harrier dinghy

   I have been following the `hadron` thread with interest, which lead me to research the Harrier/harrier+ dinghy

I would like to purchase one of these boats, anyone know of one for sale anywhere?

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porkyman Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 27	Post Options Post Reply Quote porkyman Report Post Quote Reply Topic: harrier dinghy Posted: 16 Oct 13 at 11:03pm
	I have been following the `hadron` thread with interest, which lead me to research the Harrier/harrier+ dinghy I would like to purchase one of these boats, anyone know of one for sale anywhere?
	porkyman

Pierre Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 15 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1532	Post Options Post Reply Quote Pierre Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Oct 13 at 10:14am
	I would expect someone on the CVRDA website might help with this.

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Oct 13 at 10:57am
	They come up from time to time on the likes of Ebay and Apollo Duck. I don't suppose there are more than a couple of dozen survivors, so you may need to wait until someone wants to sell one. A basically good idea spoiled by poor execution IMHO. I had a standard spec one for a while and there were several things that had to be sorted out to make it a usable boat. Ultimately though you end up with the problem that its a solid csm glass boat, and that's really not a great boat construction method... The ply built Hadron will be intrinsically superior.

winging it Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 22 Mar 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3958	Post Options Post Reply Quote winging it Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Oct 13 at 12:35pm
	there was one in the boat park at Hunts for a while and I know the chap advertised it for a while but had no takers. It was a heavy boat to move around on land and water would slosh in over the decks. Jim is right, just a few too many small things wrong, which spoiled the boat. The Harrier + is basically a harrier with a phantom rig. Lots around Whitby for a while, not sure if they are still there. There are better big person boats out there.
	the same, but different...

Nipper Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Groupie Joined: 17 Oct 13 Location: Hants Online Status: Offline Posts: 40	Post Options Post Reply Quote Nipper Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Oct 13 at 5:22pm
	A 40 year old boat, which was not a great sucess in its day, made of floppy grp, with a undersize rig, doesn't sound a rewarding sailing prospect in 2013. I have only ever seen one down on the south coast, and that was at the Pompey Persisher in the 70's, and it only stood out because the owner wore a lime green one piece sailing suit. Looked a big boat on dry land, and took two people to move it around. Was hopeless downwind in the short solent chop, nosediving/broaching, pig to get up, and then impossible to sail as there was so much water in it. There have been a lot better boats designed and built since. However hats off to Keith Callaghan who is still designing dinghies after nearly 50 years, even if all his designs look like Merlin Rockets. Work by him and Phil Morrison and others have resulted in the current crop of Rs's, lasers etc, otherwise we would still be in the slim Uffa Fox & Ian Proctor designs, rolling down wind cutting a furrow through the sea.
	39 years of dinghy racing and still waiting to peak.

Daniel Holman Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 17 Nov 08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 997	Post Options Post Reply Quote Daniel Holman Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Oct 13 at 5:58pm
	Guy who used to work for my old man had a harrier. My impression of it as a young lad was that it wasn't as quick as it looked like it should have been

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Oct 13 at 6:08pm
	To be fair to Keith I don't believe the rig was undersize, and it certainly didn't need upsizing with a Phantom sail. The original rig, I imagine for cost cutting reasons, had an untapered deck stepped mast and no spreaders, and (of course at that date) no lowers. It was utterly uncontrolled and bent all over the place. I once sailed mine in a F8 without realising it was any more than F5 or 6 so comprehensively did it dump any power available. After that I upgraded mine with spreaders and lowers and it transformed the rig. The size was about right, it was the implementation. Similarly the internal buoyancy was virtually a built in version of the similarly inadequate buoyancy carried by Merlins of the period in bags, so that was how things were back then in many classes. The broaching would have been because the rudder blade was a good six inches too short, again a change I made in mine to good effect. As for all KCs boats looking like Merlins, well, that's a common theme. All Uffa Fox boats look like distorted versions of Avenger, some with long sterns built on, all Proctor's boats look much the same, and all the Bethwaite boats bear a family resemblance to Mark's NS14... In any case, from what I can make out, it might be as true to say all Merlins look like Keith Callaghan boats! Edited by JimC - 17 Oct 13 at 6:38pm

Rupert Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rupert Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Oct 13 at 9:56pm
	Did Keith start the wide merlin trend then? I though they were from just before, but then I didn't realize he had been designing for 50 years - I thought it was from the early 70's.
	Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Oct 13 at 10:24pm
	I'd vaguely got the idea he was responsible for the flat floor trend, but could be wrong. The class is not one of my great interests.

porkyman Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 27	Post Options Post Reply Quote porkyman Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 18 Oct 13 at 9:54am
	thanks for the interesting comments, anyone got anything positive to say? I have posted on CVRDA, so i will see what comes up
	porkyman