Mirror Dinghy.

[newbuoy]

Hi,
Can anybody on this Forum help with a question regarding the Mirror Dinghy ?
I have always wanted to learn the art of sailing /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Before I go enrolling myself in sailing classes I thought I might have a go at a little self teaching to see if it is for me /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
The Mirror Dinghy looks an ideal starter vessel and appears relatively inexpensive.
Seen a few on FleeBay but as always never seam to be on my door-step !
My question, can you fit a mirror dinghy on the roof of a Vauxhall Vectra, obviously on roof bars ?

Regards
Phil

 

[MikeBz]

Beam of Mirror is 4' 7" so if the roof bars are wider than that then you should be OK. If not then maybe you could carry it the right way up on it's trolley? Check the max. load capability of the car/roof bars. Mirror hull only is 100lbs minimum weight IIRC, plus spars, trolley etc.

We carried our Mirror on the roof of a Renault 4 once...

Mike

 

[Thamesider]

I tried helping a bloke put a Mirror onto the roofrack of his VW Passat. It was too wide for the roof bars and was bloody heavy (although it was a wreck, waterlogged and therefore considerably heavier than its advertised 45kg). If I were you, I would enrol at a local dinghy sailing club, learn with them, and then, if you like it, there will probably be a mirror or two to buy at the club. It will likely be cheaper and less frustrating than buying your own dinghy, making the inevitable repairs, buying a bouyancy aid, a copy of "sailing for dummies" and then finding it's a bugger to hold the tiller, two bits of rope and a sailing book all at the same time, without crashing into the beach, bank, another vessel or just capsizing. A dinghy club will also provide you with somewhere safe to sail, with a safety boat in attendance at certain times. Check out the RYA website for dinghy clubs near you.

 

[fireball]

We've carried a 420 complete with trolley mast and boom on roof racks before ... mirror should prove no problem - except that it is a bugger to get it up there to start with!

 

[newbuoy]

Thanks MikeBz, so you are saying that I may be able to get the Mirror on the roof bars with the launch trolley.
I see a lot of Mirrors for sale with road trailers but was trying to avoid getting a towbar fitted to the motor.
I see you are from Brightlingsea, fond memories, my Grandmother and Grandfather lived in Tabor Close for many years.
Crabbing on the sailing club jetty, rowing in the boating pool and swimming in the out-door pool. Yes, good memories !

Phil

 

[Bodach na mara]

As people say, it is difficult to physically get the Mirror on to the rack, and you often need to bodge an extension to give enough width. Other than that, go for it. You will crash it, capsize it and probably run onto the slipway with the centreboard down. (It does not swing up, just breaks!) Been there and done them all. Get these accidents out of the way in a safe place and learn from them.

 

[Emjaytoo]

Slightly off-thread, but many years ago I bought a 470 from two brothers in Essex who in turn had bought it at the 470 Europeans (or something similar) in Italy and car topped it back to Essex. I never did find out what car they used.

Probably a Chieftan!

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Emjaytoo]

If you have Thule roof bars, they used to make extension pieces (I still some in my garage) that will extend the bars out by about 25cm each side)

 

[newbuoy]

Thanks Thamesrider,Fireball and Kenjohnson.
It appears I may need to send the wife to the gym for an intense shoulder work-out !
Anybody have an idea how much I would pay for a few sailing lessons ? Not that i cannot swim or repair a little woodwork it's just starting to make a little more sense !

Phil

 

[neilmcc]

My son has a RS Feva which we carried on Thule roofbars quite succesfully until we dropped it through the windscreen one day. We now have a road trailer and a towbar......
He learned to sail on the Feva and loves it.

 

[sandeel]

Hi
I agree with Neilmcc go for a road trailer they are fairly inexpensive for a dinghy, you may get a boat with one and manoeuvring launching and recovering the boat is so much easier. The mirror is weighty and putting it on the roof is really hard work. as for training just go to the RYA web site and you will find training places in your area I learnt like this and found it an excellent experience. usually two days over two weekends
Hope this helps
Regards
John

 

[newbuoy]

Thanks for all of your very informative replies.
Would everybody agree that the Mirror is a good dinghy to learn to sail in or is there a better alternative, that may go on the roof of a car ?

