The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-12
THE NEW CUP DEFENDER.
APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS NO
LONGER SECRET.
No

of the Fin Keel Type-Her BODY
More Rounded, and She should he
Faster 10y the Wind Than Defen-
der.
From the New York Times.
1t is six months yet to the time set for
the races for the Americas cup Two
yachts are being constructed for these
contests-the Shamrock in England, and
the other, not yet named, at the Herre-
schoff works at Bristol, r. 1. The Sham
rock is the challenger and is sure TO be
one of the contestants unless some I'M
foreseen accident happens. The other has
first of all to meet the successful defender
of the cup in the last races and il she Is
fast enough to beat the champion of 1895
she will meet the British yacht In this
years races. The races between the new
yacht and the Defender and later ON the
races for the cup win make the coming
yachting season one of the most brilliant
in the history of the sport.
Soon after the challenge of Sir Thomas
Upton, through the Royal Cork Yacht
Club, had been accepted, and the details
of the races agreed upon, Commodore ].
Pierpont Morgan offered to build the
yacht to defend the cup and he request
ed c. Oliver Iselin, who was the manag-
ing owner oe the Vigilant in $685. and
the Defender in 1895, to assume charge
of the new yacht N. c. Herreschoff, who
designed these two successful yachts, was
asked TO prepare designs for the new
boat The plans were drawn, and several
of the most expert yachtsmen In the coun-
try inspected them. For several weeks
they were fully discussed and some
changes were suggested. Then when It
was thought that the new yacht, as de
signed, would be a success, MIR. Here
schoff was told TO go ahead and build 1t.
The plans were kept secret. not an mixing
of the new features TO be introduced into
the vessel being made public. Nothing
also was said about the material that
was to be used in the construction of the
new yacht. All this secrecy was just
If 1t had been when there have been chal-
lenges for the cup before, and the plans
and details were carefully guarded In or
der that the British yachtsmen should not
have any idea of what they were going
to meet. and TO let the American yachts
men have the benefit of any good points
that they might have figured out.
Work on the new yacht was begun at
Bristol, and as the vessel grew in shape
1t was screened from the gaze of the pub
lie. 1t has only been by putting one thing
with another that any idea of the new
yacht has been had Mr.. Iselin was told
a little about the new boat, but naturally
he has declined to give any full details.
The new boat has now assumed such
proportions that 1t Is impossible to keep
the general design secret any longer The
exact dimensions Of the boat are known
only 90 those interested.
Dimensions of the Yacht.
Approximately the dimensions of the
new yacht are: Length over all, 1871 feet
length on the water line. SO feet inches;
extreme beam of about "a feet, and draught
just under 20 feet Compared with the De-
fender, the new boat is about feet long
er over all, a foot longer on the water liue
has inches more beam and about a. foot
more draught. The new boats keel plate,
stem and stern post are of cast bronze
The frame and deck beams are of nickel
steel, and the plating is of Tobin bronze.
The plating above the water line is mucn
thinner than that below the water The
Defenders beams were of aluminium. The
plating below the water line was of man.
ganese bronze, and above the water line
aluminium.
The new boat is OF the I'm keel type. and
In naturally an Improvement on the De-
fender. She is even more of a fin than the
old boat. Hereschoff has placed the lead
lower, giving the body a more rounded
and easier form, and by shortening the
lead keel should have a boat quicker in
stays than the Defender although she
was very fast in whrling around.
The lead keel of the new boat weighs
So tons. 1t is heavier and of a differen,
shape from Defenders The Defenders
keel was rockered while that of the new
boat is fiat on the bottom. This keel IL
81 rect on top, or four feet shorter than
Defenders. The rake of the stern post
is the same on each boat about AZ de-
grees AT its heel this keel is feet. and
at the forward end IL is feet inches
deep. At Is widest part on top the keel
is 20 inches wide, it tapers off gradualiv
to about inches at the stern and is round
ed forward On the bottom the keel ia
thirty-four inches at it's widest part The
Defenders keel was more Dubbed than that
OF the new boat, and its greatest thick
ness was not so low down. From tho
lead keel the stem Of the new boat tal,as
an easy curve outward and then riseg
almost straight to the water line. uttIe
above the water line II takes another easy
curve TO meet the deck line This sten,
Is very similar to that of the 3O-footers
which were buiIt>by Herreschoff
should BE Fast by the Wind.
The sheer OF the new boat shows a foro-
foot much more cut away than the ne
tenders. The midship section SHOVE
sharper hollow at the turn from the Keel
into the body of the boat, a flatter foor
ana rounder side, with more beam. These
changes make the new boat more powerful
than the OLD one and one more easy 10
drive Fife, according to reports. IS irving
to build boat fast by the wind The new
American boat should also be faster than
any yet built on this point of sailing. The
records of the cup races show that there Is
more reaching in the races than sailing 10
windward or running, and II was with tbia
idea prominent in the minds of Mn. Tseun
and Mr. Herreshoff that the new boat has
been constructed.
The new boat is constructed on the sar,o
general plan as the Defender. She has
lighter plating and the SKIES of the frar,e. |