S80 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
f[Nov. 4, igoi 
An Ice Yacht for $75. 
. BY H. PERCY ASHLEY. 
Interest in ice yachts is; becoming more marked each 
year, but the avferage man wants a boat' costing complete 
less than $ioo. 'After years of experience in the design- 
ing, building and sailing; of these craft I feel that the 'de- 
sign published herewith is the type of boat best adapted 
for ordinary use, and the simplicity of the craft in all 
.particulars enables the boat’ to be built for $75 or less. 
How TO BuilP. — S elect your wood well seasoned with 
■the_ heart on top' side of the runner plank and ’ back-bone. 
This is quite essential, as it gives the upward spring to 
the planks.. The best material for runner plank and back- 
bone is bass wood, but a good stick of clear spruce well 
seasoned will do very well. The runners and steering 
:gear are the first essentials.. We will turn to Plate IT, 
Tig 7 and Fig. 8. The fore runner is made of seasoned 
‘oak, being exactly 4ft. over all, and a depth of 6in., includ- 
ing shoe. The shoe is of soft cast iron, being 2in. deep. 
The cutting surface on the ice is 45 deg., and is held by 
screw bolts with, octagon heads, the center one being a 
screw head, as- is shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. 
Back-bone- ok Center Plank. — Should be of well se- 
lected spruce or bass woodi The back-bone should be 
20ft. over’ all, ■ 9-^3 n. broadb and 3^in. wide; at center when 
dressed, pin. tapering at ndse to sH^n. by 3in. At heel of 
back-bone the measurenients .are 4in. by 3^in. Details 
of plan will be readily’ se‘eh’'m Plate III., Fig. 13. 
Runner Plank. — Of spruce 0-r bass wood, over all 
12ft., ift. wide at center and loj^in. at ends. Depth 
SH^n. at center and 2j4in. at ends. 
Runners and Steering Gear. — All runners should be 
made of seasoned white oak, .the bolts of the same being 
Hill- in diameter. Note thatfel the fore runner, Plate II. 
Fig. ■7, is inserted a brass plate, details of which will be 
seen in Fig. 8. The rudder post is iVwin. The tiller 
is_ of light construction, 2fty ioin. over all, and served 
with cord at handle. ' Plate II. gives full details with two 
scales to their construction. 
Cockpit. — By referring to Plate III., Fig. 9, details of 
the steering box will be seen. It is solid oak, bent, of 
I Hill- by 4Hin. ; in its lower side is cut a groove 
(before bending) of Hin- by Hin- deep to receive-. the oak 
flooring for cockpit,, which is of tongued and grooved 
oak Hin. thick. As this is screwed and glued it makes a 
very strong and substantial structure. 
Iron Work.— Clearly shown in Plate I-V-.,,, Fig:, ,14, is 
the nose oT^tfte -boat • with formation of the iron’ work. 
Fig. 16 shows the yard and iron work of the boom. Fig. 
19 shows the runner plank and end of the struts, which 
is practically the mast of a lateen ice yacht. By referring 
to Fig. 17 the heads of the two struts are, seen as joined 
by bolts and a triangular oak piece. Fig. 18 shows the 
nose with eye-bolt for toggle iron and loop of H'n- 
dianieter steel rigging for side stays. 
RiGpiNG, ETC. — Plate I. and Plate III. shows all the rig- 
ging required. All runner plank stays are of Hin- steel 
rigging, ending up at nose and heel in a loop served and 
parceled in ' marlin. White soft twine is used in serving 
the splices. A stay of H'n- steel rigging runs from the , 
struts to end of boom ending in two thimbles with seiz- 
ing of Hin. manilla rope. From the nose to the shear 
holes extends Hin. steel standing rigging, ending in a 
loop, and from another loop it runs aft. This is of Hin. 
steel wire and is fastened at the runner backstay just for- 
ward of the cockpit a lanyard is placed on. 
Any practical man who can handle tools for ordinary 
work will quickly understand the .accompanying plates, 
which speak for themselves.,. : . 
Messrs. Merriman Brothers;' whose, advertiserfient will 
be found on another page, carry a large line of ice boat 
fittings. ' ■ • 
[Mr. Ashley will be pleased to answer any questions 
regarding this boat. — E d;] 
J — - .. gv V- 
Races for Ice Yacht Challenge'' ..Pennant. — The- 
Orange Lake Ice Y. C- is to challenge the Hudson River 
Ice Y. C. for the challenge pennant of Aitierjca. The first 
race for the pennant was sailed on Ma'rch’ §,■ 1881. The 
pennant is now held by Commodore Archibald Rogers’ 
Jack Frost. The Orange Lake Club will enter Cold Wave 
II., sailed by Commodore Henry C. Higginson, and. the 
Windward, sailed by Capt. James O’Brien. The Hudson 
River Club will probably enter Jack Frost and a smaller 
boat of new design. The race will be sailed above the 
Poughkeepsie Bridge. Windward carries 620 sq. ft. , of 
canvas and has a solid back bone. Cold Wave II. carries 
410 sq. ft. of canvas with hollow back bone. Jack Frost 
carries 749 sq. ft. of canvas. 
