The GP14 Designer: Jack Holt (1949) Length   : 4.27 m Width    : 1.54 m                 Minimum weight: 132.9 kg Sail area: main & jib 12.85 m² + spinnaker 8.4 m² PN (2005): 1127 GP 14 Tuning guide GP 14 Useful information Photograph courtesy of Fyne Boat Kits, Cumbria

   
    The GP14 is a versatile 14 ft long, two person sailing dinghy built in either wood or plastic. Designed by Jack Holt, one of Britain's foremost dinghy designers, the boat was promoted by Yachting monthly as a robust family sailing dinghy.

Compared to more recent designs, the GP14 is relatively heavy (133kg) but stable, and an ideal boat to learn to sail in. It is also raced competitively, and offers good close racing. With full racing rig of mainsail, genoa and spinnaker it can be an exiting racing boat or with main and small jib a comfortable family dinghy.

The idea behind the design was to build a General Purpose (GP) 14 foot dinghy which could be cruised, raced and rowed equally well. In the early 1990s a new internal layout was introduced in the wooden boats (the "Series 2"), with built-in buoyancy. This was further modified in 2005, by Belfast boat builder Alistair Duffin. New boats are currently available both in wood and in glass-reinforced plastic.
    The GP14 has been popular in Ireland for 40 years and currently has fleets in 17 clubs around the country, where crews of all ages enjoy racing in brand new or older fibreglass or wooden boats costing from €500 to €7000.
Because of the robust and moderate design, depreciation on GP's is very small, so not only is the boat both easy and fun to sail but it is easy on the pocket. Cost of ownership is kept down by a special class insurance scheme and restrictions on the prices of major items such as sails and masts.

Designed by Jack Holt / Barry Bucknell and sponsored by the London Daily Mirror in 1963, as an all-purpose boat for home building. Length       3.3 m (10'-10")  Beam         1.4 m (4'-7")  Buoyancy  4 built-in tanks Load          270 kg Hull             Marine plywood or composite fiberglass.   Although the Mirror is not the prettiest boat ever designed, it was revolutionary in its construction method. Plywood panels are joined using Epoxy glue and fiberglass tape to produce a rigid shell. The four internal buoyancy tanks, which double as a deck and seating, impart stiffness to the hull and in the event of a capsize a Mirror will continue to float even if the cockpit is full of water. The Mirror was first promoted as a low cost family sailing boat however in many countries it’s role has shifted to that of a youth training and racing boat. Since its introduction, over 70,000 Mirrors have been built around the world.

Mirrors are now available in Wood and Composite Glass Reinforced Plastic (a fibreglass - foam sandwich).  One of the advantages of a wooden boat is that they are relatively easy to fix. Wooden boats are beautiful however they do need regular painting and varnishing but a carefully applied paint system should last five years. The advantages of GRP are that it is lower initial maintenance, but it still requires a lot of care and attention. The disadvantages are that no GRP boat can match the beauty of a well maintained wooden boat and that GRP deteriorates with age,use and exposure to UV light. New wooden boats can be bought from Alistair Duffin, and the IMCAI web site also mentions that Edwin Brennan in Dunlaoghaire also builds wooden boats. No special skills or tools required to build a Mirror, and a good dinghy requires approximately 120 hours build time. ISAF approved kits can be acquired from Trident UK the supplier in Europe. Second hand boats can be found on the International Mirror Class Association of Ireland website or any Clubs notice board. If you are new to this game you should get an experienced hand to carefully check the condition of the boat. Any boat showing signs of neglect or a poorly executed paint job may have hidden problems. The Mirror Class is administered by the International Mirror Class Association and the Irish branch is the International Mirror Class Association of Ireland. Mirror Class Rules 2003 A basic Mirror tuning guide for beginners (Microsoft Word) Experienced Mirror Sailors' Boat Settings Peter Collings, 2001-2007, Highest rank - 9th Mike Hill, 1980s onwards, National Champion 2007, Ranked 1st 2007