i^ov. 17, 1900.]' 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
MINNESOTA— DESIGNED AIsfD BUILT BY GUS AMUNDSON, 19O0 
The Measurement Rule in England 
The special coinmittee of the Yacht Racing Association 
of Great Britain, on the subject of the revision of the 
measurement rule, has at last reported a definite proposi- 
tion, as told below in detail from the Field of Oct. 27. 
Considering the breadth of the discussion of the meas- 
urement question since the last alteration of the Y. R. A. 
rule in 1895, we were in hopes that the committee which 
has been considering the proposals for a new amendment 
for some time past would deal with the question in an 
mtelligent, thorough and scientific way and offer to the 
yachting world a new formula such as has been anxiously 
looked for on both sides of the Atlantic. The result is iii 
every way a disappointment, as the committee has been 
content to patch up a rule that was poor enough in the 
first place. The linear rating rule, known in this country 
as the girth rule, is changed by the substitution of one 
nevi^ factor for an old one, and an alteration of the con- 
stant. The. new factor is that proposed by Mr. Benzon 
and already discussed in the Forest and Stream — in 
place of the skin girth only being measured, the chain 
girth, that is the length of a chain or tape drawn under 
the keel from waterline to waterline, and not necessarily 
touching the skin at all points, is taken and used in place 
of the skin girth, with a correction added in the form of 
four times the difference between the chain girth and the 
skin girth. It is apparent that, as the girth rule actually 
promotes a dangerous type of shoal centerboard boat, un- 
less a heavy penalty is placed on the use of a centerboard, 
this new rule must operate in a similar manner; at least in 
the ordinary type of centerboard yacht without an external 
keel, the skin girth and chain girth are identical, so that 
the correction, 4 d, would disappear from the formula. To 
offset this, however, a special provision is recommended, 
that in all cases the draft is to be taken as not less than half 
the beam. To this, which is certainly bad enough, is 
added tlie recommendation that overhangs be taxed. It 
would be a waste of time to discuss this proposed rule in 
detail, but taken with the utter failure of the Yacht 
Racing Association of North America to enforce the girth 
rule in this country or to recommend anything better, and 
the absurd, complicated and ineffective formula proposed 
by N. G. Herreshoff with which the New York Y. C. is 
now laboring, the outlook for a fairly good measurement 
rule from any quarter is most discouraging. 
The council of the Yacht Racing Association met at 
the Royal London Y. C. on Oct. 24, and unanimously 
adopted the report of the rating rule committee. It will 
be seen that the lengthy deliberations of the council have 
resulted in throwing out the proposals ( i) by Mr. Linton 
Hone, for measurement by radius of inscribed circle; (2) 
by Mr. M. Heckstall-Smith. for taking the area of section 
without any tax unon girth; (3) the displacement rule 
sugerested bv Col. Bucknill. and several other proposals, 
while the rule originally proposed by Mr. G. F. Flemmich 
and Mr. Benzon. and subsequently advocated by Mr. R. E. 
Froude. in a letter tn the Field of Aug. 11. with certain 
restrictions and modification'^, has been adopted. 
In our comments upon this rating rule in August last 
we said that our only regret Avas that Mr. Froude had 
not extended his remarks to the large classes as well as 
the small, and we are very glad that the council lias taken 
this view and made the proposed new rule applicable to 
all classes. The introduction of four times the difference 
between skin girth and chain girth will probably produce 
a vi^holesome and fairly full sectioned boat, while the ex- 
treme bulb keeled type, no matter whether they are deep 
finned boats like Norman, or shallow finned boats after the 
fashion of Sakuntala, will be very heavily taxed. A 52- 
footer like Samphire, and a 65-footer such as Kommo- 
dore, .will be practically struck off the rolls, while all the 
fine sectioned "forties," with poor accommodation and 
insufficient headroom, will suft'er in proportion. At shal- 
law drafts the rule becomes a tax upon draft, and as 
such it is not desirable; but what may be called the un- 
desirable area is prohibited by the restriction which pro- 
vides that the draft will be taken as not less than half 
the beam. This means that, supposing a yacht has 13ft. 
beam and her draft is only Sft. 6in., then, for the purposes 
of the rule, when measuring the chain and skin girths, 
the measurements will be taken to a point 6ft. 6in. below 
the L.W.L. In the area of drafts deeper than 0.5 beam the 
rule is but a moderate tax upon draft, and, from the 
tendency of vessels to run into excessive depth of keel 
under rules that do not tax draft at all, it is apparent that 
no ill effects will be felt on this score. Th'c tendency of 
this rule should be to encoui'age a yacht like an enlarged 
Bona 111 the big class, a yuecn Mau m tue OS-iooicrs, a 
Penitent in the S2it. class. Vvhue tlie fastest 3(b-fu0Ler 
would probably be a boat of i'oreila's type, it is possible, 
however, that a yacnt with a rnucU tuner section would 
prevail. \Ve do not attach inucn importance to the sug- 
gestion to limit the overhangs at either end to 30 per 
cent, of the L.W.L., because so soon as the fuller mid- 
ship section appears overnangs wiU of necessity disappear. 
