Mirror 16

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Mirror 16 was Class was sponsored by the Daily Mirror newspaper in 1963 and the design project headed by Jack Holt. It design was based upon the easy to construct "stich and glue" principle introduced by Barry Bucknall for the Mirror 11 dinghy. The Mirror 16 was designed for the racing enthuiast and alos the camping / potterer dinghy sailor. The concept was a relativly light dinghy with a large sail area that could easily be reefed. The main sail was designed for slab reefing and the large genoa had roller reefing. The M 16 was faster than the proctor designed Wayfarer.

Vital statistics

LOA 16ft, Beam 6ft, Hull draft 6ins, Sail area; Main 123 sq ft, Genoa 55 sq ft, Spinnaker 120 sq ft. Weight 260 lbs.

There were no plans and boats were built from kits provided by Bell Woodworking Company, the parts being made from templates. Bell Woodworking Company no longer exists and the templates have been lost. Currently a small group of enthuiasts are trying to recreate the design.

The Mirror 16 did not achieve the popularity of the other Mirror Classes. Only about 600 were built. The hull,made from 5mm plywood was adequate but not strong enough to take punishment such as grounding on hard surfaces. Very few survive today, most have suffered from rot.