April 25, 1896.] 
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ions, rigged simply, without bowsprit, and with only mainsail and on© 
headsail. The l.w.l. length shall not exceed 21ft. The beam at th& 
l.w.l. shall be at least 7 and not over 8ft. The freeboard shall be nofe 
less than 20in. The forward side of mast at the deck shall be not less 
than 5ft. from the forward end of the l.w.l. The planking, including- 
deck, shall be not less than <^in. thick, finished. The frames shall be 
not less than lin. square, and spaced not more than Kin. on centers. 
The deadwood shall be filled in. The rudder shall be hung on stern- 
post. The outside ballast shall be not less than 3,5001bs. * * * The 
actual sail area shall be not over 500sq. ft., not over 400sq. ft. of which 
shall be in the mainsail. * * * The area of the jib shall be consid- 
ered to be the area of the forward triangle, viz , the product of one- 
half the distance from the attachment of the tack to the stem to the 
forward side of the mast at the tack mark of the mainsail, multiplied! 
by the distance from the upper edge of said tack mark to the bottom 
of the jib halliard block." 
These rules also go on to say that "The limits of freeboard, beam, 
planking, frames, deadwood, rudder and place of mast shall not ex- 
clude any existing knockabout boats which otherwise come within the 
restrictions." This is intended to allow the entrance of boats that 
have heretofore raced as knockabouts under the earlier rules, and yet, 
do not come up to the present requirements. Most of the older boats 
have a larger displacement, and carry much more ballast than is 
necessary to secure seaworthiness aid reasonable speed, but they 
were strongly built, and were designed to carry out the intentions off 
those who desired to increase the general interest of all in a type off 
boat at once staunch, able, inexpensive to build or maintain, and 
adapted in every way to the most pleasant form of yachting. 
The racing machine pure and simple has not heretofore made its ap~ 
pearance,but this year the vandals have descended,and the regatta com- 
mittee for next year will have a job cut out for them in revising the rules 
sufficiently to retain any sort of resemblance to the original idea of a 
knockabout in new boats that may be built. The main effort of de- 
signers this year has been to reduce the wetted surface and displace- 
ment, apparently the only two points not governed by the ruleB, and 
alteration probably will have to be made in regard to these points aa 
also defining more exactly what is meant in the sentence reading "The 
deadwood must be filled in." Some of the older boats have from 4,000 
to 5,0001bs. of outside ballast, while this year the actual total displace- 
ment of one or two of the boats is but little over 5,0001bs. 
With the limitations of scantling for frames and planking, taken 
with the other requirements, it would seem difficult to reduce the 
displacement much, but this has been accomplished by using a double 
skin and gaining strength enough in that to reduce very materially 
the fore and aft stringers and clamps as well as the floor timbers. 
Then the deadwood at each end of the underwater body has been done 
away with almost entirely, and the result is a boat with a fln-like keel 
short in length and carrying the ballast as low as possible. A very rak- 
ing sternpost on the after end of the fin-shaped deadwood to carry 
the rudder is generally the method adopted to comply with the rules. 
This gives practically a fin-keel boat with the disadvantages of hav- 
ing the rudder on the after side of the fin, and too near the center of 
lateral resistance to be effective in properly controlling the boat. In 
one or two of the boats the sternpost consists of an oak piece let into 
the after edge of the deadwood, and serving as a natural stiffener for 
the built up fin more than anything else, and does not enter the body 
ot the boat at all, being cut off flush with the inside of skin planking; 
the rudder stock encased in a pipe continuing unsupported to the deck. • 
It is a nice question to decide, "When is a rudder-post not a rudder- 
post?" In another boat the rudder stock has actually been brought 
up through the floor of the standing room or cockpit, showing how 
nearly amidships must be the rudder. 
The necessity of placing the rudder further aft, in order to efficient- 
ly control a boat with so short a spread of canvas in a fore and aft di- 
rection, has been appreciated by some of the designers, but how to do 
it under the rules without detriment to the speed of the boat has been 
a difficult problem to work out. The conventional approximately tri- 
angular form of longitudinal section with sharply raking rudder is 
ineffective; keeping the rudder at the after end and placing it more 
upright with a short straight keel increases the wetted surface and 
puts the ballast too far aft for the best position of its center of gravi- 
ty in relation to the center of buoyancy of the boat. The most notice- 
able example of ingenuity in attaining the desired result is shown by 
one of the boats where the designer has used an oak crook as stern- 
post; the short, upright arm at the after end carrying the rudder, 
projecting downward like a fin or paddle into solid water and raking 
aft to avoid collecting seaweed. The main piece of this sternpost 
runs forward along the bottom of the boat and forms a sort of keel 
until it reaches the main keel nearly amidship, where it is scarped to 
it. The keel is cut and bent to shape forward, forming one piece with 
the stern; the ballast being bolted directly to the keel amidship in the 
form of a deep plate of lead does away with all filling pieces of wood, 
and there is absolutely no deadwood in the boat. Of course, the dis- 
placement of this boat is very small, and having undoubtedly less 
wetted surface than the other boats, she ought to show a good deal of 
superiority over them in speed if properly sailed. 
