New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-16
POINTS on THE NEW DEFENDER.
TO HAVE A SHORTER KEEL PLATE AND i
BROADER BULB OF LEAD THAN
THE OLD BOAT.

Bristol r. l., Jan Is (SpeciaD The patterns for
the keel plate OF the yacht being built TO defend the
Americas Cup. which have now been shipped 70
company that handles bronze almost exclusively
tell a great deal about the new boat. The susgee-
ton comes through the fact that IN design. though
not in length. the keel plate IL almost exactly the
same as in the case OF the Defender. Its width Is
20 inches the same TO n hairs-breadth as In the
older boat and the length Of the keel plate VIII be
between twenty Eight and thirty feet SIX or seven
feet shorter than in the Defender.
In reading Of this keel plate many people nave
made the mistake OF supposing that II refers 10
large metal plate be cast for the fin. and from
this have got the idea that the new craft Is TO b
a hn-kee yacht. The opposite is the case. and the
pattern OF the present keel plate vouches for the
fact that the boat will not be a 'hn-keel,' but
will be similar in construction 10 the racer or 1880
This valuable gain to the general information on
the subject has become possible because the exact
construction OF the Defender IL now well known.
and she had the same keel plate. The steel frames
OF the Defender led down TO the same bronze cast
Ing made four inches deep by twenty Inches VICE.
which was cast in sections and Joined together at
the overlapping hanges. The keel OF the OLD boat
was therefore not less than twenty Inches wide At
is narrowest thickness. and the great puio OF
eighty tons OF lead came underneath and was at
,ached TO the hull by numerous long lag screws OF
bronze
The general contour OF tho DEFENDERS keei
somewhat pear-shaped narrowing in from the
bilges TO width OF slightly more than twenty
inches and swelling out again In the lead bulb to
width OF not less than thrty-six inches Ana Just
here comes a most important item-that the iead
hulb OF the new boat will be wider than In the
Defender and Will consequently offer greater re-
sstance TO passage through the water Inc 'ens'n
OF the new keel plate shows that the lead oaiiass
"a 70 be put more nearly In one spot In fact u
stated by one who has seen the ballast mouio tnnt
IL will result In shaping out lead ouo or nea.lI
four feet wide. This Is eye measurement ios ~
outsider has opportunities OF working MS tape"ns
on the Herreshoffs patterns J.. ,or. than
Tho loss here made Is intended 10 be more tnan
counterbalanced by the gain made In quickness on
move:oent both In stays and otherwise, wnich wy
hoat ia expected to gain by the cutting away Io.
ward II has been thought by some Boston eApeIu
,hat The short ening OF the keel plate necessaar
means reduction OF the ballast ana y mas u.es
said mat not more than sixty tons OF ieau VIZ
nou, no used but the increased width OF tne mouo
in,o which the lead Is about 10 De run 'noIcaSseS
,hat Tho Intention Is to give the new poat Wisna
ton TONS OF the same weight In her puio Us '''
Defender has. ,,,.,,o, h~csuss
There will certainly be some reduction, oecsus ,
uarrcshoff SAID In his evidence before tne ~. ~.
Vork Yacht Club Investigation Ccmmlttee ina. ~,
Defender was too stiff and ttat ne wGud ana ~
have taken ballast out OF her, II aole in..~ ~
nuttna IL in as charged by the compia''a"''