Page:Small-boat sailing; an explanation of the management of small yachts, half-decked and open sailing-boats of various rigs; sailing on sea and on river; cruising, etc (IA smallboatsailing01knig).pdf/63

 is lifted by every wave. When everything is taken into consideration, there can be little doubt that for the class of boats with which I am dealing in this chapter the clinker-build is to be preferred.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE BOAT

Remember, when selecting your craft, that a boat constructed of pine or Swedish fir is not only the cheapest, but is also the lightest, and, ceteris paribus, should out-sail and out-row a boat built of heavier material; but, on the other hand, she will not last long, and the soft wood readily gets torn and bruised. The top streak of a fir-built boat should be of cedar, or of some hard wood.

If the boat is to be frequently beached or subjected to other rough treatment, it is better that she should be built of elm or oak.

BALLASTING

The ballast of a small boat, more especially if she has to be frequently drawn up on a beach, should be so arranged that it can be readily removed. Iron or lead blocks, of half a hundredweight each, with handles to them, are a very convenient form of ballast for a small boat; for they can be easily lifted out. Battens should be fastened to the floor of the boat to keep the ballast in its place; as otherwise, when the boat has listed in a squall, the ballast might fall to leeward, and so