CENTRE-BOARD BOATS Although it may be difficult to say what is a boat and what is a yacht, when we are speaking of small craft, yet we think a great deal of this difficulty will be removed if we define a boat to mean a vessel that-is not wholly decked, and that can be rowed. In selecting one of these craft that is either open or partly open, the main guide, of course, will be the locality. Thus, if the boat is for Brighton, one of the shallow centre board beach boats used thereat will be the most suitable, inasmuch as they can be readily "beached" or hauled out of water, it being necessary that they should be so hauled up, as there is no sheltered or safe anchorage at Brighton. For the Thames above bridge, where the winds are light and baffling, a very light centre-board gig is the most useful, as it sails well in light winds, and is easily rowed in calms. On the Mersey, where the boats can lie afloat, and where generally there is more wind and sea than any ordinary boat could well tackle, a heavier and deep keel sailing boat is in At the same time, a keel boat quite as light as the Surbiton boats has been introduced on the Mersey ; but, in order that they may safely encounter the rough water, are nearly wholly decked in. On the south coast all sorts of sailing boats are to be met with, from the old-fashioned skiff and wherry to very many versions of the Itchen boat.
The centre-board, it appears, was invented, or rather adapted, from the lee-board by Captain Schank, of the British Navy, somewhere about 1774. We have not come across any contemporary record of the invention, but in Charnock's " History of Marine Architecture," published in 1802, the fact is alluded to, together with a description of a boat with a sliding keel built by Captain Schank at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1774, for Earl Percy (after wards Duke of Northumberland). The engraving Fig. 54, on the next page, represents this boat, and, so far as we know, is the oldest authentic record of the sliding keel. At about the same time Captain Schank was
very strongly urging the English Government to cease building deep ships, and to build shallow ones, fitted with one or more sliding keels. The Admiralty were not, however, to be persuaded into such a startling revolu tion in naval architecture ; still they so far humoured Captain Schank, that in 1789 a boat was built and fitted at Deptford Dockyard, according to the plan shown in the accompanying engraving Fig. 55. The use of the three boards was as follows : In tacking, or laying to, the centre-board and after board were raised; in wearing the centre-board and fore-board were raised; also in scudding the centre-board and fore-board were raised; going over shallows the three boards were raised. On a wind the three boards wore lowered, each to such depth as seemed best to balance the sails. The report of the trials made with this boat seem to have very favourably impressed the Admiralty, and Captain Schank was intrusted to design a cutter of 6Oft. length and 2Oft. beam, with three sliding keels. She had a midship section something like a barge, and a draught of water of Oft. 6in., and was named the " Trial." She was reported to be a good sea boat, and very handy ; but another vessel with centre-boa-ds called the !only Nilson was loss favourably reported upon, and the Admiralty, we bolinvo, built no more centreboard ships, and, so far as we were concerned, thn invention was lost sight of until the visit of the America in drew ationl Ion to Ilium. Not that the America had a centre-board, but other A lolosiosol yachts had, and Englishmen about this time became very curious *hunt '1'11111.a:1mo in naval architecture.
The centre-board was still a contrivance something like Earl Percy's, but, instead of being dropped equally fore and aft, was pivoted at the fore end, as shown in the accompanying sketch (Fig. 56) according to a plan introduced by Captain Shuldham, of the British Navy.