Mirror Dinghy repairs

Brucet1988 · #1 (**permalink**) 12-30-2010

Does anyone have any tips for repairing a leaking centre board case on a Mirror Dinghy?

bljones · #2 (**permalink**) 12-30-2010

Is the centerboard case leaking or the hull around it? This is a notorious area of weakness in Mirrors, subject to abrasion when beaching and also subject to stress from weight transfer when tacking- you gotta put your feet somewhere. You may have to do some poking and prodding to determine how punky the wood is, and then you're gonna need to cut the rot out, getting back to solid material. Invest in a bunch of cloth, epoxy and plywood, sandpaper, gloves and time, and you'll get it done. It's not rocket surgery, but it can leave one a little dry-mouthed when they find themselves cutting a gaping hole in the center of the bottom of their boat.

Brucet1988 · #3 (**permalink**) 12-31-2010

Thanks for the advice.

treilley · #4 (**permalink**) 12-31-2010

Bruce, the mirror is a huge one design class in the UK. There should be many resources online for repair and maintenance. My father and a couple of buddies imported the first 4 mirrors into the us back in the 70s. He and I built it together when I was about 8. It is the boat that I learned to sail on and eventually made me love sailing.

Nitro · #5 (**permalink**) 01-01-2011

Loved reading about the Mirror dinghy, "Jack de Crow"