Mirror

A brief history and description of the International Mirror Dinghy

First introduced in England in 1963, the Mirror quickly became the most popular one-design dinghy class in the world. The design allows the boat to be built from a kit, at home, with a basic knowledge of carpentry in about 120 hours. Since its introduction, over 70,000 Mirrors have been built around the world.

In 1990, the Mirror dinghy achieved "International status", recognized by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF - the international governing body of the sport) as a class to be promoted for active international competition.

The Mirror Class is administered by the ISAF and the International Mirror Class Association. Member countries of the IMCA include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Holland, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Specifications

The Mirror kit contains everything that is needed to make a complete sailboat except for the bonding resin and the final finishing material.

The kit includes all precut wood materials, spars, hardware, main and jib sails, standing rigging and lines. All Mirror hull and deck panels are made from top-quality imported marine plywood. The hull is constructed using the "stitch and glue" method.

Completely built boats can also be purchased "ready to finish" or "ready to sail". Spinnaker sails and "Go-Fast" gear are available for the Mirror Dinghy.

  • Length: 3.3 m (10'-10")
  • Beam: 1.4 m (4'-7")
  • Buoyancy: 4 built-in tanks
  • Load: 270 kg
  • Hull: Marine mahogany plywood
  • Spars: Spruce and Aluminum

Sailing the Mirror

The Mirror was first promoted as a boat that would provide affordable sailing enjoyment for the whole family. In many countries the role has shifted to that of a youth training boat. This trend is evident in the results of international competition. The last six Mirror World's have been won by young adult helmsmen. Mirror trained sailors go on to compete successfully in other classes such as the 470, 420, Fireball International and gold in the Olympics.

The Mirror dinghy has full adjustment on all three sails.

The boat can easily be handled by lightweight crews. It is stable yet challenging to sail.

The Mirror dinghy is a logical boat for a young Optimist sailor to graduate into.

With World Championships being held every two years, there is an opportunity for World Class competition.

The mirror dingy equips young sailors with the ability and the environment to learn tactical and crew relation skills that no other class can match to the same extent.

Article taken from http://www.imcai.com/