There are three popular family sailing dinghies in this country and, as far as I know, no one has ever sat down and written out a direct comparison between the three boats basing their observations on intimate knowledge of all three classes.

I refer to the Heron, Gull and Mirror which are all in the eleven foot range of sailing dinghies. I have owned two Herons, helped build and enjoyed a considerable amount of sailing in a Mirror and now own a wooden Gull and am therefore in a position to comment constructively on the virtues and drawbacks of each class from practical experience.

All three are designed by eminent dinghy specialists and therefore whichever class you choose you will get a sound seaworthy boat. The choice is largely dictated by the personal requirements of the prospective owner. A brief comparison of the boats is given below:

Heron Gull Mirror

Length 11’ 3” 11’ 0” 10’10”

Beam 4’ 6” 4’ 9” 4’ 7” (Mk III - 5’ 3”)

Hull Weight (minimum) 140 lbs. (Wood) 160 lbs. 100 lbs. 155 lbs. (GRP)

Construction Wood or GRP Wood or GRP Wood

Sail Area (Mainsail & Jib) 70 sq. ft. 70 sq. ft. 69 sq. ft.

Spinnaker None Optional Optional (Optional from 1.1.77.)

Portsmouth Yardstick Rating 120 118 122

Designer Jack Holt Ian Proctor Jack Holt

Now for a more detailed look at the boats.

HULL

Heron - Wooden Version

The Heron was originally designed to be built as a wooden boat on frames using a 3/16” or ¼” skin of plywood. This framed construction gives a strong stiff hull, but one which is "fiddly" to varnish inside because of the number of surfaces which have to see the varnish brush. The hull is fairly easy to build, the only difficulties being the lining up of the frames to start with and when “skinning” the boat the “change over” joint at the bow where the chine disappears. The hull is conventional hard chine in section with fairly bluff bows, and the maximum beam fairly well forward. This gives plenty of buoyancy in the bow sections, but the only problem with this is that the boat has a tendency to be “stopped” when heading into a short steep sea. The cockpit is a reasonable size and the hull can have an optional stern deck. A long foredeck and side decks do mean that space for sitting inboard has been reduced and apart from the side benches the Heron has only two thwarts. In some ways this is good because many people tend to sit too far aft when sailing, but in this boat the after mast thwart is some distance from the transom to counteract this undesirable habit. The raised floor boards fitted to the hull are useful as you can keep your feet dry even if a fair amount of water has been shipped. The hull is equipped with a pivoting centreboard which has many advantages over a daggerboard; its only drawback being that the centreboard case is necessarily longer and occupies more cockpit room. The big advantage is of course, that it fully retracts into a case, and when lifted up halfway for reaching, does not impair the crew's movement.

As far as comfort is concerned my crew always used to complain of "Heron Knees" in light weather, but when sailing in rough conditions the side decks are quite comfortable seats.

Buoyancy arrangements in the wooden boats can be either built in tanks or buoyancy bags. One of the advantages of built in buoyancy tanks with access hatches is that a spare sweater or a camera can be stowed and kept dry. It must be stressed that the built in tanks MUST only have one or two small items in them because if they are filled with gear they lose their effect as the air is displaced. They also cannot be punctured as can a bag, but must be carefully treated with a rot preservative and hatches removed when not in use so that air can circulate freely. Buoyancy bags must of course be securely fastened into the boat.

The Heron has only one mast position as standard, therefore the jib should always be used. Reefing is accomplished by taking rolls around the boom and using a claw or preferably a sail bag with cords rolled into the sail for attaching the kicking strap. The cruising owner could however easily make the necessary fitting for the mast to be stepped forward so that the boat could be sailed with mainsail only if this was felt desirable.

Heron - GRP

Although the minimum weight of a wooden Heron is less than its GRP counterpart, very few boats have been built down to the minimum. The GRP boat is, therefore, probably lighter than the average wooden dinghy and is virtually a straight conversion from one material to another, so that providing you like GRP for dinghies (I don't), you will sail on absolutely equal terms with the wooden boats.