It is impossible to make use of an objectionable overnang 
in a boat with a deep body amidships. We mean by an 
objectionable overhang one that makes an abnormally 
fine angle with the L.W.L. It is satisfactory to noie that 
the question raised by the owner of Bona in the Field of 
Sept. 29, namely, the allowance between cutters and 
yawls, has been dealt with in a mamier that may give some 
encouragement to cutters about go rating. The loUowmg 
table shows the working of the clause relating to the 
yawl's allowance in its revised form: 
On a 50-mile course: 
■ 4 33- 
9 52. 
,14 41. 
. 2 20. 
11 23 
i; 33 
22 39 
I 36 
7 42 
12 44 
5 25 
8 55- -10 50 
Present Proposed 
allow- allow- 
ance u.sH. ance u.y4. 
M. S. JVl. S. 
A cutter of 100 rating allows a yawl of 100. .14 18 
A cutter of 100 rating allows a yawl of 95. .19 37 
A cutter of 100 rating allows a yawl of go. .24 36 
A cutter of 95 rating allows a yawl of 100. 
A cutter of 95 rating allows a yawl of 95. 
A cutter of 95 rating allows a yawl of 90. 
A yawl of 100 rating allows a cutter of 90. 
A yawl of 100 rating allows a cutter of 85. 
We append the olficial document forwarded to us by 
the Yaclit Racing Association. 
Report of the Rating Kule Committee.-— Adopted by 
the council Oct. 24, 1900. — io ti. K. Id. tlie prcbident 
and council of the iTacht Racing Association: 
(The committee appointed consisted ot the members 
of the council, assisted by the naval architects whose 
names were recorded in the Field of Oct. 20. J 
The committee have held "several meetings, and on two 
occasions all the yacht designers attendea. Alter fully 
considering the numerous proposals that had been sub- 
mitted, the committee, witli the unanimous concurrence 
of the yacht designers, decided to recommend the follow- 
ing rwle- _ _ 
L -f- B -f 0.75 G +- 3d -f- U.& «■ S A. 
_= Linear rating. 
L = Length on L.W.L. measured as at present. B = 
Beam extreme as at present. G = Chain girtn taken at 
the same station, d = Difference between cnain girth and 
skin girth taken as at present. S.A. = bail area measured 
as at present. 
That the classes remain as in the present rule. In 
taking the girth measurements the present provisions as 
to hollows in profile, etc., are to hoid. 'ihe dratt will be 
taken as not less than half the beam. 
That if the overhangs at either end exceed 30 per cent, 
of the L.W.L., the excess shall be added to the L.W.L, 
measurement. That existing boats be exempt from this 
provision for the years 1901 and 1902. 
That in the first clause in the appendix the rating of 
yawls be reckoned for time allowance as 0.94 of tneir 
actual rating, instead of 0.92, as at present. 
That the ninth clause m the appendix shall be worded 
to apply to yachts built prior to the passing of the new 
rule, with the proviso that this clause shall be limited to 
the years igoi and 1902. — On behalf of the rating. rule 
committee, A. Manning, Vice-Pres., 
B. Heckstall-Smith, Sec'y. 
The council recommend that the new rating rule should 
be in force for five years. 
Mr. Chester W. Chapin is having an auxiliary pole- 
mast schooner built at the yard of Mr. Lewis Nixon, 
Elizabethport, N. J., from designs by Messrs. Gary Smith 
& Barbey. The yacht is of steel, 82ft. over all, 60 ft. 
waterline, 19ft. beam and 3ft. gin. draft. The same 
designers have closed a contract for another schooner 
with C. & R. Poillon, of South Brooklyn. This yacht 
will also be an auxiliary; she is 94ft. over all, 68ft. on 
the waterline, 20ft. 4in. beam, and loft. draft. 
MINNESOTA. 
Photo by Notmaa, Montreal, 
