472 
[June ii, 1898. 
Report of the Seawanhaka Special Committee 
on Measufement Rules, 
Your committee has given to the featter of yacht 
measurement, committed to it for consideration and 
amendment, very earnest attention and much discussion; 
which has not resulted in any lowered appreciation of the 
present rule, or of its fitness to meet the requirements 
of the time when it was devised, or of the value and fit- 
ness of the factors in it for continued use in the future. 
It is quite evident, however, that these alone are no 
longer sufficient; that other means than those formerly 
used to gain advantage in speed are now recognized as 
being eflfective to that end; that these pertain to the em- 
ployment of crude quantities rather than to refiinement of 
form, the latter being chiefly iuA^olved as a means to their 
use. By these quantities, which give advantage, and which 
in some cases may better be referred to as features (be- 
ing neither restricted by the present rules nor put as 
factors into the measurement formula), a most un- 
fortunate condition is brought about that is inimical to 
yacht racing and to yacht building; and that cannot fail 
to continue so as long as the rules remain unamended. 
Two things would appear to be quite evident, and the 
conclusion would appear to be unavoidable even with- 
out that experience which has in this matter supplied 
the proof: first, that any feature of advantage to speed 
and which is not in any waj' restricted, or its Use equit- 
ably charged for in the rules, wijl have to be employed by 
the zealous racing man, whether it is in accordance 
with his desire and convenience or not; and second, that 
anjr moderate use of an untaxed advantage in one vessel 
will only be successful until it is succeeded by a less mod- 
erate use of the untaxed feature in another vessel. 
To encourage the production and racing of yaclits, 
several things appear to be necessary. Such elements 
and featUKes as have been clearly recognized as yielding 
advantage in speed should have an equitable chare^e put 
upon their use, otherwise no vessel can be built with 
any expectation of more than vei"}' temporary success. 
Such features as are appreciated as giA'ing advantage in 
speed under ordinary racing conditions, but which unfit 
a yacht to meet tlie ordinary requirements of yachtsmen, 
should either exclude the yacht from class racing al- 
together, or otherwise the objectionable features should be 
so sufficiently taxed as to enable the more desirable and 
more wholesome vessels to compete with them on hope- 
ful and equitable terms. 
There cannot be a more hopeless condition for suc- 
cessful yacht racing than that such vessels as the aver- 
age yachtsman would choose for his uses should be 
incapable of engaging in races with a share of success; 
or that, if successful at the outset, this period should 
be cut short by a more extended use of some feature of 
advantage, recognized as such, btit not charged for 
in the rules. 
Before presenting more formally the conclusions and 
recommendations of j'^our committee, it may be well to 
repeat here in detail some of the statements made last 
year by individual members of this committee, and by 
others who were consulted, to a committee of this club 
which asked for opinions on this question. The remarks 
which follow are therefore quoted: 
A. GARY SMITH. 
"Racing qualities should be mainli^ considered, but no 
vessel should be encouraged that cannot keep the sea. 
"Experience has demonstrated that for large boats the 
deep centerboard is best, while for small boats, say under 
6oft., the keel has been the most successful. I would 
therefore ignore the dii?erence betAveen the types. The 
man who first devised a fin keel unconsciously struck a 
deadlj' bloAV at A'achting. The fin keel type is under a 
great strain every time one is put on a dock. The past 
season has shown, in the smaller' classes at least, that 
good racing can be had Avhen all the boats in a class 
are of one model." 
W. P. STEPPIENS. 
"Bear in mind the axiom that there is no such thing 
as absolute speed in yacht racing, but only relative speed, 
under the standard of sizes established by the rules. 
"The object of measurement legislation is the produc- 
tion, not of the fastest yacht without regard to other 
considerations, but of the fastest under certain restric- 
tions. The speed would soon be judged by the rule 
alone, and by no other standard; and yachts would be 
considered fast or slow according to their showing in the 
races. I should define a 'wholesome type' as one that, 
with a high degree of speed, combined as well a reason- 
able amount of internal space and head room, moderate 
instead of extreme draft and sail area, and freedom 
from the freak features of form and keel contour seen 
in the latest yachts." 
G. H. DUGGAN. 
"I do feel A'ery strongly that, if racing is to prosper 
Avith US, the type of boat that is most successful therein 
must at least be of a kind suitable for ordinary cruising 
and sailing purposes; and if it were possible to make the 
most successful racer the most successful cruisinqr boat, 
racing would receive a tremendous itnpettis." 
