Design
Her design took advantage of a loophole in the Seawanhaka '90-foot' rating rule, to produce a racing yacht with long overhangs at each end, so that when heeled over, her waterline length (and therefore her speed) increased dramatically (see image at left).
To save weight, she was completely unfinished below deck, with exposed frames. She was the first racing boat to be fitted with winches below decks, in an era when her competitors relied on sheer man-power. Despite this she carried a crew of 64 for racing due to her large sail plan.
From the tip of her bowsprit to the end of her 108-foot (33 m) boom, Reliance measured 201 feet (61 m), and the tip of her mast was 199 feet (61 m) above the water (the height of a 20-story building). Everything else was to an equally gargantuan scale; her spinnaker pole was 84 feet (26 m) long, and her total sail area of 1,501 m2 (16,160 sq ft) was the equivalent of eight 12 meter class yachts.
Reliance was built for one purpose: to successfully defend the America's Cup.
Call the boat a freak, anything you like, but we cannot handicap ourselves, even if our boat is only fit for the junk heap the day after the race.
— Cornelius Vanderbilt
Comparison of 87–90 ft America's Cup contenders:
| Year | LOA | LWL | Sail Area | Mast height | Displacement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance | 1903 | 43.89 m (144.0 ft) | 27.43 m (90.0 ft) | 1,501 m2 (16,160 sq ft) | 67.05 m (220.0 ft) | 189 tons |
| Ranger | 1937 | 41.15 m (135.0 ft) | 26.51 m (87.0 ft) | 701 m2 (7,550 sq ft) | 46.98 m (154.1 ft) | 166 tons |
| KZ1 | 1988 | 36.57 m (120.0 ft) | 27.43 m (90.0 ft) | 627 m2 (6,750 sq ft) | 46.78 m (153.5 ft) | 39 tons |
| USA-17 | 2010 | 34.5 m (113 ft) | 27.43 m (90.0 ft) | 1,270 m2 (13,700 sq ft) | 68 m (223 ft) | 18 tons |
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A design for living
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Not without due patter
Of a great misgiving.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
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“Delay always breeds danger; and to protract a great design is often to ruin it.”
—Miguel De Cervantes (1547–1616)