Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-27
Shamrock " Is
Far from a Freak

Now that something tangible has at
last been received in regard to the
Shamrock ", it appears that she Is
not anywhere nearly the freak that
might have been imagined from early
reports that is, she is no more of
freak than the three American yachts
So far as hull is concerned, the
American yachts are far from being
| freaks, but in rig they show something
that has never been seen in American
waters before.
While there is considerable variance
in form on the three candidates for
defender and challenger, enough has
been seen to show that all four de-
signers have adopted some ideas along
the same lines. Designer Nicholson OF
the Shamrock " will not say any
thing about the sail area of his crea-
ton, but enough is known to show
that her rig will be at least fully as
lofty as the American boats, and it is
quite likely that it may be higher.
In this feature the American design
ers appear to have agreed materially
in ideas, Herreshoff being the most
conservative in the matter of height or
rig The Resolute has been at Bristol
during the past week, and it has been
said that it was for the purpose of
cutting her rig down, but there is
we'll defined rumor to the effect that
Herreshoff has come to the Owen idea
and has been putting on single head
rig on the Resolute.
1t has been claimed by many that
the Defiance, designed by George
Owen, will not be able to carry her
immensely tall rig when there is any
thing like a decent breeze, but it may
be pointed out that the vanitie, de-
signed by Gardner. is not far behind
the Defiance in height of rig. In the
Is and 17-metre boats, built on the
other side last year, the rigs were
enormously high. and still the yachts
managed to keep them in, and in the
height of rig Nicholson designer of the
Shamrock W, has adopted the same
idea as Owen -lfzs
Again. it is to be noted that every
one of the four boats is equipped with
a centreboard, and this feature was
adopted by each designer before any
thing was known of his competitors
boats. 1t was simply the natural re-
suit of placing certain restrictions up
to the designers, and the result shows
how closely along the same lines these
scientific men will think when it comes
to trying to gain advantage of rules.
But while in rig and in the adoption
of centreboards the designers appear
to have agreed to a great extent, con-
siderable difference in ideas is shown
in the lines of the hulls. The designer
of the Shamrock ". has done some
thing that no other British designer
has done yet, and that is to go farther
toward producing straight lines than
the American designers, and under
the present rule, it is a question If he
has not gone too far.
From all accounts the underbody of
the Shamrock ". is not unlike that of
the Vanitie minus the length, which is
an all-important factor where hard
biIges and fiat floors are concerned.
Although the Shamrock's over all
length of 10 feet is less than that OF
either the Defiance or the Vanltie,
unless she is pulled In great deal
forward she will be taxed at least fully
as much as either of these boats on
quarter beam length.
The designer of the Shamrock also
appears to have chung to the old IDEA
of long lateral plane. 1t is quite
true that with this plane cut away
materially, there is the likelihood OF
lack of balance and inability or
the yacht to beat out to windward;
but with too much length of keel
there Is an extra wetted surface
which is handicap to a yachts
speed.
Nicholson's idea of putting his un-
er-planking on diagonally is good
one, for by this method a yachts
form is kept more true than If the
planking was put on altogether fore
and aft 1t gives the hull chance to
wiring, and then come back into shape
again after the strain has been re-
moved.