NEW FANGLED YACHTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 248, 19 October 1893, Page 5

NEW FANGLED YACHTS.

Lines of Some of The New Fin Keelers,

Vast Improvemknts Made in Construction. .

The yachting season of 1893, says the " San Francisco Chronicle," is holding out most glittering promises of glorious sporb to come. Never in tie history of yachting has the prospecb been so brilliant. Last season was unquestionably one of experiment, and tho. dogma which had hitherto governed marine architecture was departed from. Small boats were built with lines everywhere presenting a convex surface instead of the concave entrance and run which characterised tho masterpieces of Burgees. These small sailboats were found to be not only Btable but fast. Then the Hereshotls made another departure, the fin keel. This fin keel is practically a deep centreboard, which cannot bo raised, of course. Tho fin consists of tons of lead, tho whole ballaub carried by the boat. It will readily be seen thab this device places tho centre of gravity far below the centre of buoyancy and renders the craft stable and able to carry a large sail plan with small displacement. Those features, combinod with other improvements made in minor details, were embodied in the yachts which were built to defend the America's cup. Tho proceedings of those who were completing theae cup defenders were carried on under the soal of such profound eecrecy that litblo was absolutely kuowu of their models beyond general dimensions, notwithstanding that nearly all of them had their trial trips, which from time to time wore pescribod. The American yachtsmen are confidonb of success in the great international contest. They reason by analogy. Their confidence is based upon the results of previous similar contests. Did nob the American boats Mayflower, Puritan and Volunteer successively beat the Genosta, Galatea and Thistle 1 Surely the new American yacht, whichever may prove fastest, will be better than the Valkyrie. Tho eyes of all yachtsmon are turned toward tho Dunraven yacht. She will barely be the besb thab British gold and workmanship can produce. Ib was a wonderfully clever ecbeme ou the part of Royal Phelps Carroll, or whoover conceived it, to build the Navahoe—a boat similar to the cup defenders—and to send her on a mug-hunting expedition in European waters. Ib will be impossible for the Valkyrie to avoid meeting the Navaboo, as Royal Phelps Carroll intends to sail his boat for every trophy to which she is eligible. The Navahoe will doubtless return before the greab race to have a try with fcha cup defender. Thus the qualities of Dunraven's craft will be indirectly compared with those of our boat. There is, perhaps, no sporb thab touches up national pride as does yachting, and tho prospecb of international competition baa had a wonderfully stimulating effect. Nothing so clearly demonstrates thai) rapid and long strides have been' taken in the improvement of the lines and construction of racing yachts as the fact thnb the Puritan, Mayflower, Volunteer and numerous other boats which were wonders but a few years ago are slow in comparison with tho fleets of racers now afloat on the Atlantic. Tho boat of two years ago has no future save thab of a cruiser. The lines of yachts show the tendency on both sides cf the great pond toward long overhangs, both ab bow and stern. English yachb builders were very quick to imitate tho original idea brought out by tho Herreshoffs !asfcyear. Many recent English boats are to close imitations of the Gloriana and Wasp thab it may be said that they woro designed in America. It is true thab where English designers have given the Americana Diie valuable idea, tho Americans bavo ({iven them a hundred. Without giving the matter much thought, the proviso that the challenger for the America's Cup muab cross tho ocean on her own bottom is a meritorious one, as ib necessitates that sho be built on seaworthy lines, but it may nob be altogether fair. The cup defender need bo only strong enough to stand the strain of' her one eflorb. She may be ' gutted,' if one may use the expression, and a great) deal of weighb in decking timbers and sheathing dispensed with, and a corresponding amount of weighb be added to her fin, which will increase her capacity for carrying sail. Heretofore all the cup defenders have been able, soaworthy, staunch boats. It is to be hoped thab the Committee will select a boab this year thab will more than match the Valkyrie in all 3orts of weather. One of those thunder- • iitorma which *,re so frequent along the Adlan tic coast d;' ;ng the late summer months, happening on .ho day of the race, accompanied by high wind, as they invariably are, might make things very uncomfortable aboard the Pilgrim or the ' Paine boat' if they are not being constructed with an eya to strength. No one seems to be able to make any greab improvemenb in sails. The problem involved is a very simple one, compared with, the complex conditions surrounding tho passage of a solid body through a fluid. Masts and spars are now being made hollow on the principle that a tube is stronger than a solid stick of the same weighb. Theea tubes are mado both by boring out sticks of timber and by gluing together strips of ! veneer wound around v mold. Only small spars have been made the latter way, bub wonderfully strong, stiff and light Rticks hare been the result.