthian" and a professional, as ap- 
plied to yacht sailing— an old question which has frequently come 
before us for decision. It is by no means on easy matter to decide a 
specific casein which the facts are admitted, and it is very much more 
difficult to frame a satisfactory definition of an amateur or a profes- 
sional which will be generally applicable. It is probable that the 
Council of the Y. R. U. will be called on to do this, and any sugges- 
tions or discussion of the subject will be of interest not only to the Y. 
R. U., but to the clubs, and particularly to the various associations of 
yacht clubs. We know of nothing in yachting or allied sports which 
will serve as a guide. 
The aim of such a definition is, as we take it, to protect the bona 
fide yachting amateur, whose time is not given exclusively to the sport, 
from the competition of those who, by training or occupation, are pos- 
sessed of strength and skill which be does not possess. 
It may be assumed, so far as Corinthian sailing is concerned, that 
the one most to be encouraged by the rules is notthe man of means and 
leisure who lives constantly aboard his yacht; nor on the other hand 
the man who follows the water closely as an occupation; but the man 
of average means and limited time who devotes most of this time to 
yachting. There is nothing invidious in discriminating against the 
first two classes, as their conditions are such that to leave both unre- 
stricted would virtually exclude the third class, 
As concerns the first class, the men of leisure, by the common usage 
of all sports they are recognized as fully qualified amateurs, and we 
shall not quarrel with this decision. At the same time a serious amount 
of harm has been done at times, as in rowing, by a class of amateurs 
who devote themsetves exclusively to training and racing, often for 
prizes of great intrinsic value if not cash, and who are in every way 
more tainted with professionalism than mechanics who are barred as 
professionals under certain rules and yet follow rowing or sailing for 
pure love of the sport. In yachting, however, there is little harm from 
this class, as the majority care little for the really hard work and dis- 
comfort which lead to Corinthian honors. A man who is lucky enough 
to have his time entirely to himself in summer and can spend six days 
in the week in sailing and working on his yacht is at a very great ad- 
vantage as compared with the young business man who finds time 
only for an occasional sail of an evening, some hard work' beaching 
and scrubbing off early of a morning, and a race of a Saturday after- 
noon; and yet both may be amateurs in a true sense. This particular 
phase of the question cannot be covered by any rule. 
With the second class, of professional sailors or watermen, 
the case is different. They may be good Bportsmen, owning 
yachts of their own and racing them for pure sport without regard 
to valuable prizes; but it must be evident that from their constant 
familiarity with boats and the water, and from the nature of their 
work, they have attained special strength and skill, with which the 
average amateur cannot and should not be called upon to compete. 
What adds to the difficulty in yachting is that, while in most sports a 
hard and fast line is drawn between the man who races for cash prizes 
and the one who does not, the awarding of cash prizes is a universal 
custom in yacht racing. 
The difficulty in the way of one general definition is evident when it 
is considered that a rule so worded as to exclude all who race for 
money would shut out the whole body of racing men; a rule directed 
against those who earn their living by work afloat or about vessels 
would exclude naval officers, who are always recognized as amateurs in 
yachting; and a rule worded so as to bar all who worked for pay on a 
vessel would also bar many excellent amateurs who have been to sea 
before the mast or in the engine room. 
There are several classes, however, which may be positively set 
down as professionals, the first being composed of all who accept any 
compensation for their services aboard a yacht in a race. Of course 
this should not be construed to apply to helmsmen's prizes, or to the 
designer, for instance, who sails aboard a yacht in a race with a view 
to making alterations; but it would cover all who are paid a direct 
fee for handling stick or sheets or who are indirectly compensated in 
any way for such services. No doubt some hard cases would arise 
under a definition embodying this idea; a man might be hired by the 
day to saw wood and then given a halE holiday provided he would sail 
a yacht in a race; but evasions of this class can generally be reached 
by a regatta committee provided that it has a rule of some sort to fall 
back on. 
Apart from this class— which, it may be assumed, cares nothing for 
sport, but sails for pay just as it would saw wood— is another class 
of professionals, men who work about the water all the time, who 
perhaps are good sportsmen and sail for sport, but who in many 
cases are not amateurs. In covering this class in any definition it 
is most necessary to recognize a distinction between those who, like 
the officers and many of the hands on a large vessel, have no hard 
labor or work which gives them special skill in steering a yacht or 
trimming sheets, and the large body of men who are employed as 
seamen, fishermen, boatmen and pilots at manual labor on vessels. 