The cabin accommodation in tnese racers is very small, but in a 
knockabout built for cruising with a length over all of about 30ft. and 
drawing from 43^ to 5ft. the quarters can be made very comfortable 
for three; a raised trunk deck over the cabin about 6 or 8in. high gives 
light and air with good head room while sitting on the transoms; the 
overhanging ends are used as storage room for provisions, the sail 
locker requiring but very small space, so that altogether the roomi- 
ness of a Knockabout is quite remarkable. 
The cost of building one of these boats of course varies a good deal, 
depending on the tastes of the owner, the finish required and the mod- 
esty of the boat builder. A strong, well-built, but plainly finished 
boat, with pine planking and oak timbers, iron fastened and with iron 
keel, can be built for about $800; whereas an elaborately fitted cruiser, 
or a racing boat with double skin of mahogany and no expense spared 
in making her the finest of its kind, will cost $1,400 or $1,500. 
Considering the length of time one of these boats will last with 
small care, and the few repairs required owing to the strength of the 
compact form and small sail plan, the original outlay of $1,000 or $1,100 
required to build a first-class knockabout will probably bring more 
satisfaction and pleasure to the average man than could be found in 
any other type of seagoing yacht. 
The accompanying sketches give an idea of the variations in form, 
and an ordinary sail plan of the boats as now built, though many are 
cut shorter on the foot, with a good deal more hoist. 
\ / 
Massachusetts Yacht Racing Association. 
The following dates have been announced by the Yacht Racing 
Association of Massachusetts: 
May 30 (Memorial Day), Saturday— South Boston Y. C, off City 
Point. 
June 17, Wednesday— Massachusetts Y. C, off Nahant. 
June 20, Saturday— Dorchester Y C., off Dorchester Bay. 
June 27, Saturday— Winthrop Y. C, off Winthrop. 
June 27, Saturday— Duxbury Y. C, at Plymouth. 
July 4, Saturday— City of Boston (probably), off City Point; union 
race by Plymouth. Duxbury and Kingston yacht clubs, at Plymouth. 
July 18, Saturday— Quincy Y. C, Hull Bay. 
July 25, Saturday— Hull Y. C, Hull Bay. 
July 29, 30 and 31, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday— Quincy Y. C. 
series, Hull Bay. 
Aug. 1, Saturday— Savin Hill Y. C, Dorchester Bay. 
Aug. 8, Saturday— Beverly Y. C, at Marblehead. 
Aug. 10, Monday— Manchester Y. C, off Manchester. 
Aug. 13, Thursday— Manchester Y. C, special races, off Manchester. 
Aug. 12, 13 and 14, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday— Corinthian 
Y . C, invitation series, at Marblehead. 
Aug. 15, Saturday— Corinthian Y. C, at Marblehead. 
Aug. 17 and 18, Monday and Tuesday— American Y. C, at Newbury- 
port. 
Aug. 20, Thursday— American Y. C, at Portsmouth, N. H. ' 
Aug. 22, Saturday— Revere Y. C, at Lynn Bay. 
Aug. 25, Tuesday— Duxbury Y. C., at Plymouth. 
Aug. 26, Wednesday— Plymouth Y. C., at Plymouth. 
Aug. 27, Thursday— Kingston Y. C, at Plymouth. 
Aug. 28, Friday— Wellfleet Y. C, at Wellfleet. 
Aug. 29, Saturday— Cape Cod Y. C, at Provincetown. 
Sept. 5, Saturday— South Boston Y. C, off City Point. 
Sept. 7, Labor Day, Monday— Lynn Y. C., off Nahant. 
All races except the Beverly and Corinthian will be sailed under 
Association rules. Entries must be made to Secretary, A. T. Bliss, 
111 Milk street, Boston. ' 
/ 
□ 
A Design for a 15 -Footer. 
The design here illustrated is one of several studies in 15-footers 
made by Geprge E. Wilbur, Esq., of Taunton, Mass. It has not been 
built from, but with the appropriate construction and fittings would 
certainly make a fast boat. Special care has been taken to secure a 
form that will alter its fore and aft trim as little as possible in heeling 
up to about 20°, thus easing the steering. The design was originally 
intended to carry a hollow centerboard of Tobin bronze' filled with 
mercury, but an ordinary plate-board or bulb-fin may be used aR in 
other boats of the class. The dimensous are: ' 
Length over all , 22ft 
^Y 1 .'.'.'!.'!.'.*.'.*.*.'!i5ft.' 
Beam, extreme.. , 6ft 
Draftof^::::::::;;:::;:;:::;;;;-;:- :::::::::::: 5ft! £■ 
Freeboard, }owest t,,M H Wm»m »t. ®&\ 
