The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20
auto BOATS THE LATEST FAD
WATER TOYS THAT ARE FNPEN-
SVE but CAN FLY.

Launches Win High Powered En-.
sines such a. Automobiles Employ.
One of the latest fads with those who
can afford such costly toys is 10 own and
race an auto boat" For some time these
dainty little machines have been very
popular in France, where their number Is
legion. and there are many OF them owned
by Englishmen; but il Ia only recently that
they have become popular here. AZ yet
there are few here, hut by next season 1t
Is expected that there will be good sized
feet of them and plenty of sport from the
time the season opens,
In France the sport Of racing small
launches propelled by high powered en-
gin " In called automobile canoeing. and the
word Automobile is used because the
| engine is usually similar to that used in
| the automobile. II is high powered en-
CINE. usually OF the gasolene type. and the
boat is nothing but shell, made as lightly
as possible and with absolutely no ac-
comnotation, having room only FOR the
man who runs the motor and for perhaps
two in the cockpit. These boats 60 so
fast in proportion to their size that no one
takes spin on one who "a afraid Of getting
wet. The helmsman is wrapped in oilskins,
and everything on board is very wet from
the spray the boat throws.
Some years ago tho fad was to have
fast steam launch. but the days Of steam
launches are over. The engines are heavy.
the boilers take up lots OF room. and for
their size it ia impossible to get as much
speed as can be obtained In an auto boat
driven by gasolene engine.
In France boats up to forty feet in length
are the most popular They are used and
raced on the Seine, and can be seen at all the
fashionable watering places. This year
races have been arranged on all parts Of
the coast.
The fastest OF these boats so far as the
records show is the Rollo, owned by M.
Giraud. It was built by q Arm that has
become famous for turning out fast auto
| mobiles. The motor is OF twenty-four
horse power. just a. is used in road ma
chimes, but with certain notifications that
adapt 1t to driving q boat. The canoe
J into which this motor was put Is 50 feet
| inches in length and feet inches beam.
In model the boat is almost wedge shaped
the entrance being fine, the run almost
straight, and aft the hull is fiat on the bot
tom to prevent squatting when running
fast The hull is constructed very lightly
! and the deck is Of the THU nest material,
| The Helios Club is the leading organiza-
ton for the sport In France. and when
M. Giraud had finished his boat he applied
to that club to manage a series Of trials
The first trial was at Argenteuil, and sew
| eral boats OF high speed were entered
against the newcomer. The ROllo won the
race. She made 1890 statute miles in hour
| II minutes 81 seconds, averaging II So statute
miles an hour. In her next raoe she did
better than this. At Meudon. in the races
Of the Cercle de la Wolfe de Paris. she made
81. 30 statute miles in hours II minutes
IS seconds, which IL a little better than Il
miles an hour. Many experiments were
made with the motor. and its power grad
ually improved. so that in subsequent races
the Rollo showed speed Of ID miles an hour
and then a speed OF is 81 miles an hour.
In a long distance trial the Rollo ran zoe
miles at An average Of Is miles an hour
and once in a speed trial over a measured
mile on the Seine, with the tide in her favor
she slipped along at the rate OF 25 miles
,
for boat Of the size OF the Rollo and hav.
ing such a small powered motor. This
boat has caused many others to be built
and they have been 80 successful that next
season they will be seen in these waters.
| In England Alfred Harmsworth. who il
an enthusiastic automobilist. recently Of.
fered a CUP for international races with
power boats. Il was the intention Of two
Americans to send boats across the ooeaI
| to try to capture this trophy. but they coulc
not be got ready In time. 80 the Idea was
postponed for q year. but when the races
are held next season this country will b.
, represented Three boats raced for the
cup, and the winner was the Napier. owned
by 8. F. Edge This boat was built from
designs by Linton Hope. She was 40 fee
long and was driven bya seventy-fve horst
power four cylin dered gasolene motor at
tached to a two bladed propeller, The
cylinders are ol5 inches bore and the stroke
X inches The hull OF the Napier is bull
Of steel. The frames and floors are o.
light anglo and plate. while two Longitudinal
Orders run fore and aft to carry the moto
and separate thrust bearings. There is M
deck to the craft. but merely covering o
canvas stretched tightly over the hull
The beam Is feet moulded, and the draugh
2 feet The total displacement is 800
pounds
The course over which these boats racer
was 81 knots, and the Napier's time wa
"a minutes a seconds, averaging 2O.s knot
an hour or 1871 statute miles. Against tn,
Napier was the Beadle, 30 feet long, drive,
by a so horse power eight cylinder gasolen
motor and Thorneycroft boat, 30 feet long
driven by a 20 horse power four cylinde
gasolene motor.
So far there have been no boats that hav
done as we'll in these waters as the Maple
and Rollo. The Standard has attracted con
siderable attention in the harbor, but he
speed has not come up to that Of the Maple
by a good deal The Standard was bull
by the Marine Construction Company
She is SO feet 10 inches over all and has 10
horse power six cylinder motor. In rae
managed by the Atlantic Yacht Club Of
Aug. 10 the Standard made l2L knots il
ls minutes IL seconds. This is at the rat
of IL. SO knots or II. 80 at atute miles an hour
She met the Adios in ra ce at the Brooklyl
Yacht Club on Aug &c. and she was beatel
by minutes 3 seconds The course wa
about ten miles and the time made by tn
Adios was "a minutes II seconds. In thi
race the Standard broke down, and 1t wn
estimated that she lost five minutes befor