JOHN HYSLOP. 
"An ideal state of racing would be that in which the 
different features which designers seek to incorporate in 
their productions had their different values so justly ap- 
praised that, however different might be the vessels and 
their proportions, a winning A^essel should be such by 
only a narrow margin; and where the result of the con- 
test might leaA^e, as a subject for interested and active 
discussion, the respectiA'e merits of the yachts, and the 
question as to Avhich might be expected to win the next 
race. Such was the state of the matter when racing was 
most prosperous. The use of outside lead or its equiva 
lent may be said, more markedly than mything else, to 
have introduced a change; to have made the success 
of the new yacht more pronounced than in those of form- 
er times, and to have made the successful period of short- 
er duration. It has incidentally increased draft in- 
conveniently, and it has given a strength of inducement 
not before existing to lightness of construction. 
"It has made' of the centerboard yacht a keel boat 
with a centerbOfird, and of the fip-keel yacht a c^aoc 
with a fin, 
"The old relation between the draft of the vessel and 
her displacement has been disturbed, and length of 
lever has been substituted for the latter, so that disparity 
between draft used and bulk in the body of the boat 
is in the latest production the most extreme. Power is to 
be had for nothing: it is not yoked to any economic 
degree of work; and Avhile a positive limit to draft, 
where it has been adopted, fixes the degree of extension 
in this direction, it fails to give an assurance that can 
confidently be relief upon for an association with such 
draft as is taken, of a corresponding displacement and 
of roominess in the body of the vessel. This, it seems to 
me, should, in the interests of yachting and in its 
equities, be made the oflice of a good rule to put beyond 
peradA^enture. An assurance needs to be given to the 
owner who would build that, if his ideas are reasonable, 
he may have built, and may race Avith a prospect of suc- 
cess, and of some continuity of that success, a vessel of 
adaptations to his Wants and convenience; and that while 
he may have to meet in competition yachts having ex- 
treme features and possessing perhaps little claim to be 
considered as homes afloat, the rules of measurement 
will do him justice; will in fact put the different craft 
into proper relations to each other, and will make it 
practicable for each man to have his way Avitliout injury 
to the other. It may be noted here that any failure to 
properly tax a feature of advantage to speed really com- 
pels its use, and if the feature is an objectionable one 
the result is a discouragement to yacht racing, and an 
inducement to keep out of it. It would be futile to at- 
tempt to unite in one vessel, and in the same degree, the 
features and qualities that constitute the prime racer and 
the best cruiser, but on such .Avaters as Long Island 
Sound, and in ordinary summer weather, it is practicable 
to haA'e many of the comforts of a home afloat on vessels 
of first-class racing capabilities. Many that have earned 
the best reptttation in this regard Avill readily present 
themseh'es to the memory of any yachtsman, and just as 
easily others Avill occur to the memory Avhich are en- 
tirely unfitted for either yachtsmen or creAv to live aboard 
for twenty-four hours. It is quite unfair, and it is detri- 
mental to yachting interests, that these should be in rac- 
ing classed on equal terms with the first to which I 
haA'-Ci referred." 
One other quotation of individual opinion maj' here 
be made, as its purpose, if not its method, meets Avith 
the hearty approval of your committee: 
"The sternpost must be straight and the rudder hUng 
on it. Experience teaches us that a vessel, to steer in 
rough water, must have the extreme draft at heel of 
sternpost, so that the rudder may be ahvays in solid 
Avater." 
These statements of opinion, all of Avhich in their es- 
sense are full}'' concurred in by your committee, will 
haA^e prepared j^pu for the conclusions and the practical 
recommendations to Avhich they lead. In reference to 
the last quotation, it may be said that the advent of the 
balanced rudder, or its eqttivalent, is a natural and neces- 
sary accompaniment of the fin type; but it is only a part 
of an evil principle Avhich may take other forms, all of 
them embraced in the desire to diminish frictional surface 
by reducing the extent of lateral plane. An extreme rake 
given to a sternpost and to the rudder hung upon it is 
scarcely less bad in a vessel of considerable body, and 
under trying conditions, than would be a balanced rud- 
der. With an obligation under the rules to have in rac- 
ing vessels a specified, reasonable proportion of lateral 
plane in which the rudder would be included, CA'ils of the 
character referred to would meet correction. It is 
recommended that this should be done. 
