In two previous blogs I talked about the Albacore and the Aykroyd built sail boats. These are classed as dinghies due to the centre board or dagger board vs. a fixed keel. But what is truly the character of a dinghy? I remember one of the first sailboats was a Snark. The Snark is a very lightweight craft capable of holding two people, although they better be pretty small from what I remember. The sail was rigged in such a way so that its two beams joined at the front, ahead of the mast. They were manufactured and marketed by Meyers Boat Company of Adrian, Michigan. The Snark was initially marketed by Snark Products, Inc. of Fort Lee, New Jersey. I remember it as essentially a Styrofoam, unsinkable boat with a little dagger board and a tiller. They were best suited to very young children and it didn’t sail very well.
Next up was what I consider to be the true dinghy from what I have experienced. It was a shortish boat, maybe 12 feet, made in cedar strip style with rounded ribs. It had a massive centre board and a traditional looking rudder. It had one sail rigged to a short mast. It was designed to take any amount of wind and still sail in an unruffled manner. This is the perfect little sailboat to go from shore to a bigger boat. Speed or performance was not the main objective. Simple, dependable, short distance travel with gear and passengers, was the goal.
Paul Saxton has come across a boat very similar to what I have experienced as a kid, the Richardson “Sinbad”. He will be sharing more about his discoveries in coming blogs.
By Tim Du Vernet
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