Sailing Dinghy identification

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Nudge

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Despite having been dragged up on sailing dinghies of the 60s & 70s and sailed many a class, coupled with having a host of dinghy brochures from the same era when my Dad was deciding on which boat to buy, I just bought a couple of dinghies from along the road and one of them eludes me.... so over to the alumni! Any ideas chaps?!

Looks for all the world like a big topper but has a foresail and a stayed mast. Has an alloy plate dagger board. Mainsail hoists up a track in the mast. It's GRP rather than plastic...
IMG_1653.JPG

At least I know the other one at the back is an Albacore....
 
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I thought maybe a Minisail, but it's not. Or Bonito, but it's not.

Feel free to thank me for my help. :D
 
Thanks Mark,

It was advertised as a Topper but as soon as I saw it I knew is wasn't.... Has a sail insignia that looks a little bit like a small version of a Kestrel insignia. Has a number 165 which means there are (were) a few about at some point. Looks like it could be fun.

Nudge
 
Nudge said:
Thanks Mark,

It was advertised as a Topper but as soon as I saw it I knew is wasn't.... Has a sail insignia that looks a little bit like a small version of a Kestrel insignia. Has a number 165 which means there are (were) a few about at some point. Looks like it could be fun.

Nudge
Click to expand...

I'm starting to wonder if it is a Minisail after all. It seems there were different designs and Google suggests some of them use second hand sails from Lightenings, which sounds similar to your sail...
 
Mark-1 said:
I'm starting to wonder if it is a Minisail after all. It seems there were different designs and Google suggests some of them use second hand sails from Lightenings, which sounds similar to your sail...
Click to expand...

That was my thinking when I clapped eyes on it - I even told the vendor that I thought it was a minisail (looked up the brochure when I got home which was for a wooden one...) The snag is the stayed mast rather than a socket mast step which I can't see in any of the minisail examples that I can find...

Appreciate the chat!

Nudge
 
Perhaps not the best angle to photograph it from?
What shape is the bow?
How long is it?
The main feature of it seems to be no mast step on deck, so presumably hog stepped mast with no support at the partners.
It has jib fairlead tracks, so a 2 hander.
Wild guess, Bullet, a small Furball?

Try asking the CVDRA?
 
lw395 said:
Perhaps not the best angle to photograph it from?
What shape is the bow?
How long is it?
The main feature of it seems to be no mast step on deck, so presumably hog stepped mast with no support at the partners.
It has jib fairlead tracks, so a 2 hander.
Wild guess, Bullet, a small Furball?

Try asking the CVDRA?
Click to expand...

The one boat that I can think of from the 70's moulded in that 'orrible orange was the Flipper scow?
 
Yes, I also think its a Flipper, but the photo would be more helpful if it showed the bow (squared off rather on the Flipper). If so it had a straight aluminium dagger board, simple pole mast with diamond spreaders(the one I crewed left those off, and the mast eventually snapped.) Incredibly fast on the plane, only sailboards planed faster. I think Paul Elvstrom had a hand in designing/ marketing them. Great fun.
 
Gladys said:
The one boat that I can think of from the 70's moulded in that 'orrible orange was the Flipper scow?
Click to expand...

Larry, I think you may have cracked it - looking at the images, it looks about right (as I said for all the world like a big topper) and the sail insignia is very close from memory. I haven't got the dinghies back to the house yet so don't have details of length but pretty sure it's a Flipper Scow. Oh god what have I done.....

Nudge
 
Nudge said:
That was my thinking when I clapped eyes on it - I even told the vendor that I thought it was a minisail (looked up the brochure when I got home which was for a wooden one...) The snag is the stayed mast rather than a socket mast step which I can't see in any of the minisail examples that I can find...

Appreciate the chat!

Nudge
Click to expand...

You were way ahead of me all along!

Thanks for sharing an interesting mystery. Off to have a look at 'Flipper Scow' which I've never heard of.
 
mjcoon said:
Flipping scowling? (What's wrong with it?)

Mike.
Click to expand...

Hey Mike,
Not so much wrong with it - one small area of damage on the GRP and the timber strap down the dagger board casing needs replaced but a couple of hours work would make it ready to go.

Might keep the Albacore (that came with the Scow) for a while but as I gave up racing Contenders and 505s in the late 70's and moved to deep-keels-and-expensive-race-sails I don't think that the Scow is a keeper!!

Nudge
 
Nudge said:
Has a number 165 which means there are (were) a few about at some point
Click to expand...

That could, potentially, not be the case. My former boat had sail number 539... but they started at 501 (so mine was hull Nº 39)

Dutch designs from the 80´s had a lot of similar looking boats... do you know the dimensions? Maybe paste the pic of the sail insignia.
 
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