Boston Letter 
British Letter. 
Boston Y. C. Meeting. — The fall meeting of the Bos- 
ton Y. C. was held at the Rowe’s Wharf club house on 
Wednesday evening, Oct. 25. Some important amend- 
ments were acted upon, principally with regard to the 
dues of the Dorchester and the Marblehead divisions. It 
was proposed to abolish the Dorchester division, retain- 
ing the station only as one of the main club. This pro- 
posed amendment was defeated, but it was voted to raise 
the dues of the members of the Dorchester division from 
$8 to $12. The dues of the Marblehead division were 
raised from $10 to $15. A proposal was offered to create 
junior membership, admitting those less than twenty-one 
years, of age; but this matter was laid over indefinitely. 
The committee on nomination, as suggested by the 
Executive Committee, was confirmed. In the discussion 
regarding the dues of the Marblehead division, it was 
brought out that the station at Marblehead has been grow- 
ing more and more in favor by the members of the club, 
and it is likely that still further improvements will be 
made on the property for the accommodation of those 
members who resort to the Marblehead anchorage during 
the summer. 
Developments in Class Q. — Since the adoption of the 
classes under the uniform rule up to 40ft. rating by .the 
Yacht Racing Association of Massachusetts there has . 
been considerable speculation as to which class will be 
first to be favored by prospective builders. It is now 
said that there is .a strong movement among members 
of the Eastern Y. C. toward developing class Q, of 22ft. 
rating. If a number of boats are built for the class it is 
expected that they will be raced on the Y. R. A. circuits 
and that considerable sport, as well as interesting data, 
may be obtained. ' The Eastern Y. C. does not recognize 
yachts of less- than 30ft. waterline, in its regular races, but 
considerable interest has been shown by the Regatta 
Committee in the popular Y. R. A. classes, for which spe- 
cial races have been given during the past three seasons. 
Many members of the Eastern Y. C. are members of the 
Boston Y. C., which is enrolled in the Y. R. A., and it is 
probable that the majority of entries from class ,Q boats 
owned by Eastern Y; C. members — if the promised de- 
velopment should materialize — would be entered* from the 
Boston Y. C. However, it is considered immaterial by 
those interested which club a boat may enter from, so 
long as the class is developed. 
Committee on Rules; — At the fall meeting of the East- 
ern Y, C., held . on .Tpesday evening, Oct. 24, Messrs. 
Louis M- Ciai'k and Henry Howard were appointed a 
committee to aitcr.d any conferences that might be held 
during the winter for the revision of racing rules. 
New Designs. — Messrs. Small Brothers have an order 
for -an auxiliary ■ yawl for Mr. M. W. -Torrey, of New 
York. She will be 44ft. over all, 29ft. 6in. waterline and 
12ft. breadth. They have completed the design of an 18- 
rater to be used south of Cape Cod, the lines of which 
are said to be quite a little different from any that have 
yet been turned out under the new rule. 
Shoal-draft Yawl. — Mr. Ered. D. Lawley has com- 
pleted the lines of .a shoal draft yawl for Mr.' J. H. Crom- 
well, -of -New York, twliich will be used in southern 
waters. She is 8oft. over all, 57ft. waterline and 19ft. 
breadth. 
New Boats Building. — At Lawley’s the deck is being 
laid on the new 60ft. schooner for Rear Commodore 
Alfred Douglass, of the Boston Y. C. The schooner de- 
signed by Messrs. Tams, Lemoine and Crane for Vice 
Commodore H. A. Morss, of the Corinthian Y. C., has 
been laid down. The keel of a cruising power yacht, 71ft. 
6in. over all for Mr. E. B. Dane has been set up. The 
schooner Merlin is receiving a new top from the water- 
line up. and the schooner Corona is receiving a new deck. 
John B. Killeen. 
Motor Boat Club of America. — There was organised, 
on Thursday evening, Oct. 26, at the Hotel Astor, th'h 
Motor Boat Club of America. Mr. Charles P. TowchV 
was elected president, Mr. H. S. Gambel is the secj^tary^; ' 
and the committee on plan and scope is Messrs. Charles' 
Francis, H. S. Bease, Dr. S. Oppenheimer, A. D. Roach 
and George J. Vestner. The club is already negotiating 
for permanent-quarters on Riverside Drive, where they 
will have a modern club house. 
