The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-24
YACHTS SHOULD GET
ALLOWANCE FOR AGE
Harry l.. Maxwell Suggests
Plan for Helping Older
Boats to Win Races.
SCHEME SEEMS 4 GOOD ONE

Yachsmen have for a long time Eel,
that something should be done to keep
well built yachts from depreciat!ng In
value as fast as they do. man will
have yacht built TO some class one
year. and II may be the fastest In that
class The next year another is built
which is faster. and by the third season
the first will be a drug on the market
and will be sold only to some one who
wants good cruiser. Its racing days
are over II is felt that II by some sys-
tom of rating yacht as 1t grows older
might still have chances OF winning
races its value would be much greater
than when it is fl only for the handicap
class.
Harry l.. Maxwell who has owned
and raced dozens of yachts. had an in
spiration recently. He suggested that a
yacht should have an allowance OF abou,
two seconds a mile for each year of
its age with this a yacht one year old
would he allowed one minute over a
80 mile course, and yacht ten years
old would get ten minutes. Mr.. Max
well argued that yachts OF to-day are
OF no better models than yachts OF NJ
teen or twenty years ag0. but that great
improvement has beer made in construc-
tion, in rigging and in sails. BY inn
proved methods OF construction much
weight has been saved and consequently
hulls are much lighter than they used
To be and they also are stancher. With
less weight to drive. with better sails to
drive with. and with hghtness Of spar,
and rigging. It Is natural that new
yacht will sail away from an older one
Mr.. Maxwell SAID tnat from mis- own per
soual experience he had figured out two
seconds q mite for each year. but that
Il some other system we're adopted which
would give the older yacht chance Of
success against new one he would be
Just as we'll pleased.
Franz, Bovine Jones, who worked many
years ago TO organize the Yacht Racing
Association Of Long Island Sound. said
no would bring the matter up before that
body. hut suggested that instead of the al
lowanca being IN seconds a mile a certain
reduction OF rating could I've figured which
would work in the same way and would
then work out Tor any distance Just AS
rating does now.
HerrcShoff is building n C.aS6 OF soops
for vachtsmen who live IN toe vicinity oi
oyster Bay and Locust Valley. Eighteen
Of these boats are being built At a cost
Of 81 900 each. They are Similar IN model
to the three ~ tooters which Herreshon
built last year, two Of which are owned
nv cX-Commodorh Cornelius Vanderbilt
and W g. Ruclker, Jr. These are wide
boats with short ends and small wettcd
surface tn" new boats are /" Feet on
two water line and Q, feet over all. The;
arc rlEged with jb and mainsail and
are similar to all the sloops turned out In
recent years by Herreshon,
Plans are now being made for a new
class of 30 footers which are to he built
for the season Of talS. These were ptec
/ OF for this year, but as IN many othei
/ things tho war uterfered. New iorl
| Yacht club members are active In the FOR
nation OF this class, and when Il is bull
there will be the 80, 90 and 80 footers o.
the New York Yacht club.
These boats will cost $500 each q
hiild That is Herreshoff's price for eacl
I boat fitted ready TO race. They will no
| carry club topsais but may have spr'
/ topsails, and they will need only two PRO
fessionaIs on board. In this respect they
| will be much more economical than the %
! footers. It is thought that there will HI
! ut least twelve az these boats BUM, ant
among the probable owners are W. HIT
| Ter Duncan, Jr., Harry l.. MaAweli Com
! modure William H. Childs. J. s., Appiehy
CIar l,son Cowi. q. NJ Pynchon W A. Bar
/ stow. W. II. Bucknall. !. Pratt and other'
/ OF the Glen Cove summer colony.
II was r,imored last week that steam
/ yacht had been purchased by some enter
! prising man who wished to procure
/ yacht cheaply and that he was goinl
/ to load IL with a cargo Of cotton AM
send IT across the ocean. lie tgure'
! that at the present high rates for freight
the yacht would almost pay for itsel
/ in ono voyage This story was told Z
/ cN-Commodorc Wilson Marshall. who a
once did some figuring on what he coul'
4 do with the big schooner Atlantic, but IN
found that she would not carry hi
! enough cargo to make the voyage al
object. II often has been reported tina
the Atlantic, which won the German En-
perors prize for the race across the At
lautic in 1905. was for sale. Several bro
kcrs are carrying II on their lists. bu
not one has had a price set by Commo
dore Marshall
Rear Commodore II. $ Vanderbilt o
the New York Yacht club always open
his yachting season with cruise to tn
South in his schooner Vagrant, II Ina
been suggested that this year the Va
grant and the big three master katoura
owned by Robert r. Tod arrange rae
from here to Bermuda. Mr. Tod is a
enthusiast on ocean racing, and II
thought that such race may be arrange
for the early spring.
These boats are both of Herrcshoi
build. but the Kafoura Is very niue
larger than the Vagrant, Some yachts
men think that on the wind the small boa
would hang on closely to the Katoura
but with started sheets the Katours
Ashouid easily sail away from the Vagran
I OF course there would have to be a
equitable arrangement o: time allowanc
to make the contest a fair one, TIL
Katoura Is now being fitted with a
auxiliary motor. 1t is placed on dec
and geared to the shaft below deck. Tn
Vagrant has a motor of similar type,
1 Harr, L. Maxwell IL Thinking ,,r mir