Mirror 16 foot Sailing Dinghy

Discussion in 'Wooden Boat Building and Restoration' started by goolawah, Jun 6, 2006.

  1. martinpook
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    martinpook Junior Member

    Rod - that looks excellent. I'll go and have a look in the bilges tomorrow - there are access hatches - and see what I can ascertain. I'll be very interested to receive any information on the boat.
    Martin
     
  2. Ozducati
    Joined: May 2008
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    Ozducati Mirror 16 #189

    Glascraft Marine info

    Thanks for your offer of assisstance, Martin.
    I received the fax from Glascraft..... not much on it really except the mention of a Mirror 14.
     

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  3. martinpook
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    martinpook Junior Member

    Rightho - I didn't realise I could send .dwg files so there should be a .pdf attached. This boat is more like an aeroplane in construction so not all normal boaty terms apply. The drawing is just a sketch to show what it looks like and I have guessed the dimensions of the solid bits of what might be called a keelson. Something odd happens at the centrecase and I need more time to have a think about what I can see - but not until next week.

    I didn't know there was a Mirror 14, but I think there was also a motor cruiser.

    As a cruising dinghy you couldn't have a better area to sleep on - room for two with only a minimal boom tent. Stability seems to have been in question and I was told by the guy I bought mine from that it was more stable than a Wayfarer. With hard chines as far out as the Mirror has it will be more stable, but will capsize quickly once you reach its limit - if you have a flat bottom and vertical sides you can stand at the side of the boat, but lean out and it will tip you in very quickly. So I can see why the RYA and schools prefer the Wayfarer with its more progressive stability. It also got a name for being a 'good sea boat' from the exploits of Frank and Margaret Dye. They sailed one to Iceland, capsizing several times - not my idea of a 'good sea boat'. I met Frank some years ago and umm... nutter springs to mind. Margaret on the other hand is a delightful lady just like your favourite granny, just that her true north is a few degrees different to the rest of us.
    Martin
     

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  4. Ozducati
    Joined: May 2008
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    Ozducati Mirror 16 #189

    M16 Centreboard case

    G'day Martin,

    Frank & Margaret sound like 'interesting' people ..... still, it would be a pretty dull world if we all danced to the same tune.

    I've heard a number of opinions about the stability of the Mirror 16, some good & some not so good. Most of the 'not so good' stories have come from people who mucked about in 300+kg boats (steel centreboards and the like) so I guess it depends upon your point of reference. My last boat (and my first one!) was 7'6" long, 3'5" wide and weighed 55lbs, and we had no stability problems with it. (You can see it at http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/07/designs/plastic/index.htm )

    I have attached a couple of images from the Mirror 16 building instructions booklet.... these should cast some illumination on the centreboard case.
    Also, Ostosix posted some photos earlier in this thread (post #57 & #58) that show the hull inverted with sections of the bottom panels removed.
    Are you certain that the floor and bottom panels are 6mm? Everything I have read and heard so far indicated that these were 4mm.

    Goolawah is taking his Mirror 16 to the Bribie Classic Regatta at Bribie Island this weekend. He has offered to take myself and my boys for a sail. Definitely looking forward to that.
     

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  5. martinpook
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    martinpook Junior Member

    Rod
    The difference between the pictures you posted and mine are a bit of a concern so I will have to look closer.
    Happy sailing
    Martin
     
  6. martinpook
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    martinpook Junior Member

    Hi Rod, sorry I haven't got back before, I have to work sometimes. I hope you enjoyed your sailing. With a bit of luck we'll get out this week.
    Obviously I can't check the bottom of the boat, but the sole and seats (buoyancy tanks/lockers) are 4mm so the bottom is as well I would guess. The fore deck has been replaced by the previous owner using 6mm, probably WBP (the stuff you get at your local building supplies with a thick central core) rather than marine. The pictures show an 'I' section forward of the centrecase but mine is definitely boxed.
    I went back and looked at Ostosix's photos. He asked about epoxy coating. The whole of that bottom section of the boat must be very prone to rot and epoxy coating would seem a good idea on the face of it but relies on getting the coating continous and waterproof, mainly by soaking into the ply. With most timbers it doesn't and you just have a surface coating and if you can guarantee to get that 100% cotinuous and watertight better man than I.
    I had some success with birch plywood which is open grained, although birch is normally reckoned to be a short lived timber i.e prone to rot. I have an epoxy coated birch plywood boat that is now 15 years old with no sign of problems. The old clippers used to have salt packed between the frames so maybe the real answer is not to sail on fresh water!
    Martin
     
  7. Mirror16Sydney
    Joined: Jul 2008
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    Location: Sydney, NSW, AUST

    Mirror16Sydney New Member

    Renovating Mirror 16

    Hi There Ozducati,

    I have just picked up on your requests. I have been renovating a mirror 16 for some time now and I can send you as many photos as you like showing the construction.