•I *1 K 
The Decline of Yacht Racing. — A correspondence 
has been going on in the London Field on the above sub- 
ject for some weeks past, and many ideas have been put 
forward-]^ various people to account for the disappear- 
ance of the large rating classes, generally by correspon- 
dents who are merely interested in yachting as a sport 
but who do not own a yacht, and sometimes by those 
enthusiasts who wish to back up the Yacht Racing Asso- 
ciation and cover up its faults of omission. So far only 
one letter has appeared which really cari’ies any weight 
with it, and that is one from Mr. A. K. Stothert, the 
owner of the handicap class yacht Rosamond, who said 
that owners were not going to build to the Y. R. A. 
classes until the Y. R. A. protected them from flimsy 
bandboxes of boats by introducing an efficient system 
of scantling restrictions. Sir James Pender, owner of 
the big yawl Brynhild, wrote a letter to the same effect 
in the Yachts'man some time ago. The letters of these 
two gentlemen, who are themselves yacht owners and who 
race in the handicap classes which for some years have so 
efficiently filled up the gap produced by the disappearance 
of the 65-footers and the first-class raters, are deserving 
of every consideration, and it is something to know that 
the Y. R. A. have at last roused themselves up and are 
trying to induce Lloyds to alter their rules for yacht 
classification so as to make it possible to apply them to the 
modern racing yacht. The work appears to be going on 
more or less in camera, which is a pity, but any reason- 
ably strong form of construction would be better than 
none at all. 
The last letter on the above subject, which appeared in 
the Field of Oct. 14, was from Mr. W. P. Burton, owner 
and helmsman of the 52-footer Britomart. Mr. Burton 
has owned boats; in this class for many years, is an ar- 
dent sportsman and an excellent man at the helm. He al- 
ways steers his own boat, and no professional can afford 
to give anything away to him. His enthusiasm for class 
racing, how^ever, appears to have clouded his judgment 
with regard to the reasons for the decline of yacht racing 
and the remedy thereof. He says the remedy is in the 
hands of the yacht clubs ; that if the clubs give more 
prizes for class racers and. fewer for handicap boats class 
racing will revive.;-. How Mr. Burton comes to -this con- 
clusion it would be difficult to say, but he does :not think 
that scantling restrictions and the abolition of hollow 
masts, or any other of the remedies proposed, such as the 
alteration of the rating rule, or the removal of the tax on 
sail area would be of any use. There is no doubt that 
some of the clubs give very small prizes for class raters, 
but the remedy. is not in the readjustment of the prizes — 
there are other matters of far more importance which 
require immediate attention before any improvement in 
yacht racing will take place. 
Racing Fixtures for 1906.— Mr. Burton is much more 
to the point in a letter he has, written to the Clyde yacht 
clubs containing a suggestion to the effect that the Clyde 
Fortnight should open the yacht racing season instead of 
the Thames and East Coast regattas. There is much to 
be said in favor of this arrangement, for racing yachts 
could be fitted out and sent round from the South of 
England in time to start racing on the Clyde at the be- 
ginning of June, and their owmers could join them there 
and take the Irish regattas and Plymouth on the, way 
back to the south. Mr. Burton says that if the Clyde 
regattas are held later the 52-footers will in all probabil- 
ity not attend them, as it takes the best part of a fort- 
night to get round there, and that is too much time , to 
give up during he busy^ season. Moreover, the handicap 
class are not willing to sail another race from Cowes to 
the Clyde, but if they went to the Clyde in June, instead 
of July, they could get back in time for Kiel and Ostend. 
It is disappointing to think .that there is any necessity 
to alter the dates of the Scottish fixtures, but if it is in 
the interests of the sport of course it would be well to 
break through precedent and fix them for the most con- 
4^^enient time. No doubt the matter will be thoroughly 
/^scussed at the meeting which the Y. R. A. have con- 
R^^ed for Nov. 3, when delegates will 'be present from 
of the principal yacht clubs. E. H. Kelly. 
‘^Supplement to Small Yachts" Free. 
-To any- one sending us one new subscriber to Forest and 
Roxana Chartered.— The twin-screw houseboat Rox^ 
ana, owned by Mr. J. W. Gates, has been chartered 
through the agency of Messrs. Cox .& Stevens to - a mem- 
ber of the New York Y. C. 
i'-ST'&E\M'''bSfore Nov. 16, 1905, we will present one copy of W. P. 
Stephens’* book “Supplement to Small Yachts.’’ This work con- 
tains 101 pages text and 43 plates. Size 11 by 14 inches. Cloth. 
I rice S4. This offer does not apply to lenewals. 
GAS ENGINEIS AND 
; , • / 
Their Principles/Types, and Management. A Gimplete and Practical Manual. 
BY F. K. GRAIN, M. E. 
Bound in cloth, with 123 pages and 20 illustrations. Sent, postpaid, for $1.25. 
T his compact and comprehensive handbook contains all thednformation essential to users of the marine gasolene 
engines, and will be welcomed by the thousands of men now owning and running power boats. Laymen and 
experts will alike find the book invaluable. It treats of the various types of marine gasolene engines, points out the 
good in each, and tblls how to run them. A knowledge of the contents of this book will help to overcome difficulties 
and avoid accidents. The most complete’^' book of its kind ever published, ha -r - 
FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING GO., NEW YORK. 
k t* 
% 
