413 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
r [Nov. i8, 1905, 
A Singlehand Cruising Yawl. 
Comparatively few men cruise singlehanded in these 
days, although there are many who prefer boats that can 
be handled by one man if necessary. The advantages of 
the craft that can be handled singlehanded at all times 
are manifold, and anyone owning such a craft is never 
deprived of a sail through being short of a crew. Single- 
hand cruising has been on the wane for many years, and 
it is quite a rare thing now to encounter a man who does 
nil his cruising alone. While many men enjoy the soli- 
ttude of singlehand cruising, the dangers which sometimes 
arise from sudden sickness, accidents and other un- 
expected contingencies are so great that some do not 
think the game worth the candle. But the real enthusi- 
ast, however, is not deterred by any of these things and 
enjoys every season what some would term his lonely 
voyages. 
The singlehander, with accommodations sufficiently 
roomy to make two comfortable, is the ideal vessel for 
the man of reasonable means, for he can then take a 
friend or his wife or his son with him for a cruise if 
he so desires, yet he need never miss an afternoon sail 
just because he is shorthanded, for he can. manage his 
little ship alone, no matter what the wind and weather 
may be. 
Such a vessel as w'e have described is the one illus- 
trated in our columns this week. The plans come from 
the board of one of our younger designers, Mr. John G. 
Alden, of Boston. All of Mr. Alden’s work that we have 
.■seen has been of a high order, and if he keeps up the 
pace he has already set he may be reckoned as one of 
this country’s coming yacht designers. His designs all 
show some originality and beside being a practical boat- 
man he has had the advantage of scientific education. 
He has an eye to form and beauty, and this, together 
wdth a good knowledge of practical construction, equips 
him well for the profession that he is to follow. Mr. 
Alden has been associated with Mr. B. B. Crowninshield 
for some time, and his drawings are all up to the high 
standard exacted in Mr., Crowninshield’s office. The 
designs that come from Mr. Crowninshield’s boards are 
invariably well executed and carefully lettered. We 
mention this because it is rather a remarkable thing in 
these days when speed is the consideration in all busi- 
ness and professions and many essentials are conse- 
quently slighted. With one or two exceptions the stand- 
ard of the work on the drawings that come from the 
English desi,gners are vastly superior to anything done 
here. There is little reason for this, and while drawings 
need not be complicated or loaded down with unneces- 
sary lettering or data, everything that does appear should 
bear witness to the efficiency and accurateness of the 
draughtsman. 
The singlehand yawl was designed for Mr. C. H. 
Smith, of Boston, and Mr. Alden has given much time 
to 'the working out and perfecting of the design. Mr. 
Smith wanted a boat that would be as comfortable as a 
little boat can be in rough water and one that would not 
pound in a chop. The body plan shows sections favored 
by Mr. A. Cary Smith. The boat has a flaring side 
and she is over a foot wider on deck than she is 
at the waterline at the point of greatest breadth: 
The under-body is not cut away much and her overhangs 
are sufficiently long to give her a shippy appearance and 
carry out the lines to good advantage. 
We would criticise two things in the construction, and 
while they are not of great moment they would add to 
the strength of the boat itself and the comfort of those 
on board. A deck beam carried athwartship at the after 
end of the cabin house would - stiffen the boat somewhat, 
and v^hile it would make access to the cabin a little more 
difficult it would also prevent any water from getting 
below should the cockpit fill. 
The floor of the cockpit should be made to drain to- 
Avard the after end. As shown in the drawing, the low- 
est point is at the forward end, and if the scupper were 
stopped up the water would soon get below. Then, 
again, anyone passing tq and from the cockpit to the 
cabin would have to step or stand in a puddle of water. 
By having the lowest point of the cockpit floor aft, 
what water gets into the boat would drain aft out of the 
way, and if the scuppers are open she frees herself much 
more readily. 
The cabin house is 9ft. 3in. long and 4ft. iiin. greatest 
width. In the forward end of the cabin house on either 
side are screw ports. The cabin is 6ft. loj^in. long and 
on each side there are wide transoms 6ft. 2in. long. There 
is I ft. Sin. floor room between the bunks. On each side 
at the after end are lockers. On the starboard side for- 
ward is a chest of drawers with a shelf on top. Oppo- 
site is the galley space, and there are shelves and lockers 
for stores, china and cooking utensils. 
There is 4ft. 4%m. head room under the carlins of the 
cabin house. Good stowage space is found beneath the 
cockpit and under the forward deck. 
The materials of which the boat is built are clearly 
shown on the construction plans. 
The rig has been carefully worked out and the boat 
can be made to balance under almost any combination 
of sail. 
The dim.ensio-ns are as follows ; 
Length — 
Over all 27ft. loin. 
L.W.L i8ft. 
Overhang — 
Forward 4ft. - yin. 
5ft. 3in. 
Breadth — 
Extreme 7ft. ipj^in. 
L.W.L. f r f r •: r r r ........... . 6^tf. join. 
Draft— 
To rabbet 2ft. yin. 
Extreme 4ft. 6in. 
Freeboard — 
Forward 2ft. 6in. 
Aft I ft. pin. 
Least I ft. yin. 
Sail area- — 
Jib ... 104 sq. ft. 
Mainsail 283 sq. ft. 
Mizzen 85 sq. ft. 
Total 472 sq. ft. 
Displacement S,Si6 lbs. 
Ballast (iron, all outside) 2,400 lbs. 
Ratio sail area to wetted surface *3-29 
Boston Letter. 