Gull - Wooden Boat

The Gull was originally designed as a frameless double chine dinghy (apart from the prototype) with two buoyancy tanks built in, one forward and one aft. The hull is built on a jig, producing a stiff boat and the lack of frames give a clean interior which is easy to varnish.

The Gull has a more modern appearance than the Heron, as the maximum beam is further aft than in a traditional design. This means that she will sail against a steep chop, cutting through the waves easily, but the bow sections are not too narrow so that when running in a strong breeze, there is little chance of driving the bows under. The cockpit is enormous for the size of boat and if you include the stern tank, which can be used as a seat, there are in fact three thwarts which is useful when the boat is rowed, or powered by an outboard. There are also side benches which run from the centre thwart to the rear buoyancy tank. The bottom of the hull is stiffened and there are no separate floorboards so your feet get wet if you ship any water. The boat has a centreboard which is, in my opinion, preferable in any dinghy and is most comfortable to sail in light and moderate winds. In rough conditions, however, the narrow gunwale is not a particularly comfortable perch, but you can't have everything!

Buoyancy arrangements are forward and aft tanks built into the hull, but the Class Association feel that additional buoyancy bags secured under the side benches are useful to give more lift. Large hatches in the tanks make access easy for repairs such as tightening up rudder fittings, repairing the ply skin, etc., and, of course, gives you a dry storage compartment for very small articles.

The mast has two positions: one for mainsail and jib and one for mainsail alone. I find that rather than reefing, stepping the mast forward gives more cockpit room for the crew (useful for the family man).

Mk. III Gull - GRP

The Class Association made its changeover to GRP in three moves. The first GRP version introduced in 1967 was almost an exact replica in glass of the wooden boat, but did not sell very well largely because of its cost, so a cheaper Mk. II version was later introduced which had no permanent foredeck, but a detachable PVC covered nylon effort which could be removed at will. The boat still did not sell very well and so in 1971 a new Mk. III Gull was introduced. This took advantage of GRP as a material and was a round bilge hull with almost identical underwater lines to the original double chine boat, but had a flared-out hull increasing the beam by 6". The new boat also had side decks which, of course, make her more comfortable to sit out in a blow.

The buoyancy is built-in and there is only one mast position, so the jib must be used at all times and reefing achieved by taking rolls around the boom. There is less cockpit room in the Mk. III and one main thwart with side-benches extending to the stern. A removable aft storage box is incorporated into the design which is a good feature and allowance has been made for outboard motor storage at the stern.

Mirror

This boat has remained practically unchanged since its inception in the early 1960's. She is built of plywood, the bottom, transoms and sides being stitched together and the joint covered on both sides with resin impregnated cloth. The result is a strong very light hull which is easy to maintain. Of all the classes mentioned, it is the easiest and cheapest to build, but there are some points in the design which do need mentioning.

The maximum beam is fairly well forward and the boat has a "pram" bow, this acts as an effective brake in a short choppy sea. It also sends up sheets of spray, and if you sit further aft to lift the bow board, you of course drag the transom deep in the water, slowing yourself down. The actual cockpit size is small in comparison with the other two classes, but the tops of the buoyancy tanks (built in) form a continuous surface, and although the area into which you dangle your legs is restricted, the rest of the boat is unobstructed. There is one centre thwart, but the stern and bow buoyancy tanks are also used for seats, as are those at the sides. If anything, the Mirror has too much buoyancy and floats very high on the water when capsized. This means that it can blow away from you, completely turn turtle, or, as I have seen happen on many occasions, the dagger board is so high out of the water that the helmsman or crew find difficulty in righting the boat. However, there is an advantage that when she is brought upright again there is very little water in the cockpit to bail out.

The floor is stiffened with additional plywood and there are no raised floor boards, so we are back to the wet feet problem if this concerns you.

