Caricraft 10 dinghy

[Seajet]

My first boat, bought with pocket money from my Dad's and later my colleague Dennis Warren, a designer on the Fairey Delta 2 ' Faster Than The Sun ' project was a Caricraft 10.

It had wooden sides & foredeck and an early grp bottom supported by frames, the grp used to pant in waves...a great little boat, does anyone else remember them ?

Seen here with the Mirror mast and larger home made sails I fitted as a boy, and in Lakesailors' patch, I'm sure Phil will recognise where.

Andy

View attachment 38134


View attachment 38133

 

[LittleSister]

Looks a lot of fun. What was the advantage of the mix of wood and GRP?

 

[Seajet]

Yes she was a really fun boat; I didn't find any advantage with the early 1950's grp bottom though, it panted and even at that young age ( 7-8 ) I got the impression it was soaking up energy rather than bouncing across the waves.

However it was a good little boat, when camping at Low Wray I used to take my Mum across to Ambleside in the morning to do her shopping, so it must have been a tolerant design to let us novices do that, but I still got a fair turn of speed out of her now and again.

I think the grp bottom was an early experiment, leading to the 1970's composite racing dinghies.

' Blue ' eventually succumbed to rot, but she had lasted since the 1950's and given a lot of people a lot of fun, the BAe Dunsfold sailing section named a boat after her as she'd been used in instructing - not my idea or instigation - we could do with a boat like her nowadays, a light version of a Gull etc; and yes I have met the dinghy cruiser folk with vaguely similar but slightly heavier dinghies, a double barreled name I can't remember right now ?