What is the distance between forward and aft mast steps?

My Mirror doesn't have a forward mast step. I'm going to add one soon because the wind here is often a little too much and I'd like to be able to sail on the main alone, comfortably.

Could somebody please measure the distance between the two mast step centres?
Centre to centre.
Also the distance between the forward and aft shroud anchor points, again centre to centre.

And I wonder, is the forward mast step exactly above the vertical bulkhead beneath?

Many thanks!

And may I say I really appreciate this forum. It doesn't get a lot of traffic but the information from past discussions is really useful and interesting.

Thanks again,
James in New Zealand.

Hello James. My Mirror is at home in the garage - so if you don't get replies in the meantime I will do some measuring for you - my Mirror has the two mast steps; but I didn't build it, so I don't know what's under the second/forward step.

Thanks, I'm sure someone out there will be at the ready with a tape measure and boat.
Where are you based with your Mirror?

I'm at Titahi Bay in Wellington - same club as Derek M. My Mirror is currently at home awaiting refurbishment. I also have a Duffin kit here.

The distance between centres (both for the step and for the extra shroud attachment points) on my boat is about 255mm. On the odd occasion when I have sailed the boat with the sail in the forward position - very strong winds, when I didn't want to have to fuss with the jib - I found the performance was surprisingly good, including tacking, once you got the hang of it. A little bit of pointing ability lost, but not as much as expected.

Thankyou very much, that's extremely helpful!

Did you recently sell a Mirror? I seem to remember a listing on trademe, a chap selling one, keeping another, and who also had a kit. That must have been you, there can't be too many people in NZ who have both a Mirror finished, and another in kit form!

Thanks again.

Yes I was going to sell my Mirror so that I had room in my garage to build the Duffin kit. But given the number of tyre kickers around - and the fact that it would have sold for almost nothing in its current state - I decided to rearrange my garage so that I can keep the boat. The Duffin kit is in dry, secure storage so it doesn't matter if that build waits for a while. I have a new mast and new set of sails, which I imported at the same time.

curlew's picture

I often sail with just the mainsail and do not bother to move the mast and it seems OK.
In theory, a single sail should point higher than two sails.
I do seem to notice, however, that a small jib improves the performance a lot - I think Cliff has found the same and has a storm jib. I have slab reefing on both sails and I am still trying to find out by testing if it is best to have a small mainsail and full jib or the converse. David