CLYDE CRUISING CANOES.
Prior to the establishment of the Clyde Canoe Club in 1874, there was no settled class of canoe on the northern waters, and Rob Roys were the only craft in which any cruising was done. In 1874 the Rambler was built from the drawings in Mr. Baden Powell's " Canoe Travelling," and Mopoon and Bothnia succeeded ; and the Lark (now Wren) which is accepted as the Clyde canoe. Unlike the Rob Roy or Nautilus, she might be called a cross between a birchbark and kaiak, and, as will be seen from the drawing (Plate XL V.), she is built with very hollow lines, and the ends, perhaps, are too fine to accord with an English canoeist's idea of a cruising canoe, and are, indeed, finer than the ends of many Clyde canoes.
One of the most important things in the build of a canoe is to have her bc..ilt so as to keep the inside as dry 116 possible. For that purpose the idea of bcfAinz canoes with sheer was adopted first in the Nautilus. The Clyde can.Des base a similar sheer, which commences from the bow, and rises in a evade curve to the requisite height necessary to keep her n(se out of the wares, and, with the assistance of a slight Sam, the advancing wasps are gently thrown aside, when otherwise they might have been on deck.
The principal dimensions of the Wren are : Length over all, 14ft. 6in. ; beam, 2ft. a in. ; depth, 10in., measured from under side of garboards to top of sheer strake amidships. The planking (five planks on each side, top strake being teak), is white pine, }in. thick, clincher-built. The deck is, by preference, mahogany, }in. thick, and is put on in four pieces, fastened with brass screw nails to strong deck beams, and carlines running fore and aft on port and starboard side of canoe. By doing so, one portion of the deck can be lifted for internal repairs without disturbing the rest of the deck work. Bow and stern posts are of mahogany, and keel of American elm ; watertight bulkheads forward and aft, with on sliding bulkhead at aft end of well. The mainmast is stepped 2ft. 6in from perpendicular of bow, and mizen 3ft. 6in. from perpendicular of stern.
The greatest beam is parallel for 18in. at centre of canoe, and th after end -of the well is 20in. aft of centre of canoe.
At aft end of well, behind sliding bulkhead, there is a hinged hats giving access when afloat to a commodious locker; and on aft watertigl compartment there is a small hatch, usually made from 7in. to 8in. squar
giving access to locker, where lamps and other such like articles can 1 stowed when afloat. From the foot steering gear to the mainmast st( there is also good stowage room for tent, meat tins, bread box, al whatever else of that description may be required.
By keeping the mainmast well forward the canoe is supposed to I better to the wind than if it were, say, lft. or 18in. further aft. With keel of I fin. in depth, she goes well to windward, and, having 2in. camt fore and aft, can be put about like a boat without using the paddle.
The masts are stepped into square sheet-brass sockets from 9in. 10in. in depth, loin. square at the deck, and tapering to lin. aqui at the bottom. These sockets are watertight, so no danger arises fr( their being full of water. Watertight bulkheads are made a close a tight fit to their respective sections, and are bedded down with red white lead. They are cut out of half-inch pine ; if made much thine they are liable to get stove in when spars are stowed below, or wI baggage is too energetically shoved fore and aft. The sliding bulkh( is the width of the well, and made to slide into a tapered groove, as like the other bulkheads, is made of half-inch wood, but by preference mahogany. The ribs (which are lin. by lin.) and timbers are pitched 8in. apart, and, with the exception of those within the well, are made of American elm steamed and bent to position. The " well" timbers and knees are of good oak bends, and cut to fit the cross sections. If cat from natural bends they will be all the stronger. The coaming round the well is made of lin. elm. This wood is by far the best where the front part of the well is curved, otherwise oak, mahogany, or cedar have been used. On one side of the well, under the deck, is a chart locker about 2ft. long, and occupying the full width from the coaming to the gunwale. The formation of this locker tends to strengthen the well amidships, as it is impracticable to have short beams joined to a canine. On the other side (starboard) is fitted a slight shelf or open locker, likewise giving extra strength to the deck. This is useful to hold pipe, handkerchief, and other light and often-needed articles.