It is recommended that cognizance shall be taken 
in the rules, and in the measurement formula to be 
used, of the relation which beam and draft, taken to- 
gether, bear to a linear measurement deriA^ed from the 
area of the submerged midship section, namely the square 
root of"it. It is found that in yachts of fairlj^ good dis- 
placement, in reference to the sum of the two dimen- 
sions which have been named, that three and one-third 
times the square root of midship section immersed is 
about equal to the beam plus draft, and this propor- 
tion applies equall)'- well to a good type of vessel, whether 
she be a keel or centerboard. Volunteer, Titania, Sea 
Fox and MinerA^a are instances of this; all of them 
Avoukl escape any addition to their measurement under 
the rules to be proposed, while Vigilant would be some- 
what penalized, and Colonia very slightly so; but 
Emerald as she was before alteration would have re- 
ceived considerable allowance from the latter, and the 
alteration made to her might have been rendered need- 
less under such a rule. 
The formula would be: 
L.W.L. -f V'STX-faiB. -I-D.) — 4' M. S. 
R. M. = 2 
It is also recommended that the submerged profile of 
a yacht, the vertical longitudinal section inclusive of the 
rudder, shall not without penalty fall below 63 per cent, 
of a parallelogram, to include the ends of the L.W.L. 
and the draft of the vessel. 
It is further recommended that if centerbeards are 
weighted to a greater extent than is needed to sink 
them, their draft shall be added to that of the vessel. 
Your committee would also advise that cabin yachts shall 
be A'ery carefullj^ and strictly defined, so as to protect 
those which are A'eritably such, and that cabin yachts 
of 25ft. R. L. and over shall fall under the operation of the 
rules to be proposed; also that the requirement for things 
to be kept on board cabin yachts, Avhen they are meas- 
ured and when they are raced, which now apply to galley 
furnishings and to some other things, shall be extended 
to include all cabin and galley fixtures and fittings, and 
furniture ordinarily carried, also skylights, hatches, 
doors, floors, bulkheads, and at least one anchor such 
as is used in ordinary service, with a suitable cable. 
In regard to the correction of the evil of too light con- 
struction, there Avould appear to be no simple or very 
practicable Avay of dealing Avith the matter. The method 
which would perhaps haA'e greatest claim to exactness 
and equity, and be as practicable as any, Avould be to put 
the proportion of ballast weight to total displacement as 
a decimal into the upper line of the formula, and let it 
sirbstitute the diA'isor 2. now below the line; this your 
committee merely suggests, btit does not recomineud for 
immediate action, 
■When the Seawanhaka- Corinthian Y, C, many years 
ago, introduced sail area as a factor into its rule, it took 
a decided step in advance of anything that had before 
that been done in yachting, in recognizing that not merely 
the length of waterline or the size of the yacht should 
be used in gauging her speed, but that a new and very 
distinct element, representative of the driving force to be 
associated with length, should enter into the formula. 
The example then set has since been approved and very 
generally followed by yacht clubs everywhere; the 
changes that have since come about, and the new neces- 
sities that have arisen, are not in any degree a product of 
the_ rule, but in its present form it fails to meet them; 
various attempts have been made to this end, both here 
and elsewhere, but the devices appear inadequate, they are 
certainly ill-adapted and unfit to meet requirements here, 
to check the forms and features Avhich are objectionable, 
and to protect and foster those which wouLd meet popular 
requirements and favor. 
In some of our classes, notably the schooner classes, 
and generally the larger classes, centerboards are a neces- 
sity; while in smaller craft the keel Avould have ad- 
vantages, and would be in many cases preferred. 
It appears extremely doubtful if any rule which in- 
cluded beam as a separate and distinct factor, or which 
unduly discriminated against draft, would meet with 
acceptance, and it appears to be nothing less than a 
trtiism that to assign to either of these distinct and sepa- 
rate values, or values relatively each to the other, is in 
the absence of more accurate knowledge Avholly unwar- 
ranted; and a mischievous curb upon ireedom of design 
and upon the development of form. 
