The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-21

YACHTING II
CENTREB0ARDS VS.. KEELS.
The Advantages Of q Centreboard
Boat as a Sea Boat.
THE CENTREB0ARD THE SAFEST BOAT.
" f''S--.
s~rnrxA
Opinions Of Messrs Van Deusen and Fish, the
Well-Known MOdellers. ..ss
THE cEN1REBOARD THE SAFEST BOAT.
THE Two-BoARD PRINCIPLE


SacAt"
''What are you going to risk voyage across the
Atlantic In centreboard boat after having read
Ill that has been written about their weakness In
frame and unrelablllty in sea wayf'
Certainly am, az, in my belief, centreboard
boat is superior in every respect to the keel boat
and reading the egotistical twaddle Of writer
whose chief talent appears to lie in personal abuse
viii hardly change my Impressions"
The above conversation took place few morn
ings since in well-known restaurant on the cor
ner OF Beaver and William streets, and 1t struck
the writer at the moment how strange 1t is that in
many cases such length Of time is allowed to
elapse before useful inventions are brought into
thorough practical use. II one takes RETROSPECT
tive view Of the history Of shpbuding 1t is curl
Gus to note the tenacity with which naval archi-
tects cling to old ideas rather than adopt the new
Inventions that science had developed IN the age
which they nourshed. This objection to innova-
lions OF any kind, however Is not confined to ship
building alone. and there are many alive to this
day who can remember with what stern resistance
many people set their faces against the introduc-
ten Of
and for years after the cars were running many
would prefer stage ride, involving extra waste
of ten fifteen hours to riskng their lives behind
ally moothed over these fears, and by and by
people became accustomed to steam cars, and won
dered they had not instantly perceived the ad-
vantages of such an invention. II is only about ten
or twelve years since, when George Francis Train
attempted to introduce horse cars or tramways in
London, that the residents OF that time honored
city hOwled with virtuous Indignation, but yet
science and economy have outlived prejudice, and
the cars are now running on the principal thor.
oughfares leading to the suburbs.
When steam was first applied to vessels the
idea was laughed at, and for many years people
crossing the Atlantic would prefer the forty or
nifty days in sailing vessel to twelve or fourteen
under steam. Even scientific men, vtde DR..
Lardner, attempted to demonstrate that the navi-
cation OF the Atlantic by steam power alone was
fmpracticable. After some thirty years Of paddle
the screw propeller. The invention proved per-
feet success in every respect, but when submitted
to recognize the peculiar applicability of that
means OF propulsion for vessels Of war, and seven
years elapsed before the construction OF the Rat
tier, the first English manof-war propelled by
means OF screw. Again, screw steamers were not
at all fancied by passengers and for many years
sels and scientific men stated that they Would roll
over In q sea way. Time, however, has outlived
these pre!udices. and steamboat companies have
discovered tnat the screw retains Its efficacy as a
prOpeing agent under q greater variety Of sea.
weather and trim than the paddles and that It also
greater display Of seamanship In the navigation of
the vessel In the present day
' PADDLE
steamers have been completely superseded as sea-
going vessels, and In the large deet of steamers
plying between New York and Liverpool q paddle
Every invention that has been brought forward
a. an Improvement upon old manners and customs
has always been made the butt OF numerous at
tacks from all the old ogies OF the day, who can.
not be brought to understand that we live In an
age of progression and that the ideas inculcated in
Hlantr hnuh md nra hnh rAf hA . ho1 hAAv
work Of years to introduce machinery into the
manufacture Of cotton, silk and other staple pro-
means OF lessening the labor Of man by machine
work has been met with numberless obstacles.
THE CENTREBoARQ
is not on invention OF few years. FOR there Is every
reason to believe that 1t has been In application
for the past fifty or sixty years. There are men
the country fifty years ago. The first idea OF
centreb0ard appears to have emanated with the
leeboard, that Is still used by some OF the nat-bot-
toned scOws In river navigation. The leeboard is
really two boards one on each side OF the vessel
fastened by pivot, and which could be raised or
from the fact that when sailing the wind the lee
beard was the one lowered. Some genius, however,
came to the conclusion that II was useless carrying
two boards when one would su1ice and therefore
put in trunk and dropped his board through the
centre. The inventor, finding that his system
worked advantageously, CHI ristened the work of his
brain centreb0ard, so as to distinguish 1t from
the ordinary leebOard. 1t appears to have found
immense favor in the coasting trade, so much so
schooners under 600 tons engaged In that branch
of business are centreboard vessels. On the West
board schooners Now It appears strange tbat IN
the face OF the adoption Of the centreboard by
threefourths Of the
& c0AsTrNG sCHo0NERs,
that the cry should be raised that centreboard
boats are not fit for rough weather. The best and
arrived at by referring to the list Of wrecks and
losses in the cOasting trade, and 1t will there he
found that OF the vessels lost the percentage is far
konI rnvtrn hAnr
appears to be mistaken impression that If vessel
is fitted with q centreb0ard she must be of fiat,
M nope ana th,s ,nerel0ae unn. ,or seagolng pnr
centreboard can be just as appropriately applied to
the model OF sharp and fine lines. The principal
objection that appears to be raised against centre
board boats Is the weakness accustomed by the cut
ting Of the
FLOOR TIMERS
for some length midships for the centreboard case,
but this defect and is to great extent avoided
by strengthening the tmbers at the weak points.
A centrebOard boat has many advantages over the
keelb0at especially for those In the coastng trade.
II Is undenable fact that Of two boats Of similar
model one Keel boat and the other centreboard,
and 1t only appears natural when one comes ~
think that the centreboard would have her board
telling In solid water some eight feet lower than
her antagonist. Again, sailing before the wind the
centreboard boat with board up has less resistance
70 the water than the boat dragging heavy Keel
and consequently obtains a greater speed. Ina
GALE OF WIND,
II appears obvious that the centreboard boat Of
proper COnStfuctiOnS WOuu De the most easily
handled and weather the storm In the most CON-
fort. II the wind was Off shore they could haul up
their board and DRIFT away to leeward with hardly
awet deck, while a keel boat would he pcrpetually
edging up In the wind and receiving the full force
OF the sea, breaking over her fore and aft Again,
II the centreb0ard boat was lee shore, she
wonld have the advantage OF keel boat, as with
p0ard down she would be drawing some twenty
Jeet OF water, and with the last eight feet Of her
poaru III SOHO, unbroken water, where every inch
would tell, could hold her own or beat of, as the
case might be.
The centreboard is especially adapted for
YACHTING,
on account OF the safety economy, convenience and
speed that are gained by Its application. II we
come to review the yachting OF the past few sea
sons II s noticeable that there is hardly one OF the
large keel boats that have not lost their keels or
met with some similar accident. Now many OF the
centreboard yachts have lost their boards but that
In merely trivial accident, occasions no damage
to the boat, and new board Is put In at COM