 The Admiralty had intended that the 80-gun ships should no longer be built, as they lacked maneuverability and stability, and their lower gunports were so close to the waterline that they could not be opened in anything above a calm sea.The committee the Admiralty had set up disagreed with their assessment however, and a suggestion to switch to 74-gun ships in lieu of the 80s was rejected.The size of ships was to be limited according to the depth of water available in the country's ports, and so even the 90-gun ships were to remain smaller than some French and Spanish 74s.