Jan. 30, 1904.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
93 
HALr D-RC.A31TM or Kctu 
15-FOOT KNOCKABOUT LINES AND CONSTRUCTION PLANS DESIGNED BY E. ' A. BOARDMAN FOR COLONEL ISAACSON. 
context. Originally it may have been left out by acci- 
dent — the mistake of a clerk or a printer — and the omis- 
sion has been perpetuated in all the books I have seen. 
But, as to the facts of the case — can we regard five 
knots as a fair average speed for a yacht of 25ft. length, 
sailed with fixed ballast over a triangular course, with 
one leg to windward? It is certainly a high average, 
and the fact is more apparent in the case of yachts of 
50 or 6oft. corrected length, to which the rule is made 
to apply. At the best, it represents a maximum speed 
over average courses in strong steady winds, and 
many good races are sailed in light to moderate 
winds, at speeds far less than those assumed in the 
rule._ In such cases, it is unfair to the yachts which 
receive titae, but so far from attempting to allow for 
this, the rule goes off on the other tack, and says: 
"As strong winds are required, however, to give to 
larger vessels the full extent of their advantage in size, 
and as such a scale of allowance is not adapted to ordi- 
nary summer racing, 50 per cent, only of. the allowance 
due to the rule is given in the table." Some clubs have 
used more than 50 per cent, and some less; but I do 
not know, of any case where the full allowance has been< 
But why should there W smy discount 
Perhaps the original framers of the rule owned large 
yachts, snugly rigged for general work, and conse- 
quently at some disadvantage in light winds. But at 
the present tirne large yachts (say of 70ft. or over) are 
usually good performers in light weather; that is, as- 
surning that they are really racers. The mere height of 
their sails above the water gives a distinct advantage 
in fiuky winds, while their increased, size and displace- 
ment steadies them in a dead roll, enabling them to. 
hold their "course with sails asleep, when' smairer craft 
are tossing up and down without steerage way', The- 
moment it breezes up away goes the big yacht, and the 
small craft ha.s no chance at all with the existing 
allowance of time. Even assuming some special con- 
cessions are occasionally required by large yachts, why: 
should a whole system of time allowanve be cut down" 
until it becomes an absurdity? The assurri.ed speeds 
are, if anything, too high for racing in strong breezes, 
and consequently the differences or allowances in time 
for distance are too small and unfair to yachts receiv- 
ing them in any case. The slower the speed theionger ■ 
the time, so that for light winds they migtit'-' reasonably 
be doubled. But just at thtfr point the rule introduces 
§ factor wWcli has t^othjng to do 'with the orifiiial prii^-- 
ciple, and reduces the allowances just when they should 
be increased ; and the mutilated figures are made to 
appiy to all cases, the actual weather conditions of a 
race being wholly disregarded. Thus the speed for- 
mula actually assumed in compiling the tables on a 50 
per cent.' basis would be: VL (in feet) X 2 =speed 
in miles 'per hour. For a 36-footer this, assumes a 
speed of i2 knots, and for a loo-footer, 20 knots! 
Leaving aside the question of whether "larger ves- 
sels" ever require special concessions, it is perfectly 
. clear that there is no necessity for anything of the sort 
between yachts nearly of a size. Yet, under the rule 
, a Si-footer is assumed to be a "larger vessel" than a 
5Q-footer, and unable to realize ©n her "advantage in 
■ size," except in "strong winds." Now, under the L. 
and S. a: rule they may be almost identical in length 
and other hull dimensions; but the 51-footer may meas- 
ure .:more owing to a larger sail plan. Such a thing 
would be ;e,.xceedingly common with a classification by 
waterline length . with, allowances based on corrected 
length. The, 'yacht with the larger rig would probably 
be-a- lighf-WTe'ather boat, and a rule that increased the 
■allowance "accpxding to the elapsed time of a race 
"-WQUW be- fair to -all- parties, lut tJie p'rfesent rule 
