Mirror Dinghy?

Like many of my generation who started to sail back in the 60s/70s I started in a Mirror. What a great, flexible little boat. 50 years on I still don't think there is a better boat to put on the roof of a car and take on holiday or to learn in. As others have said, most of the top racers sail the latest FRP Winder boats. and it seems to have become a young persons boat at the the top level. Having said that. the Mirror also seems to have become the de facto boat for most of our older members to sail at my club. So if you were to look at dinghy classes with the widest active age range of sailors I think the Mirror would be well up the list. I personally don't think centre mainsheets suit the boat but each to their own. Nice boats are out there but can be hard to find, as others have said there are a lot of tatty poorly maintained Mirrors in the back of boat parks. But I think it's worth a bit of effort to try and find a decent one, if you keep it maintained well you won't lose any money on it.

Looking at the usual weights of dinghy classes, I see there are not many that are significantly lighter than a Mirror (because it is short I suppose).

A lighter boat will be nicer to pull up the slipway, all on your own. Older boats will have gained weight though. And some trailers/trollies are heavier than others!

I've seen several people recommend the Mirror for cruising, so it could well be a good idea.

Originally posted by Lukepiewalker I would counsel against a centre main, as it precludes sliding across on the thwart.

Flip side is with the centre mainsheet you can take the jib sheet in your hand throughout the whole of the tack and pull it in as you cross the boat.

But yes the aft main does give more room in the boat if that is what is wanted. Also I guess it will allow you to have a longer tiller extension if sailing solo and you need to get "up front". But nothing is that far away in a Mirror anyway.

Good luck on your search.

Places to look for rot in a wooden Mirror: inside the cuddy bit under the foredeck, up against the front bulkhead (so betwen the centreboard case and the plywood. Round the case. Under the stringers (the strips of wood in the bottom of the boat). At the back of the cockpit, at the aft bulkhead. Along the edges of the plywood where they are exposed on the gunwales, especially towards the stern. Along the back edge of the tank where it meets the transom - same at the bows. Round the rudder fixings, especially the bottom one.
If you poke areas and they seem soft, best to walk away. There are so many out there, it isn't worth buying a project unless the aim is the boat work, not the sailing!

I too like aft main on a Mirror, as it makes the boat more comfortable. However, it does depend upon what you learned in, at least partly. Doesn't take much to get used to taking an aft main boat, mind.

I'm six foot tall and about 90-95kgs. I sail one with my youngster - sometimes three up. You will not have any problem with the boom. At £375 you will not loose out but will want to make sure the hull is sound. you can pick up the Bell plastic boats quite cheaply when they come up but these are very heavy and probably start around £600. If you go for wooden make sure it is not painted inside as this can hide rot. If you go for one try and get a center mainsheet as this will make it a far better boat to sail. You can get an up grade kit but this with the epoxy will probably set you back around £250.

Try to think about what you will be using for next year. You can add spinnaker and better rig set ups as you go along but this is expensive. If you think you will want a flyaway pole, spinnaker, lines led to the thrawt then it will be cheaper buying a boat already set up with these rather than upgrading a cheap basic boat.

Do not be put of my a boat that is "raced rigged". All what this means is the rig and rigging will work and run better and more efficiently making the boat nicer and easier to sail - some thing that a beginner will appreciate.