I've acquired a dinghy which is a Fibrocell hull with what seems to be an extremely old Mirror rig. The sail is tan and the number is 023. We've had some fun sailing her but haven't got the space anymore so need to find a new home for her. I was just going to list her on a local site but I was wondering whether the sail would be of interest to a Mirror enthusiast?
David Cooper
Sun, 10/22/2017 - 17:23
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023
It isn't normal for a sail number to start with 0, so perhaps your sail isn't as old as I first thought. Does it have eyelets in it all the way to the top for lacing it to the gaff or does it only have them on the lower part for lacing it to the mast below the gaff, because that would confirm its age if the former is the case. I would also expect the sail colour to be described as red rather than tan for a Mirror sail. Does it have the Mirror sail symbol on it?
SallyP
Mon, 10/23/2017 - 12:34
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Probably not a Mirror sail after all!
Hi David, I always thought it was a Mirror rig because a/ that's what I was told it was and b/ because it's really similar, gaff rig, wooden boom, same oars and everything but now that you ask about those details I think it's something else, probably a Bobbin: http://standingatthehelm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/project-bobbin-english-s...
There isn't an M on the sail and it's definitely brown/ tan. I'll need to unpack the sail to check the eyelet detail as frustratingly I can't find a clear enough photo but there aren't eyelets all the way up. From memory I think the boom slips through a pocket at the base of the sail. I've got a feeling it's a Bobbin sail and a Mirror rig, now I come to look at it. There were only 1000 Bobbins made so that would explain the low sail number. And the hull definitely matches the description for a Bobbin. Thank you for your help :-)
David Cooper
Mon, 10/23/2017 - 16:41
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That's quite a puzzle
Hi Sally,
If it has a pocket for the boom to go through, it's definitely not a Mirror sail, but if it's been put on a Mirror mast and gaff, that's quite some trick for a Bobbin sail as it appears to have a pocket up the luff as well, so it would be really interesting to see how it all fits together. It's also a puzzle as to what happened to the Bobbin (if that's where the sail came from) as it's a fibreglass boat that shouldn't have rotted away in the way that neglected Mirrors so often do. Anyway, I've found this interesting, particularly as I've never heard of the Bobbin before, so thanks for bringing its existence to my attention. Assuming it fits, it looks as if the sail should stay with the boat it's currently been allocated to - a wonderful and unique mix of parts.
SallyP
Mon, 10/23/2017 - 18:27
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Hybrid boat
Yes she's a cute dinghy and fun to sail but we ended up with a bigger boat and never sail this one so it's time to pass her on. It would be nice to know her story but details were sketchy when I acquired her so we'll just have to guess. I'm in the Lake District and the Bobbins were made in Arundel so she must have had some adventures along the way...