The Portland daily press., 1894-08-08
A MINIATURE VIGILANT.
Is Now Being Built ON MunjOy
Hill.
BY Two Young Portland Men-One of Them
Is a Future Burgess or Herreshoff-
Description of the Boat.

Description of the Boat
There is spectacle on Howard street. on
Munjoy Hill, that would interest anybody,
and would fill the soul of the yachtman with
enthusiasm. In the shed of the house of
Henry W. Lindsay, is the hull of a boat,
nearly finished.
1t is a sailing boat, a cutter, and in model
is very similar to the hull of the Vigilant,
for although the latter has centreboard
she is nevertheless shaped like cutter.
This boat completely fills the shed on
Munjoy Hill, her long narrow bow extend
ing almost through the kitchen door and
the high stern reaching to the other end of
the shed.
The dimensions of this hull are as follows:
Length. "A feet six inches; at the water
line Is feet; length of keel 8 feet. She is
SIX feet wide on deck and five and one-half
at the water line.
1t will be noticed that the length of the
keel is only one-half the length of the hull
at the water line, and only one-third the
length of the deck
Out in the yard is great block of cast
iron that weighs 1926 pounds, almo st a ton.
1t is eight feet long and about eight inches
VIDE on top in the middle, and foot high.
1t Is cigar shaped and, though fiat on top,
sWeils out below so that it is about foot in
diameter in the middle. 1t is what is known
as Hbulb'' keel, and is the result of the
past two years of yacht designing. The OBJ
Ject OF its shape is to get the weight of the
keel as low as possible, the thickest part of
it being below the top.
There are "bulb'' keels on the Vigilant,
the Britannia, the Satanita and Colonla.
This boat that is being built on Munjoy
Hill is almost exaDtly similar to the above
great racers, except that it is deeper in
proportion to its dimensions. When the
bulb keel has been fastened to the boat
it will draw four. and one-halt feet.
a.She will carry one hundred yards of sail,
besides her spinnaker.
The builder of this boat is quite as inter-
esting as the boat itself. He is the son of
the owner of the house, and his name is
John E. Lindsay. Though only rs years of
age, he is old in mechanical ability and
boat building and sailing experience. The
latter is passion with him, and as much a
part of his nature is the DEVELOPMENT of
| any genius in any man. His mother says
that when mere baby. he used to sail pea.
pods in basin.
rowing skif which he still possesses.
| He has built five other row boats and re.
| modelled several sail boats, but this is the
| first sail boat that he has attempted to build
| entirely. He has always exhibited unusua
| mechanical ability and early learned the
trade of machinist. Though so syoung he
| has worked at his trade in Buffalo, Troy
! New York and Newport News. Previous t,
L., h r. L. i
| ing at the mechanical school in this city
and while in New York took lessons in boa
designing and building of prominent boa1
| designer there.
| A year ago he was first assistant engineer
on the Manhattan and made use of hii
| frequent trips to New York to inspect al
| the yachts there and whittle models O.
| their hulls. Heshas taken advantage of thu
opportunity 10 acquaint himself with the
every progress in modern yacht building
and the methods employed. He has all the
| history of the great yachts ard their de
| sgners at his tongues end, and thinks ant
| talks of little else.
| Of course he has sailed boats all his life
and is an expert. He is especially enthusias
| tic in regard to the cutter model, believing
| that the deep hull boats are the only righ1
kind to sail safely in heavy wind.
| The boat that he is now building simply
| cannot capsize, despite her great spread o.
| canvas. She will easily sail with her mas1
at an angle of forty degrees.
He began to build this boat on Memorial
day and worked on her since, largely in the
| evening, in conjunction with Mr.. Edward
| Bar bour, friend of his. who is associated
| with him in the enterprise.
These two young men will have to work al
| odd moments till at least September before
| their boat is finished. She is the first one OF
| the kind to be built In this city, and thus
| far the workmanship is to all appearance o.
| the first class order.
| The lines of her oddly shaped hull are
| beautiful and symmetrical.
| She will be an expensive boat. The grea1
| iron keel alone, cost $40. 1t was cast by thu
| Portland company from model designed
| by Mr. Lindsay.
| Young Mr.. Lindsay comes honestly by hi
mechanical ability and yachting proclivitiel
| His father is an engineer, and his uncle
| for whom he is named, is in the employ O.
| Herreshoff at Bristol, r. land is the grea
| designer s..sailing master and has charge O
| all of his yachts. He also is a Portland MAI
| and lives on Howard street when he is a
home. He was here recently and Will,
looking at his nephew's yacht remarked
that he had seen Arab boats of the same
shaped hull, and that that kind of sailing
| boats is in common use among the Arabs.
| Though so similar to the Vigilant, Mr.
Lindsay's yacht will not have any centre
board, its greater depth being quite
| sufficient to withstand the strongest wind.
| Undoubtedly this boat when finished will
| be the only up-to-date yacht in this vicinity