Mirror
Go To: Sailing - Dinghy Classes - Multi Handers - Hiking Spinnaker
| Specifications |
|---|
| Beam (width): 1.4m |
| Length: 3.3m |
| Weight: 45.5kg minimum |
| Crew: 2 |
| Sail Set: Main, Jib, Symmetric Spinnaker |
| Spinnaker: Symmetric |
| First Year of Manufacture: 1963 |
Advanced Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|
| Portsmouth Yardstick (Handicap) | 1386 |
| Main Sail Area | 6.53 sq m |
| Spinnaker Sail Area | 5.2 sq m |
| Club Scene Site | Visit Mirror Class Website |
| Insurance | 1 |
| Design Type | One Design |
Boat Reviews
- Posted By Yuri on 12 May 2010
In summary:
Pros:
- Robust, stable and easy to sail. Built to go out to sea.
- With built in buoyancy tanks, virtually unsinkable. Dry stowage within the front buoyancy tanks.
- At 50kg (exc. spars & foils), easily car-toppable (2-man job), making it great for family beach picnic launching.
- Gunter rigged mast and spars will stow fully within hull, and allow you to get your rig and mast up in <10 mins.
- Wooden hull is easy to maintain (and repair). Use 2 part epoxy on keel for good wearing on the beach.
- A popular boat, so easy to find bits and bobs as lots of stockists and other boats around.
- Comes with row-locks and proper oars, though the can’t be used without dropping the sail.
- Sail and
Cons:
- Low boom can make it difficult for a tall person to get under.
- Non reef-able rig can make the Mirror unstable (still sailable) in F5+ wind.
- Inability to de/re-power sails while afloat adds extra dimension difficulty to a surf launch and anchoring.
- Push-up centre board can get front seat occupant where it hurts most if you hit shallows
- Small cockpit (but it's a 10 footer).
- While a robust craft, plywood hull may not take rocks as well as a GRP one.
- Heavy(ish), compared to similar sized GRP hulls.
That being said, the Mirror 10 cannot be overstated !
This is a great boat for families to learn to sail. Easy to control single handedly, though jib can be prone to inversion on a tack if you're not quick. Sails well with 2.
A very stable and buoyant craft, handles well at sea. Sailed in a 4ft chop in Cardigan with no qualms. Rides like a cork though, easily spilling wind and pram bow is a bit slappy on the troughs and pointing not so good as traditional shapes.
On calm water, the hull will plane with F3+ wind, giving comparable speeds against traditional shapes of similar weight/sail ratio, despite the blunt pram bow.
With the Günter rig, can easily be changed between gaff or sloop rig (with appropriate sail) to adapt to wind conditions.
If dried out and kept covered or keel up when not in use (or ideally stowed in doors), the wooden hull (the most common type) will last forever(ish). Mine must be at least 30 years and going strong.
Though sometimes classed as a cruising dinghy, the difficulties of anchoring with the sail fully up detract from one of the main features of cruising. I had an idea to modify the rigging with a second halyard for the boom, leading to a reef-able rig, but in the end I got a larger boat which didn’t suffer from this.
All in all, a well designed craft; would definitely recommend as a first boat or one for the kids to mess about in.
In 2010, you could pick up a wooden one in good sailable condition for <£200 (exc. trailer).
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