10ft dinghy which has optional sail? Any suggestions...

[jpay]

My Grandad is looking for a dinghy around 10ft, plastic which has an optional sail.
I know of the Walker Bay's are there any other New or Used names to be searching for?

Thank You

 

[Avocet]

Isn't the mirror about 10' long? Ok, the mast and sail aren't "optional" but they're not difficult to remove!

 

[alahol2]

If you can manage with a 9 footer then I can highly recommend looking for a Bobbin with the sailing kit. See this thread... http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?358574-Bobbin-Dinghy

 

[jpay]

Isn't the mirror about 10' long? Ok, the mast and sail aren't "optional" but they're not difficult to remove!

The mirror if it is grp is ridiculously out of his budget... but something that size and shape would be perfect.
I'll look at the bobbins.

Thanks

 

[prv]

The mirror if it is grp is ridiculously out of his budget

Did anyone ever make a GRP copy of the Mirror? The real thing is plywood.

Budget could be anything from hundreds to "if you can take it away you can have it", there were thousands built and some are cherished while others are abandoned under hedges.

Pete

 

[jpay]

You can buy new mirrors today which are around £3,500 I believe, they come in grp.
I myself have my own mirror dinghy which is wooden and the maintenance is not something my grandad wants to get involved with.

It needs to be plastic... budget is pretty wide if it meets the criteria, obviously take it away is better but I don't know how realistic.

 

[Otter]

The Walker Bay is pretty peerless. The tubes are essential, even when rowing or motoring - it's unstable without; but it sails very well and with a good turn of speed, it rows fairly well and motors nicely. It's nearly indestructible and not too heavy. There's a reason why nothing else comes close to its build numbers!

 

[Avocet]

The mirror if it is grp is ridiculously out of his budget... but something that size and shape would be perfect.
I'll look at the bobbins.

Thanks

I've got a GRP Heron that is almost the same length as a Mirror (about a foot longer). In all other respects it's identical to a Mirror - it just doesn't have the chopped-off snout - hence the extra length. They actually share a rig (mine's gunter-rigged). It needed a fair bit of work, but I paid about £300 on eBay for it a few years ago.

 

[Arcady]

Tideway Dinghies. We've had a 10' version as a tender to our 37' boat for years . Excellent general purpose dink and sails very nicely too.

 

[seumask]

Gull sailing dinghy pretty good too grp from £ 500 ish, lot more stable than the mirror we have one and use it as a tender and fun boat for the young family.

 

[Topcat47]

i don't know where he or you are or what your budget is, but there are a number of "Scows" around the Solent, notably Bembridge, Keyhaven and possibly even Newtown. They are really useful, easily sailed and competitively raced. Good second hand ones are around £3k, new ones £6k which is a lot of money for a wee boat, but older, less competitive ones are cheaper. I want one myself when I'm too old for my cruiser.

http://www.yacht-designer.co.uk/page47.html

There's a "project" on Appolo Duck.

http://sailingdinghies.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=300627

 

[Mikehp0]

I had the smaller Walker Bay with the tubes, the sail kit and a Honda 2.3. It made a great dinghy - I've never rowed anything better (Lazy Kipper is right, though. I scared myself one day by being in too much of a hurry to fit the tubes and then jumping into it from my Rib on my Padstow mooring without due care and attention. It went straight over and I had to use it like a big swimming pool float whilst I kicked my way 100 yards to shore!) However, I only sailed it a few times. It was just too small. Limbo dancing under the sail was almost impossible and it didn't have the sail power to cope with Padstow's naughty tides. I think they do a bigger one with a jib. That might do the job. Expensive, though!