America Cup Boats designed by William Fife III

America Cup Boats designed by William Fife III

Shamrock 

I have been watching the America's Cup for the first time this year, 2024 and thought I would write a small page on the 2 boats that William Fife III designed to compete.

William Fife III, born 1857.  The third in a family of designers and builders at the yard in Fairlie, by the time he designed Shamrock he was already a celebrated designer, pushing the boundaries and building beautiful yachts.

Shamrock I was commissioned  by Sir Thomas Lipton for the America's Cup in 1899 and William Fife III was to design the challenger for the first time.  She was built in Millwall at Thorneycroft yard design number 435.  She was 89 ft long at the water line and 105 ft 6 inches length overall, weighing in at 260 tonnes.  At least as far as the yard list is concerned as published in the book Fast and Bonnie.  Yet from other sources, Classic Sailboat.org and Wikipedia, I have found a discrepancy and its published, LWL 82' 3" LOA 127' 6", 156.9 tonne and the draft of 20' 3" with a sail area of 13,070 sq. ft.  There is a piece published in the New-York Daily Tribune in 1899 that Shamrock was 130ft LOA.  Shamrock was steel framed with manganese bronze to her underside and alloy aluminium topside.

Its not just the boat designs that have changed so much. Back in 1899 the course was 30 miles long, a triangular course and there was a time limit of 5 1/2 hours .  Where as the 1st race I have just seen between New Zealand and Great Britain  finished in under 30 minutes.  Unfortunately for Shamrock they failed to win any races and the defender Columbia won three to retain the cup.  Hopefully Britannia will not suffer the same fate.

 Shamrock III

After Sir Thomas Lipton having G.L. Watson design Shamrock II for the challenge in 1901 he came back to William Fife III for Shamrock III for the 1903 race.  G.L. Watson still consulted informally with experience of the the 1901 design. 

Shamrock III was  just shy of 90' LWL,  With LOA at 134' 5"with a sail area of 14151 Sq. ft.  Her hull was Nickle Steel, Weighing 166.6 tons.  She was also the first challenger to adopt wheel steering as apposed to tiller.  

I found a wonderful site called america-scoop.com that shows publications and courses for the races.  It gives great in-site into the courses set for the races of the past.  So much different to the present championship, each day a new course with different lengths.  Not just that the boats were beautiful.  

The results for the races 3 to 2 for the defender Resolute.

Unfortunately both Shamrock I and III were broken up for scrap after failing to find buyers for them.  

One of the measurements I fail to understand is LOA is only the deck length yet when I had Hatasoo on a pontoon I was charged for the bowsprit as well!  Something I will have to bare in mind if we manage to restore her original rig after all from the end of the bowsprit to the end of the boom is approximately 36/37 ft over double the LWL.  f anyone can comment to explain I would be grateful.

Hatasoo Restoration Fund

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