YACHTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 207, 2 September 1939, Page 17

YACHTING.

ULTRA MODERN.

30 SO. METRE RACERS.

being built here.

43FT. HULL, LESS SAIL THAN AN 18-FOOTER, AND MUCH

faster

'By SPEEDWELL.I

kl.ind yachtsmen move with the •imes, restrictions or no restriction?, as '""fits the home ot the largest pleasure H' "t smith of the Line. With the advanime Ot perfect harbour ,for raring n nd toe incomparable Hauraki Gulf for cruisil is onl >' natural that the sport should niti act new devotees each season and that ""' or ones should be on the look-out for unptovements to existing types of hull, sails or rigging. Last season the Tercel brothers built the hauler. which departed in many respects Horn orthodox practice. Some wiseacres JO«»k thru* heads and iJ she was too modern, too narrow, had too tall a mast and various other supposed faults. She proved that her builders knew what they ere doing, and after a few- mishaps went r»n to the scratch mark, ousting Ariki n-om tins honour, held t>v her for 20 vears. Ihe coming season will gee another modern type of keel yacht on the harbour. She is built to the specifications of the 30 square metre class which originated in Xoi way and Sweden three or four years h-'o and was introduced to British waters in the IAGB season, when 18 were built, which number has .been greatly exceeded v, the season just concluded. The boat* urn keelers and get their name from the amount of sail allowed. SO square metres or 3U3 square feet of sail In our system of measuring. There are a few other restrictions or methods of measurement, but on the whole the hulls are unrestricted. designers and builders being free to make the hull any length they like to carry Hir 32.T feet of sail .in the fastest possible hull. The result Is not so freaklxh a* mHy bo supposed, for the "pw restrictions on the hull are aimed at ensuring a certain amount of cabin accommodation, a reasonable minimum beam and draught anri a solid built-up keel in distinction to the kep.l or iron plate of a bulb-fin boat. The midship section kliows quite a wholesome beam and displacement, rile only extreme In the design to most yachtsmen's views being her very long and narro.v ( verhangs. fore and aft. th« height of her mast and the fact that her boom is only 11* ftrt and Is lfi feet In fr>m the end of the counter, while the forest a y Is set up over five feet in from the stem.

These nre tlie lending features of a 30 square metre yacht which Messrs. .f. and I, Harvey nre building nt their home at Herno Bay and viewed by 'Speedwell" thin week at l.hf! owner*' invlatlon. Messrs. Hnrvpy first mentioned their ne.w craft nt the instruction elasse* hcJil t>y the commodore of the Tamaki Yacht Club last month.

The new* bonf 1s 43ft f.in overall. 28ft Tin oh the waferline, 7ft 2ln beam, draught 4ft llln, displacement 2.8 tons: sail area. • >-'•1 square feet In mainsail (about 223 ft) and Jib (about 100 ft). She will also carry a big fienoa jib. sheeting art at the end of the boom, and have a "gadget" on lier backstays whloii makes if almost automatic in its action. The main boom is only 12ft l»ng.

Other feature* which help to make this boat the most modern one in Auckland nre n hollow mast 41ft above the Beck, with a rake aft. of the pnrpcndlciilar of 4ft •lin : the halliards for mainsail. JU> nnd spinnaker will be lltttde the mftt nnd set up by a small wlnish at the deck or fitted to the mast Itself.

The yacht Is being built bottom-up and is has made the work much easier. She will have a flush deck extending from right forward to the . cockpit. This will have n good round or crown, thus giving fairly good headroom, about 4ft Kin, below deck*, where cabin accommodation for a crew of six will be fitted in the usual style with bunks, tabic, etc.

The hull, which In strongly planned. Is built on the diagonal principle, with nn inner diagonal planking of Sin and an outer fore and aft planking of Jin. with a special bitumenlsed felt bewteen the two skins.

Her owners and crew liave made a firstclass .job and are imhund with the idea of setting the pace next season and possibly starting others to build similar craft, which "Speedwell" predlct9 will be built when the sailing qualities, cane of handling and other features Iwvome known.

The most outstanding feature of the new yacht will he her tall mast, with itd high, narrow mainsail of 223 ft. much less than an 18-footer, but it will he balanced in a way by her big balloon or parachute mpinnaker and Oonoa Jib, more than doubling the arc« of her working sails.

"Speedwell" ventures to say that she will prove to be very fast, both on and off the wind, an length always gives speed, and with an overall of 43ft she will he actually as long as the Rainbow. but her ends are very fine, the tuck being about 2ft «sin wide. Her rigging will be strong and carefully planned, yet quite neat and with a permanent backstay from the top of the mast to the e.id of tho counter. She will have 1.43 tons of lent! in her keel and her displacement is 2.8 tons.

The class bag been tried out In British and Norwegian waters In nil weather and has proved to he fast and seaworthy. While f he c!a«s Is smaller than a six-metre, yet. they have frequently beateri the sixes In when started over the same courso 10 minutes after them.

The illustration shows on* of the 30 square metre yachts of similar dimensions, sail area nnrl rig to the new boat, racing on the Solent, Islo of Wight. She I* from Mr. t;ffn Fox's design. Truly, she Is ultramodern.