Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
Many of those reading this headline will immediately think of the Mirror dinghy which, without wanting to put any noses out of joint, is probably the most well-known kit boat ever!
It’s also one that many a family have built together and launched a lifetime of sailing pleasure.
This feature, from the January 1966 issue of SA Yachting magazine, opens like this: “Too often with boat – as with marriage – price is the thing that scares off the nibbler. Well, here is a “do-it-yourselfer” that you can buy in kit form for R200 – including all rigging, fittings and paint. This is the sizeable Mirror class which is 10ft. 10in. overall and 4ft. 7in. beam, has a hull that weighs only 98lb., and is now sweeping the English-speaking world.”
For those who don’t know the origins of this magnificent little craft, here’s some history: “When the London Daily Mirror set out to produce a small boat for the millions in Britain, they called in Barry Bucknell, a famous TV handyman. Of all people he knew best what the average man could do with his hands. He had already worked on a revolutionary method of building small boats. So Jack Holt, one of the world’s foremost dinghy designers was asked to take this method of simple construction and use it in a design that would suit all requirements.”
READ MORE HERE: 1966 01 – SA Yachting – kit boats – OCR
