New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-26
PLANS FOR THE THISTLE.
THE SCOTCH RIVAL FOR THE MAYFLowER.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HER MODEL AND THAT OF
HER PREDECESSORS
tBr rELEoRAPI TO THE TRIBUNE

the first description yet made public of the Scotch
Thistle" the craft designed to compete next
summer with the New-York Yacht Club for the Ameri-
cas- Cup The correspondent says: am at one with
you as to the Maydowers greatness. The more level
headed of the yachtsmen tbs eide, too fully
cognizant Of how difficult task the beating of you
will be. Without bouncing we going to send
you the best the Clyde possibly do this time"
The plans forwarded bear the imprint of &c. L.
Watson d Co., naval architects and surveyors,
Glasgow and dated November 30, 1885 In
the light of the fact that the Thistle is to be Of the
same length as the Puritan it is moro than probable
that the Puritan, Mayaower and the other great soops
OF last year and the year before. will be among the
contestants for the Americas Cup in 1887. The
sloop which Mr. Burgess is to design for Mr. Isen of
New-York, will probably tc the length of the
Puritan as possible. To the question, Mr. Burgess
improve on the Puritan with vessel of the Puritans
lengthi Ii may be answered tha. there is always
ething new learned, and the Boston designer has
been an earnest aud careful student. He said last
spring that the MayAo would be an Improvement
on the Puritan and she proved and last fall he
confident that he could design yacht to beat the
Mayfower. Mr.. Iselin has not yet decided what he
shall call his slooo, but when she meets the May
dower. Puritan Shamrock, Thistle and Genesta, in
one OF the many great open next season, public
interest Will doubt he greater than in any CT the
contests TINS far sailed Unlike the Mayfower
Puritan the Thistle will be built of steel plates is
| the Gaatea. She will be the length at the
water line the sloop Puritan. hut will be two feet
longer on deck. Her overhang will be fifteen feet.
On the working plans the Thistle measures 95 feet
over ALL so feet water line; beam at water line, 10
feet 10 inches. and on deck 16 tect She flares ont
from the water line to tho deck only one inch each
side. Her top sides have no iullncss between the
and tho In a1.a ai,ht
She will be covered with steel plate from keel TO
deck From just below the bilge to the covering
board her plates will be 416 to 1872 OF inch thick,
the sheer strake and in the wake OF the cham
nels cham plates and bowsprt shroud plates, where
the plate will be s. Is of inch thick. Ihe plating
the topsdes. from the turn of the blge to the
deck will be jump iointed. flush seamed with
strips and butt straps the inside. The rest OF the
plating will be put in the way the ordinary
IRON or steel vessels with outside and inside steel
srakcs, tapping seams at the turn OF the bige the
plating will be l6 to GIG OF an inch thick. The
first srake above the cardboard is to he o. 10 81 OF
inch thick Tue form Of the keep Is circle and here
the plating is 3, to L. inch thick. In the bottom oi
the cutter there attached to the main frame steel
transverse plate 25x5-l6 inches. corresponding to
the inside shape of the keel. Four teet above the
bottom of the keel is another transverse plate which
is rveted and main frames. These trans
plates attached TO all the main frames. and
the spaces between them Will be hllrd with the lead
ballast TINS will allow the ballast to be slowed at
the lowe possible point Her mdship section has a
dead rise of about 90 and her b9e ID higher than
either the Galateas or the Genesta's. The Thistle
will have great amount OF treeboard. the least
height beins 8 or 6 ieet Just abat the midship
section. When she heels her stability must increase,
account of her excessive freeboard and she viii
have great power at extreme angle OF heeng.
Below the water i,ne, Just alter leaving the blge,
she has gentle hollow TO the bottom OF the Keel.