The lateral resistance for the Mirror is by means of a dagger board (please Class Association get your terms right, it is not a centreboard). This is a board which is inserted vertically into a slot and does not pivot in any way. However, there is one advantage with this system and two disadvantages. The advantage is that the case required is much smaller than that for a pivoting centreboard. Now the bad news! When sailing in shallow water with the board half up (for instance on the North coast of Norfolk), the board is very much in the way of the crew as he changes sides from tack to tack. Secondly, if you manage to hit a mud bank at any speed you do an emergency stop, and because the board is unable to move in a fore and aft direction, the crew and helmsman fall over themselves into the bottom of the boat. There is a danger that if you do it often enough, you run the risk of weakening the resin joint between dagger board case and hull bottom and of course, the board itself will receive impact damage at the bottom of the leading edge and also on the after edge where it enters the casing.

The sight of a number of Mirrors performing the emergency stop procedure is one which never ceases to amuse me - but I have a centreboard. There is a "dry stowage" compartment on a Mirror, which in anything of a sea gets very wet, but access hatches are provided in vertical panels of the buoyancy tanks and small items can be stowed here. However, the same warning should be heeded, do not put much gear in a buoyancy tank - it destroys its effectiveness.

The mast has two positions, so that the mainsail may be used alone with the mast stepped forward, useful for cruising with the family, giving more cockpit space and of course, reducing the sail area.

THE RIG

Heron

The Heron is Gunter rigged with a round or square section mast and round gaff, which is of course slotted for the luff rope of the mainsail. The boom is of rectangular section, again with a bolt rope groove for the foot of the mainsail. The top batten in this sail, may extend to the full width of the sail.

Although the boat is Gunter rigged, a peak halyard is permitted so that the gaff may be hoisted first and the mainsail then hauled up in the conventional Bermudian mast manner (an excellent idea which could be copied by all gunter rigged dinghies). This does allow the gaff to be hauled in close to the mast as there is no weight of the sail or boom on it, and anyone who has tried to lower a gaff at sea in anything of a wind will appreciate the problems.

Gull

This may have either a wooden sparred Gunter rig, metal jointed Bermudian mast, or an unjointed Bermudian mast. Naturally, the Bermudian rig is more efficient because there is less windage than with Gunter spars, but for a cruising boat I would always go for the Gunter rig. No peak halyard is permitted by the rules, but it is a simple matter to fit one for cruising and simply not use it when the boat is being raced.

One interesting feature of the Gull's Gunter rig is that instead of using gaff jaws, a length of sail track is provided on the mast and a slide attached to the gaff is utilised. This is a neat arrangement, and the luff of the mainsail between gaff and gooseneck is held into the mast by sail slides also sliding in the same track; simple and effective.

Mirror

The Mirror is Gunter rigged with a metal or wooden mast, but with a wooden gaff or boom. No peak halyard is allowed, but the same applies as to the Gull in this respect. The mainsail is loose footed and the Mirror's boom is in consequence an unslotted spar which is easy to replace if it breaks. The Mirror's gooseneck is fixed and whilst this is cheaper than the sliding variety, it is a "fiddly" thing to do up and does not allow the crew the same ease in tensioning the mainsail luff.

STABILITY

When comparing the stability of a more modern design plywood or GRP dinghy with the traditional clinker hull, the overriding consideration is weight. The traditional dinghy with her heavy metal centreplate is very stiff in a seaway due largely to her inherent stability caused by weight. This weight has its drawbacks though, particularly if the boat is kept at home on a trailer and launched each time she is sailed. Weight is difficult to handle in and out of the water unless you push your trailer into the sea (heaven forbid - think of the bearings!) - I use a trolley. I compare the above three dinghies to the National 12 which I raced for some years. That was an exciting and very unforgiving boat to sail but the reward was tremendous performance, particularly to windward, in light and moderate winds. However this was a total racing dinghy and you would not expect stability. The three classes mentioned are all fairly "tame" and obviously very suitable for family and day sailing.

Comparisons are said to be odious but here goes! The Mirror, because of her light weight, I have found rather skittish when sailing in choppy conditions but I have sailed one in a genuine force 6 with mainsail only and it was both fast and I think relatively safe.