Progress on Schooners. — Two new 55-rating schoon- 
ers. are now in process of construction in the Lawley 
shops at South Boston. One of these is for Rear Com- 
modore Alfred Douglas, of the Boston Y. C., and was 
designed by Mr. P'red D. Lawley. Her construction is 
well advanced, the cabin joiner work being now under 
way, and it is expected that she will be hauled out of 
the shop some tim.e next month. She is a wholesome 
looking craft, with good cabin accommodations. 
The second boat under construction is for Vice-Com- 
modore H. A. Morss, of the Corinthian Y. C., of Marble- 
head, and was designed by Messrs. Tams, Lemoine & 
Crane. This schooner is 84ft. over all, 55 ft. 6in. water- 
line, lyft. pin. beam and loft. 5in. draft. Her sail plan 
is quite moderate. Although this boat is intended by 
her owner to be raced as often as circumstances will per- 
mit, nothing has been sacrificed in the cruising accom- 
modations, as the spirit of the new uniform rule might 
imply, she is well divided below decks, the interior 
finish being in mahogany. The owner’s quarters are 
reached by the main companionway, situated some dis- 
tance forward of the cockpit. The companionway ends 
in a passage on the port side of the boat, which leads 
aft to a double stateroom extending the full beam of 
the boat. There is a berth on each side, with transoms. 
The room contains a bureau, and a toilet room leads 
from the after end. Forward of this stateroom is an- 
other stateroom and a chart locker on the port side. 
On the starboard side is the owner’s stateroom, abaft 
which is a toilet room. The passageway leads forward 
to the main saloon, which takes in the full beam of the 
ship. Here there are generous transoms, plenty of shelf 
and locker room and there are two sideboards, one on 
each side. There is also a stove with mantle above. 
Forward of the main saloon is the galley, off of which is 
the captain’s stateroom. The galley contains all the 
modern inventions for comfortable cruising. There is 
also situated here an acetylene tank, by which the yacht 
will be lighted. There are accommodations for seven 
men forward. It is expected that a third 55-rater will be 
built for a Boston man, but nothing definite can be an- 
nounced at present. 
New Burgess & Pacicard Boats. — Messrs. Burgess & 
Packard have orders for a 22-rater for Mr. Charles Bur- 
gess, a 30ft. cruiser for Mr. C. J. Field, of Seattle, a 32ft. 
sloop for Cape Cod and a 21-footer whose owner’s name 
is withheld. They also have an order for a looft. pas- 
senger boat . for Southern waters^ the motive power for 
which will be two gasolene engines of loO hofSepowei: 
each. They also have orders for the following power 
boats ; A 35ft. cabin launch, with 25 horsepower engine, 
■for Mr. Vertress, of Nashville; '28ft. launch, with 10 
horsepower, for Mr. E. L. Rose; two twin-screw 80ft. 
power yachts, each to have 100 horsepower, and a 55ft. 
launch with 50 horsepower. 
New Skene Launch. — Mr. Norman L. Skene has an 
order for a 32ft. launch for Mr. R. H. Curry, of Melrose 
Highlands, Mass. This boat will be nloore.d at City 
Point. 
WifiOw III. Sold. — Mr. Herman W. Friend, of the 
Boston Y. C., has sold his auxiliary cruiser Widow HI. 
through the agency of Mr. Norman L. Skene to Mr. 
James B. Ely, of New York, who will use her at York, 
Me. WidoAv HI. is 36ft. over all, 24ft. waterline, and 
9ft. breadth. She is equipped ivith a Sagamore engine 
of 4 horsepower. 
New 42FT. Schooner.— Mr. Isaac B. Mills has an order 
for a 42ft. waterline schooner to be 56ft. over all and 
14ft. breadth, for a member of the Eastern Y. C. 
John B. Killeen. 
British Letter* 
The Decline of Yacht Racing.— Following on Mr. 
Burton’s letter on this subject, which appeared in the 
Field of Oct. 14, and which 1 cofflltlented off ill ttty last 
letter there has ^peared in the same paper one from 
Mr. Charles Mac Iver, a well-known Clyde yachtsman. 
Mr. Maclver indorses what Mr. Burton says, but goes 
even further and says that “The first backward step 
was taken many years ago, when we accepted the 
principle of pandering to inefficiency by making special 
concessions for inferiority of rig.” By this Mr. Mac- 
lver means, of course, the allowance made for schooners 
and yawls. , With all due deference to Mr. MacIver aS 
a practical yachtsman, I have ho hesitation in saying, 
that the vast majority of people will entirely differ from 
him. It is clearly in the interests of yachting, and' 
therefore the duty of the Yacht Racing Association and 
the yacht clubs to cater for the classes which exist, and 
if they followed the . advice of these two gentlemen, 
there would be little or no racing at all, excepting in 
the 52ft. class and some of the small classes. In their 
partiality for class racing these gentlemen appear to 
forget that something must become of the outclassed 
rater, and they also seem unaware that there are many 
yachtsmen who do not care to go through the Stren- 
uous work of class racing, which means oeing on the 
go all the season, and sailing several days in each week, 
although they like to have an occasional race. Then 
there is the question of expense. Many people who 
like to have a race when one comes their way cannot 
afford the large crew and heavy expenses necessary in 
class racing and are perforce obliged to indulge in 
cruiser matches. It is quite apparent that the Y. R. A. 
and the leading -yacht clubs should do all they possibly 
can to encourage class racing as being the highest form 
of the sport; but they can never hope to drive people 
into it, and they must proceed on common sense lines. 
SINGLE-HAND CRUISING YAWL-rr-SAIL PLAN— DES IGNED BY JOHN G, ALDEN FOR C, H. SMITH, 190g, 