Phil

 

[fireball]

I learnt in a Mirror dinghy .... when I was a kid ... for an in-expensive wooden toy they are great ... but if you wanted to spend more money on something bigger that could easily fit SWMBO and the kids in, then there are hundreds of dinghies out there to choose from.
My advise would be to decide how much money you could afford to throw away (assume total loss of vessel due to owner stupidity! and insurance won't cough up) and see what boats fall into that price bracket.
Don't forget suitable clothing and buoyancy aids .... !!

Meanwhile - get yourself on an intro to sailing course to see if it is for you... dinghy sailing is wet so you'll have to get used to sitting around in damp clothing, chipping your nails and ruining your hair-do - if you can't stand that sort of thing then don't even bother trying a sailing dinghy (it isn't always wet, but you can pretty much guarantee a capsize per outing!). If you do like it then get yourself on a course whilst looking for a boat - hopefully you'll get to try different boats on your course and get an idea for what you actually want out of it.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

fun per £, the Mirror is hard to beat......

As Fireball says, lots of alternatives, but a Mirror would be a good starting point....

 

[Gin]

Don't even think about it. You may succeed once or twice but the physical effort needed each time, on arrival and departure will quickly take the edge off the fun of sailing it.
I've just sold two of these which served us well for years but I wouldn't dream of hefting them up on the roof as eventually you will also damage the car's paintwork.

Also, if like me with insufficient strength to lift my considerable weight (12 .5 st.) you will find that the wonderful buoyancy of the Mirror whilst making it great for stability in river and sea makes it float high when capsized and it is quite a job to get up on the dagger board to right it.
I agree with the view of joining a club and being taught properly- it also gives the opportunity of trying out boats of differing types without making an expensive mistake.

 

[raven]

I agree with Thamesider. Best would be to join a Sailing Club - they usually have club boats that you can borrow to learn and practice in and will usually run sailing courses where you can learn in line with a proper RYA training syllabus.

I have a mirror which I am trying to get rid of - I bought it three years ago for my daughter to learn in, it is an older wooden one but I have spent loads of time trying to repair it and it is now as much fibreglass as wood!

When I sailed it I found it was too small and tippy for my size (6'2" and fifteen stone) I trailed it behind the car and whilst I did manage once to get it on a friends 4x4 roof bars, I wouldnt want to have to do that every time I was going sailing.

Hope this helps.

 

[starboard]

No problem. I built my first Mirror in 1975. I picked up the kit from Bell Woodworking in Northhampton and brought it back to Slough on the roof of my very small Datsun Cherry.The completed boat could also be transported on the roof. I had many enjoyable weeks building then many enjoyable years sailing her. She was number 51529 I often wonder where she is now???

Paul.

 

[newbuoy]

Again thank you for all your replies.
I think I have made the decision to do a two day introduction course. I also will go ahead with the purchase of a Mirror Dinghy, sorry i'm going to say it, if anybody has got one for sale please PM me with details !!!

Phil

 

[Emjaytoo]

[ QUOTE ]
fun per £, the Mirror is hard to beat......

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with Morgana. We bought a mirrow to teach the children to sail in and we all went on to have a lot of fun. After the children moved on to Toppers, Picos, Lasers etc I continued to sail the Mirror. We had a road trailer which doubled the boat up as a camping trailer and we went camping with the boat up in the lakes.

IMO - a very under rated dinghy.

 

[Lakesailor]

I agree with the others. I rebuilt a wooden Heron which was touted as being car-toppable when introduced. Only if you were a Russian weightlifter! Also there will be some occasion when it goes a bit wrong and you damage your car. Trailer is best.
The other thing I found a bit confusing is that you say
[ QUOTE ]
Before I go enrolling myself in sailing classes I thought I might have a go at a little self teaching to see if it is for me

[/ QUOTE ]but if you buy a boat you are more committed than if you go for some training. Are you sure it's because you don't want to turn up at the course as a complete novice?
I'm sure if you pop down to your local dinghy club someone will set your mind at rest and may even take you out for a one-on-one session.