Tue coeicient of fneness OF The immersed portion OF
the mdshp section OF the Thistle 90 and the area
ol tho immersed portion OF the midshp section Is
about 100 SQUARE feet. When hcelef at angle OF
3Oo her decks will hardly touch the water. She has
a crown flush deck aud the distance from the top OF
the deck amidHhips the bottom OF the keel is 1913
feet a distance OF five feet up from the lower edge
OF the keel, she feet WIDE ut 10 feet above the
same point. she il IL. : feet wde One can readily
see hat the form of the cutters bottom from the
keel the turn of the bige Is almost straight The
height of the deck above the load ne at the stem is
ieet amdshps, it 5.6 feet; and at the stem 6.8
feet Her stern appears TO be tribe heavier than
tle.ordinary cutter. The Thstles counter runs in
gentle curve and strikes the back OF the stern post
six inches above the load line the stem post has
rake of 80 feet Ii feet. 1t is to be made of iron
5le by lis inches. The stem will also be made OF
iron by ! 3s inches. The rudder stock is to be gig
inches in diameter and the face OF the rudder at the
widest pant is ieet iron the bottom OF the keel TO
the load lne At the stern post the Thistle ls four
teen feet deep four fet aDaft the stem. The bottom
of the keel is five feet below the water ne twenty
feet abai the stem she is ten feet deep, and from this
point to the stem post she has q drag of four feet
She has good Hooking sheer, the lowest part being
lust abat the midshlp section. lt bas gentle curve
forward and in the after body has little more cheer
to be made of 81 in III cedar. The stanchons are OF
teak and will measure pa by zig inches covering
board also OF teak and will be IL by "a inches
The top OF the rail is fifteen incles above the deck
forward and twelve inches aft Her fore foot is cut
away that there is little body of the cutter under
water forward The frames are made OF angle steel
by 2l2 by a inches and tDey extend from deck to
deck in continuous length. There is n reverse
angle steel bar on every frame. On every fourth
saloon deck. On all other frames they extend don to
the upper plate in the bottom OF the cutter
and rveted TO this plate aud the wells OF the
opposite frame The deck panking 10 pine zig by zig
inches The saloon deck frames are angle steel by
2l2 by IA inches. The wooden planking OF this deck
is l2 by 1l2 inches white pine On the main deck
there are tie diagonal and strngcr steel plates 10 by
Al inches running the entire length OF the vessel
There two steel angle stringers by zig inches
also extending the entire length oil the yacht. Inc
upper is worked about hall way between the main
and saloon decks ami is secured by rvets 10 the
frames. The lower one is two feet below the
saloon deck and is also secured TO the reverse ramea
TN every fourth frame there is diagonal iron brace
eleven inches round, which II r'vered to the saloon
deck beam and the reverse frames. There are three
steel bulkheads, in the eyes OF the cutter, the
secUnd at the after end o the orecase and the third
at the head .
The difference between the extreme beam of the
Mayhow-r and the Thistle is feet 6l2 inches, ami the
former draws four feet less water Ibc Pnritans
beam measures u feet inches more than the ihsue
and the Puritan draws feet inches less water
The Thistle has about the same wetted surface as The
Maytower and little more than the rurluin. lhe
principal changes in the Thistle over the Gaatea aud
Genrsta are ine increase Vi pcd" ahu "0l'n oi
her shorter length and the greater height of her bge
The half-breadth plain showing the water lines has
been gwen out. consequently no idea Ian be given
to the iulness slackness OF the histe lines
Judging from the former type OF Watsons boats It IS
safe to predict that the Scotch cutter VIII have
medium full, easy lines with but little hollow In the
bows. Her Increase in beam and depth means
increase of sail area that when she starts
next year her racing length will be about that
OF the Gcnesta-S3.05 feet, IL VIII De remembered
that the Gen,sta, though longer on the water line
than the Puritan. gained time allowance on the latter
account OF the Puritsns sail area being smaller
Comparing the Thistle with the new sloop that Edward
Burgess has just designed for oliver Isen OF NewIork
1t appears that the Clyde craft Is aD9ue h
eleven feet longer the water line wtn ,
about four less and five feet less drangh Ihis
being the case IL is hardly probable una. nn,a9 tn9
the Mayfower or Puritan in the trial races