A yacht from 150 to 80 tons downwards can also be schooner-rigged, but many yachtsmen prefer the yawl rig for these and intermediate tonnages. The yawl will be the more weatherly craft, will reach as fast, and be faster down the wind. The actual weight of spars will be less for the sail area ; there will be less gear; and there will be no mainmast obtruding in the main cabin, or in one of the berths abaft it. It is undeniable, however, that in heavy weather the schooner, appropriately canvased, is a very easy and handy vessel. In a "fresh gale" (see "Winds" in the Appendix) she would be under main trysail, reefed fore staysail and fourth jib (foresail stowed) ; a yawl under similar conditions would have main trysail, or double-reefed mainsail, reefed foresail, and fourth jib, with mizen stowed, and would be quite as handy, and would perhaps lie-to a little more quietly. As there will be no difference in the number of men required to work either rig, size for size, we are on the whole inclined to think that the yawl rig is to be preferred for yachts under 150 tons.
But the yawl for comfort must be the real thing, and not merely a big cutter with a long counter, and a mizen mast stepped on the archboard for the sake of " tonnage allowance for rig." This latter class of yawl has really a greater weight of spars in proportion to sail area than a cutter. The main boom is, in a yacht say of 100 tons, within 10ft. or llft. as long as the main boom of cutters of equal tonnage ; the mast is as long, the bow sprit is as long, the topmast is as long, the gaff is generally longer in propor tion to length of boom ; and the weight of the mizen-mast, bumpkin, yard, boom, and rigging is generally about ten times the weight of the extra length and extra size of the cutter's boom. These are not the yawls that have an advantage over even large cutters for comfort; and the mizen mast is often stepped in such an insecure manner that it is not safe to put any sail on it in a real blow, when it might, according to the notions of the sailing master, save the crew some trouble to get under way with mizen and head sail alone instead of with trysail. Now, the modern racing yawl has so little advantage in snugness over a cutter of equal size, that our advice always would be, for racing—to enjoy the sport with an equal amount of comfort—have a cutter up to 120 tons, and above that tonnage a schooner—say one of 140 tons.
But the crnising yawl proper is a very snug vessel indeed, and has nearly all the good qualities of a cutter, and is really a more comfortable craft, and can be worked with fewer hands, which of course means with less cost. Her mizen mast will be stepped nearly close to the rudder head, instead of at the extreme end of the counter; her bowsprit will be shorter and lighter than the bowsprit of a similarly sized cutter (see page 71) ; her mast will be lighter than a cutter's ; and so will her boom, gaff, and top mast be lighter. Her mizen mast will be so stepped that it will be safe in the most violent wind storm to put sail upon it ; and this may be often of real advantage in clearing out from an anchorage in a hurry.
On the reduction of weight of spars and gear the advantage of the yawl mainly depends, apart from the assumed advantage of having the sails more subdivided than they are in a cutter.
We have calculated what the difference in the cubical contents of the spars of the Kriemhilda (106 tons) would be if she were changed from cutter to yawl, her length of mainmast remaining the same. Difference in mast, 20 cubic feet; difference in bowsprit (3ft. shorter), 12 cubic feet ; difference in main boom (12ft. shorter), 25 cubic feet ; difference in main gaff, 4 cubic feet—making a total difference of 61 cubic feet, or one ton weight. The topmast would remain about the same. The bulk and weight of mizen spars would be as nearly as possible as follows : mast, 16 cubic feet ; boom, 4 cubic feet; yard, 3 cubic feet; boomkin, 2 cubic feet ; or a total of 25 cubic feet, making a net reduction of about The difference in the weight of rigging and blocks would be from 4cwt. to 5cwt., making a total reduction in the weight of spars and rigging of about 17cwt. The removal of this weight would bring about nearly 2in. difference in the vertical position of the centre of gravity of the yacht, and would be equal, so far as influencing her stiffness went, to the taking of 2 tons of lead from the top tier of ballast inside and putting it under the keel outside. The effect of the reduced spars on the momentum acquired during pitching will be mainly governed by the reduction made in the bowsprit ; that is, by the influence that reduction has on the longitudinal radius of gyration. To reduce the momentum to its utmost limit, the bowsprit should be reefed close in, and mizen mast unstepped and stowed amidships.
To what extent the bowsprit of a yawl is reduced in comparison to a cutter's may be gathered from the following " facts." The yawl Florinda, 138 tons, has a 36ft. bowsprit outboard ; the yawl Corisande, 153 tons, has 36ft. bowsprit outboard; the cutter Oimara, 162 tons, has a 47ft. bowsprit outboard ; the cutter Kriemhilda, 106 tons, 36ft.; the cutter Vol-au-vent, 104 tons, 34ft.; the cutter Formosa, 102 tons; 34ft. It is thus apparent that a yawl has nearly 20 per cent. less bowsprit than a cutter. With regard to the length of main boom, we can state that Florinda would have 15ft. more boom as a cutter, and, although with that extension her calculated centre of effort would (minus the mizen) be shifted 1-6ft. farther forward, yet would she require a bigger jib when sailing by the wind. To turn Vol-au-Vent, Kriemhilda, or Formosa into yawls under the existing Y.R.A. rule, lift. of the main boom of each would have to be cut off, and then, in spite of the presence of a mizen, 3ft. or 4ft. of the bowsprit would have to follow. As a proof of this it can be mentioned that eight or nine years ago, the Hirondelle was converted to a yawl, but her bowsprit was not reduced, and it was found necessary to sail her with it reefed in to the first or second fid, and even then she was by no means troubled with weather helm.