In the experience of the last few years we have found 
two kinds of cabin boats, differing much frorn each other, 
but_ both lacking in roominess and in the essentials of 
cruising yachts. One of these is a canoe bodied vessel, 
kept upright by a Weighted lever, and the other a widC 
and shallow-bodied boat of light displacement, and carry^ 
ing a large sail plan. Such a boat is formidable as a com- 
petitor in light weather, smooth Avater racing; but un- 
safe, unmanageable and unsatisfactory under trying con- 
ditions. To put yacht racing on a heaithy and hopeful 
basis, it seems to be nothing less than necessary that the 
really good yacht should be freed from the need to meet 
such racing machines as have been referred to on anv 
other than fair and equated terms, as otherwise good 
yachts Avill not be built, or if built their OAvners will be 
utterly discouraged from enterin.g them in races. 
The rule which has been devised, and Avhich is now 
subinitted to you, is believed to operate equally well for 
the just correction of the features Avhich have been allud- 
ed to, Avhether present in the fin-keel type or in the wide 
and shalloAv section, and to be equally applicable in all 
classes to Avhich it may be applied. It has its basis of 
warrant in the economic principle of equal oppor-tunity 
for equal Avork done, it requires no help from arbitrary 
assumptions Taf value in beam and draft individually 
or relatively, which may be approximately right or 
wholly wrong. When applied to any list of yachts, it is 
merely corrective of their present measurements to the 
extent of a difference, if any, betAveen tAvo factors. It 
insists on an equality of opporttmity for equal bodies 
to use equal leA^ers, and for unequal bodies to carry levers 
proportionate in length to their relative bulks. What- 
ever the form, its requirements are not to be evaded, 
but having been met, the designer is free to put his 
owm estimate on the respective values of his dimen.sions, 
and to dispose of his bulk as he may think best. 
Inasmuch as the area of midship section, taken in con- 
nection with length, bears in all fast yachts only a very 
slightly varying relation to the displacement, the area of 
midship section, or the square root of it, may be said to 
represent displacement, and it furnishes the most simple 
mode of representing it. The use of displacement alone, 
however, Avithout some limitation of tlie dimensions 
which can be associated with it, gives no assurance of a 
desirable and equitable restilt. 
The practical carrying out of the rule recommended 
would require some sitch provision as this; 
Before an entry can be accepted the owner shall supply 
to the race committee of the club, or to the measurer, a 
drawing shoAving the midship section (the largest cross 
section) of the yacht, extending from top of planksheer 
to the under side of the keel; and the point on the yacht 
at which the section is taken shall be indicated "by h 
])lain mark, the lower edge of Avhich shall be 3in, over 
the waterline, as shown on the drawing, and vertical to 
it, and that the area of the midship section shall be 
stated upon the drawing furnished. 
The correctness of the figures so given to be at any 
time subject to the protest of a competitor, and in such 
case to be verified by the measurer. 
A similar requirement Avould have to be made in re- 
gard to the lateral plane, to read about as follows-: 
Every yacht must have a lateral plane, Avhich, including 
the rudder, shall be not less than .65 of the circumscribing 
parallelogram; such parallelogram shall be taken so as 
to include both ends of the L.W.L. , and with draft 
taken to the depth of the largest cross section, or to any 
point of greater depth if found forAvard of that, plus one- 
third of any greater draft further aft than midship sec- 
tion. Any yacht having a coefficient of lateral plane of 
less than .65 shall have her sailing length increased by 
the number of decimals AAdiich her coefficient has Avhe.n 
subtracted from .65, and the remainder divided by 5. 
This Avould be folloAved by a requirement for a drawing, 
etc.. as in the other case. 
In respect to the proposition which has been made for 
the non-removal of cabin furniture, slcylights, etc., it i.s 
perhaps sufficient to say that if removal is done by all 
it is a trouble and affliction to all, and is no special gain 
to any: if done b}^ one. it becomes a hardship or a neces- 
sity for the rest, and if done by none, there is a common 
relief and benefit to all contestants, and an added induce- 
ment to race. 
In conclusion, it may be Avell to call to mind the high 
faA'or Avith which one-design classes have recently beeri 
receiA^ed. Their -success may justly be regarded as a 
strong and general protest against extreme features, 
and against the inequalities and tmcertainties of racing 
under present conditions. They give eA'idence of the 
satisfaction with which such limitations would be re- 
ceiA'cd as would bring about racing under more even 
and wholesome conditions. 