Just where to draw the line is a difficult matter. The builder, as a 
rule, is a professional, many devoting much of their time to boat sail- 
ing, fishing and racing; at the same time it is quite possible that a 
builder with any considerable amount of business to which he devoted 
himself steadily might be to all intents and purposes an amateur 
sailor. The designer is always considered an amateur when not a 
builder, and sometimes even though he be. 
One very difficult point is to draw the line between a man's paBt and 
present occupation; a boy follows the sea for some years before the 
mast, finally gives it up and goes ashore to study law or sell ribbons, 
and in time becomes a yachtsman; he certainly cannot be barred as 
being a professional sailor. 
It has frequently happened that a young man has gone to sea be- 
fore the mast for a time and immediately on leaving the forecastle— 
his means permitting— has gone into yachting, being recognized as an 
amateur; on the other hand, men who have been unquestionably pro- 
fessionals all their lives have sought to pass as amateurs after a few 
months of some other occupation ashore. We shall be glad to hear 
further from all who are interested, and to lend our aid to a thorough 
discussion of the question. 
Lawley's Yard. 
Lawlky has about finished the 35ft. cruising cutter for Charles A. 
Welch, and she will be launched and fitted out as early as possible in 
the spring. The boat is a clean-lined and powerful one, with a mod- 
erate sail plan and tine cabin accommodations, She is 53ft. over all, 
12ft. beam and 7ft. 6in. draft, with a centerboard under the cabin floor. 
She is painted white above the waterline and bronze below. 
Nina, the 33ft. launch for B. F. Dutton, for use in Florida waters, is 
ready for shipment and is a fine-looking craft and splendidly built. 
She is 8ft. beam and 18in. draft, and is driven by a 7 horse-power 
Daimler motor, placed in the after standing room. The forward 
standing room is 5ft. 6in. long, and the after standing room 7ft. Both 
may be closed by curtains. The cabin is 7ft. 6in. long, with 6ft. ain. 
headroom, and has a toilet room aft, The finish is in mahogany. 
The naphtha for operating the motor is carried in an 80-gallon tank 
forward. The launch can be steered from either standing room, and 
is expected to make six or seven miles an hour. 
The }£-rater for H. M. Crane, from his own designs, is practically 
completed and is a speedy looking racer. She is about 14ft. water- 
line, 5ft. 6in. beam and 6in. draft, with very short overhangs. She 
will have a metal board and balanced rudder. Her sail plan calls for 
a short bowsprit. She is double planked, the outside skin being of 
mahogany, and is also decked with the same wood. The cockpit is 
watertight and without a combing, protection from water coming aft 
being given by an athwartsbips combing further forward. 
The Williams cruiser, of Chesebrough design, is beginning to show 
her shape. She is double planked and copper fastened, and is being 
built all through without regard to cost. A 24ft. naphtha launch and 
a handsome rowing gig for Eugene Tompkins's new steam yacht build- 
ing at Bath are in hand in the boat shop: A 21ft. cabin knockabout, 
built to Association rules, is completed for the market. A 24ft. cabin 
knockabout for New York will soon be started. 
Work will soon be begun on the 28ft. centerboard cruiser of Arthur 
Binney's design for Charles D. Owen, Jr. The boat will be cutter 
rigged and have a roomy cabin, with toilet, etc. 
Sapphire, steam yacht, A. L. Barber, arrived at New York on Dec. 
27 from Brunswick, Ga., after a cruise in the West Indies. 
Open and Cabin Boats. 
There is nothing new in the question as to the dividing line between 
open and cabin racing boats in the smaller classes of yachts, and after 
long discussion it is still unsettled; but there is a serious need for some 
definition by the Yacht Racing Union. Where any distinction has 
been made, as has at times been done, the main point has been the 
m i n im um height of side of cabin house above the deck, the limit being 
10 or 12in. This of itself is not enough, and it may be necessary to 
supplement it by a requirement that the minimum length of house 
shall bear some ratio to the waterline length, and that the cabin yacht 
shall have some permanent fittings other than a seat in the cockpit 
and a locker on each side in the cabin. It has been possible in the past 
to make a very successful racing yacht in the cabin classes by con- 
verting one of the extreme type of old-fashioned open jib-and-mainsail 
sandbaggers, putting on a low and very light cabin houBe, shipping 
some fixed ballast and somewhat reducing the rig. So far as a legit- 
imate and comfortable cabin yacht is concerned, the combination was 
a failure; but it could enter in the cabin classes against good boats and 
almost always outsail them. 
