The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-05-02
Work On The Defender itT tlt
Race Of This Year.
she HAS NEW FEATURES
Busy Days at the Hsrrsshou Snip
varas-1hs Lines Mast.
The Shamrock.

NEW YORK-These are busy days
In the Herreshoff shipyards at Bristol,
X. l., for a new cup defender is being
built.
Ii is almost as hard to get inside the
yards as II is to see the Car of Russia.
Guards are everywhere: at the gate
stand several: at different parts Of the
yards are several more, and an army
guards the portals of the shop where
Morsans new racing yacht is being
built.
But in spite Of all this, people get in
and bring out the information they
wish. And as 1t happens. this is the
information wanted by the public.
When the prospects for an interna-
tiOnal yacht race for the Americas cup
became u fact. and the probability OF
building a new craft TO represent the
New York Yacht Club formed the prin-
cipai topic OF conversation among
yachtsmen, Designer Nat Herreshon
commissioned to build the new boat, he
was prepared TO guarantee an increase
Of speed over the DEFENDER OF 1899 OF
six minutes over thirty-mie course.
From reliable data that have been re-
ceiyed IRON yacntsmen VINO have kept
\ ia close touch with G. Oliver lselin and
h.f Al q
yard where the new yacht is being
built 1t can be stated that when the
big cup defender is tuned up TO concert
pitch she VIII make good the prophecy
OF the noted designer.
Nearly three months ago we'll
known naval architect SAID that he
thought Herreshon would probably
take the lines OF the Defender as a
basis upon which To work, and that an
increase OF speed could be evolved from
her model by the simple process OF
lowering and augmanting the amount
OF lead IN her keel, thereby increasing
the draughL OF the vessel and giving
her a greater amount of stability. This
improvement alone would give great
sail-carrying capacity, and 1t will be re-
membered that 1t was by such improve
ments that greater speed was obtained
in the Defender when compared to the
Vigilant and Colonia.
Trustworthy information has been
CLEANED that Herreshoff has worked
mainly on these lines, as comparison
with the principal dimensions of the
Defender will show:
The overall length Of the new boat
will be 131 feet 4 inches, or feet in
ches longer than the champion OF 1895
She will also have eleven and a half
inches more beam, one foot greater
draught and nearly 1000 more square
feet of duck in her working sails. She
vii have trife more displace'
ment than the old Defender. Her com
plets sail spread will not be far from
1850 square feet.
TObin bronze and nickeled stee
are the sole materials used In the con-
struction of the hull of the new de-
fender, the latter being used for the
topsides, with the underbody Of bronze
The experiment OF the Defender has
proved that aluminium Is not the pro-
per thing for topsides OF big sailing
yacht. 1t is compelled to bear great
deal of strain and becomes weakened
through the action OF salt water anc
air, and Is especially bad when used In
conjunction with another metal thai
will generate galvanic action. For thii
reason aluminium has been discarded /,
the construction Of tie new boat, nc
through the extra weight OF the stac
as compared to the Lighter metal hel
hull will be somewhat heavier than
that OF the Defender.
Tobin bronze, which will sheathe thu
underbody or wetted surface, is The
highest and smoothest that the manu-
facturers have as yet made, and 1t will
BIO riveted to the frames in the same
manner as on the older boat. The
bronze will be put on in five strakes
seven-fortieths Of an inch thick, ant
the steel topsides will be worked on II
two strakes, each one-quarter OF az
inch thick. She will not have as much
freeboard as the Defender, but will
have a crown to her deck OF ten inches
In building the new boat Designer