    Our Mirror16 has been in the family since the 1970's when my dad built from a kit here in Sydney. I was 16 at the time and helped him a bit so I can rememeber quite a bit if the construction. The spine was built around the centre board box this was quite solid and an integral part of the spine. I can post photos looking into the service caps that verifys the buld under the deck. The ribs are 4mm but the spine is thicker from memory.

    I am looking for plans on the rigging. I need to source the jib furler that is standard on the 16. Ours coroded and we replaced it with stay hooks. I want to get it back to original of course.

    I will get some photos happening in the next few days. with thanks Rob
     
  8. Ozducati
    Joined: May 2008
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    Location: Brisbane

    Ozducati Mirror 16 #189

    G'day Rob,
    Thanks for your offer of information. Anything would be greatly appreciated.
    I haven't progressed much further since my last post.. the kids, the flu, and the impending closure of the refrigerator factory where I work have sucked up a lot of my time.
    The main sticking point I have at the moment is the transverse curvature of the bottom and side panels... I would like to get these correct before I proceed further with the model. A few months back Ostosix offered to forward the dimensions of the underfloor ribs that he replaced in his M16, but I have not heard back from him yet. I think my only other option is to arrange a visit with Goolawah and measure his hull. With this in mind I have made a simple jig to measure curvature (see attached).. place the jig on the surface to be measured, read the offset on the dial indicator and translate the reading to a table of values to get the radius of the curve.
     

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  9. Ozducati
    Joined: May 2008
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    Ozducati Mirror 16 #189

    Ostosix!! Where are you??

    Ostosix,
    Regarding the measurements of the ribs that you were going to do.....
    If it is too much of a problem to measure the ribs, could you photograph each one (making sure that the camera is as 'square' as possible to the rib when taking the photo), and include a 12" rule in each photo for scale reference.
    Please let me know if this is possible for you to do, so that I can either wait for the photos or move on to some other source.
    Thanks.
     
  10. mirror16lincoln
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    Location: Lincoln

    mirror16lincoln New Member

    mirror 16 on the water

    just wanted to let you know that another mirror 16 went on the water last night in Lincoln (UK).
    after initial problems with the jib we had it on the water and it flew past every boat.
    however in are excitement we did break the tiller extension, does anyone have the dimensions for the tiller and rudder?
    also do you know how many boats there are left, and are there in the local area?
     
  11. zorg13
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    zorg13 New Member

    i have seen quite a few!

    currently on Rhosneigr beach in anglesey there are 4 in sea worthy condition! next time i visit i will send a photo!
     
  12. ICLYM
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    ICLYM Junior Member

    I have just bought Mirror 16 sail no 265. Boat requires extensive restoration, but I think she will sail again. History suggests she has spent sometime in a barn at Henley on Thames. Would be interested in how plans etc are progressing
     
  13. Ozducati
    Joined: May 2008
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    Location: Brisbane

    Ozducati Mirror 16 #189

    G'day ICLYM,
    Progress has been slow but steady. I spent some time a few weeks ago down on the Brisbane River where 3 Mirror 16s met up for a day out, and I took the opportunity to meet them at the boat ramp before they set off got a few more measurements from the hulls.
    I now have the hull shape defined in CAD and am currently adding in ribs the ribs, bulkhead and other detail.
    Once this is complete I will make a 1/4 scale model from the plan to see if it all fits together.

    How much work is involved to restore your 'new' Mirror?
     

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  14. danp
    Joined: Oct 2008
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    Location: Brisbane

    danp New Member

    Hi guys. Last week I was given a boat in need of repair which turns out to be a Mirror 16. I've never taken on a project like this before. I was thinking of building a GIS to get into sailing until this came up. I noticed a few people on this thread are from Brisbane, I live in Wynnum so if anyone would be able to help me out with plans or tips or even where I should begin it would very much appreciated. I just started cleaning some of the junk out of the boat today and it looks like there is a bit of rot here and there.
     

  15. rfnk
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    rfnk Junior Member

    Absolutely! How could anyone not love the Mirror?! I had no idea there was a Mirror 16 until I found this thread. My wife will have a fit if she catches me writing this but I'd love to have a go at building a Mirror for grownups (not that I'm really grown up yet!). I think there's a real need to renew interest in boats that can be built at home fairly easily from plywood etc. It really worries me that this tradition has all but died out in Oz and, I guess, many other places. I have two nephews that I think would gain a lot from involvement in a project like this. Let us know if there's anything you need/we can do to help. Restoring boats is great fun - restoring a class of boats - even better!

    Er, whoops! This is actually a reply to Goolawah's post where he was asking if anyone'd be interested in plans. I didn't realise there were several more pages of posts! Interest still stands though! Rick
     
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