NEW BRIGHTON SAILING BOATS The New Brighton Sailing boats differ somewhat from those of a few years ago, the principal change being the introduction of a counter. The counter, it may here be said, is a great assistance to small boats, as it enables them to have longer and better buttock lines, and hence a better or cleaner delivery, no eddies being formed astern. Further, with the counter they have more power with a beam or head wind, and run before a sea drier, and much additional room is obtained on board for working the aft sails. The counters are limited in length to 4ft. 6in., and must be clear of the water at the sternpost when ballasted and in trim for sailing, but without crew on board.
The boats are not allowed to be decked, and no appliances are per mitted to keep out water; they have, however, a kind of " fore peak " forward, by fitting a platform level with and forward of the fore thwart, and the counter may be decked as far as the sternpost. To get rid of the water that may be shipped, a 3iin. pump is fitted amidships, with a discharge both sides.
The freeboard is cut down as much as possible, as it tells in the "girth " for measurement ;* in the design of the Elaine (Plate XIII.) an attempt was made to compensate somewhat for this deficiency by wash strakes aft.
The Elaine was designed in 1877 for Mr. John Bouch (Corn. N.B.S.C.) by Mr. C. P. Clayton, of Park-road, Birkenhead, and to him we are indebted for particulars of the new Brighton Boats. The Elaine has less displacement than these boats are usually given, and she has been most successfully sailed against all the crack boats of the club.
The length of the Elaine from fore side of stem to aft side of sternpost is 23ft. 3in., and her greatest beam 6ft. 4in. ; her greatest draft aft with crew (six hands) on board is 3ft. She has 6cwt. of iron on her keel, and 2cwt. of iron inside.
Some of the New Brighton boats are, however, of much heavier displacement. Thus, the Tyro (a very successful boat, designed and sailed by her owner, Mr. G. H. Wilmer), has 24cwt. of iron ballast, 6cwt. of
which is on the keel. The weight of the boat is about 14cwt., and of her gear about 6cwt. Her displacement with crew on board is 2.7 tons (54 cwt.). Other boats have 14cwt. or 15cwt. of lead ballast, 8cwt. or 9cwt. of which are placed on the keel. All these boats have deeper and fuller bodies than Elaine, and a trifle less beam.
The displacement of Elaine to the load water-line shown in the drawing (supposed to be with six hands on board) is 2 tons. The light displacement which brings the counter out of water, as at x (see Sheer Plan), is 2in. less or equal to half a ton less. The displacement per inch of immersion at the load water-line is •25(1) ton.
Six men of about 12 stone each would weigh half a ton, but probably such a heavy crew would not often be found. This number is not found too many for working the sails ; and, as a light-displacement boat like Elaine depends so largely on her crew for ballast and stability, it is a serious matter to be one hand short. Probably, as in the case of the centre-board gigs before referred to, five or six hands sitting to windward are much more potent as a means of acquiring stability than any practicable quantity of lead or iron in the bottom of the boot or on the keel would be. In light winds the crew would stow themselves in the bottom of the boat; but the "half-ton" stowed well to windward is indispensible in anything like a breeze blowing abeam or on the bow.
Of course, with so much weight on the keel, and such great draught and rising floor, these boats cannot very easily be " beached " or hauled up without a cradle, as the Brighton beach boats are ; and on the Mersey they usually lie afloat.
The following measurements and particulars refer to the design of the Elaine :— In the Sheer Plan the heights are measured to the top of the gunwale, lettered a; the depths to the lower edge of the rabbet of the keel b.