The Heron I have always thought a splendid stiff sea boat providing you keep her upright in strong winds. If she is allowed to heel too much the boat carries a large amount of weather helm and is difficult to control.

The wooden Gull is quite the nicest boat to sail being very well mannered in both light and heavy weather. I have sailed a number of dinghies designed by Ian Proctor and in my opinion he produces from his drawing board pretty dinghies which are a delight to sail. The double chine construction of the hull is also more sea-kindly than hard chine. I have never sailed a GRP Gull so cannot comment from experience.

One last remark on stability. I once sailed a 505 for a season, not racing but just tearing about the Swale estuary in Kent (without a spinnaker). Surprisingly it was one of the most stable dinghies I have sailed and one of the fastest. (I described it at the time as sailing in a high speed aquatic armchair!)

LIVING SPACE

I have always considered all three classes to be day sailers only and if they were used for more extensive cruising then I would consider a "land tent" almost essential. I would be very interested to hear if anyone has slept aboard particularly in the wooden Gull.

The Gull and Mirror have no raised floorboards so some sort of floor would be necessary if one is to remain dry. In the Mirror, because of its small cockpit, it would be necessary to sleep at thwart level. I presume one would therefore have to carry bunk boards, but where? The double chine hull of the wooden Gull gives a fairly small bottom panel and therefore it would not be that easy to bed down comfortably even with a false floor. That aside, the thwarts are fairly low in the boat therefore the distance between this false floor and the underside of the thwarts would be small. Bunk boards at thwart level would be feasible but if you sleep at this level the stability of the boat will be less than if you sleep on the bottom boards. The raised floorboards of a Heron have distinct possibilities with an airbed if you want the Ritz.

All the foregoing comments are based only on observation and knowledge of the classes, not from experience.

MISCELLANEOUS

The Mirror dinghy is built down to a price, and for that reason it is very good value for money. However, the standard fittings supplied with the boat reflect the obvious good intention of the builders to keep costs to a minimum.

All three boats can be used under oars or with a small outboard motor. I have used a Seagull 40 Plus on all three boats, and found it entirely satisfactory. With the Heron and Gull Mk. I, the engine can be stowed alongside the centreboard case. If you take an engine along as an auxiliary, the weight should be near the centre of the boat. I do not know which make of engine can be accommodated in a Mirror, but I know it can be done as I have seen a boat equipped in this manner.

All the classes allow self bailers, and with the Gull and Mirror these perform the useful function of also draining the hull if you do not cover the boat whilst trailing.

CONCLUSIONS

The Heron

A strong boat with many attractive features, although designed many years ago. It was originally called the Yachting World Cartop Dinghy but its weight will exceed the recommended maximum roof carried load for most cars. Not only that, but the sheer effort in getting it onto the vehicle with limited assistance makes it a "disc slipping" exercise.

The Gull

If you want a large cockpit for the family, then the wooden Mk. I version is the boat for you. Cleaner in appearance than the Heron, and a very seaworthy hull in both wooden and GRP versions. If you like GRP boats, than take a good look at the Mk. III.

The Mirror

By far the most numerous of the Classes described, and the only real car-top dinghy. If you have to carry your boat on the roof, if for instance you are towing a caravan, then this boat is the obvious choice. It is extremely good value for money, and is easy to build.

As far as handling is concerned, I feel the Gull is slightly nicer to sail, and is of course the fastest of the three boats. All are good for teaching basic seamanship, essential before you even start thinking about racing. All can be sailed single-handed, and are ideal for teaching children as they are fairly docile craft, and quite forgiving if you make a mistake.

The wheel has come full circle for me. I started sailing at a very early age and was taught seamanship first and foremost. I then raced for many years at club, regatta and National level in many Classes with a fair degree of success. Now as a family man, I wish to sail with my family and use our boat for cruising.

I would like to thank the three Class Associations involved for giving me every assistance in completing this article. Whichever boat you may decide to buy, join the Class Association, they work very hard for you, their members. Good sailing!