Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

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amyb
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Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by amyb »

Having just brought home Nessa's TOY dinghy, I wanted to find out more about it. I sent an email to the MD at Allen fittings who passed it on to Tony Allen, who sent me a delightful email explaining how it all came about.
Here's Tony's Story which could perhaps be used to update the TOy page on the database and Tony Allens page.

Hi Amy
Not good at dates.
My story is :- I started sailing when I and two friends built a Jack Holt designed Hornet in 1953 and in 54 started making fittings (Holt Allen). I built a second Hornet in 1956 and married my crew.
When we were expecting I changed to sailing a Jack Holt Solo.
I was having lunch with Jack and he told me about the IYRU competition for a single hander potentially to replace the Finn as Olympic single hander.
As we did often in those times we drew ideas on the back of the menu and batted back and forth with ideas, I wanted Jack to design lighter and more exciting whereas Jack felt what was wanted was a pretty and easy to sail conventional boat.
Jack built a really pretty boat called Cavalier. I launched and sailed it at Burnham and though I loved it I thought it not what was wanted for the competition. So when we next met I sketched out what I thought, a bit of a cross between crewing on a Hornet (the fun of being on a seat out board) and a very light stretched solo.
Jack did another boat bigger than Cavalier with a sliding seat called Corinthian, but it was heavy.
Jack persuaded me to have a go at building my Toy to see what the race committee thought.
The competition was run by The Yachting World as a paper presentation. and I was joint winner with two continental designs, I remember that one was called blizzard I think by a friend in Belgium. I cannot remember the other.
We shared the £1000 prize, Whoopee.
The original Toy was built very light by the Mirror dinghy method pioneered by Jack, I built a second prototype with a very small change of lines to reduce the wave drag also of plywood.
On Christmas day I woke with terrible toothache and phone John Partridge a dentist friend who sailed Hornet at Brightlingsea. and he got me to go to him to be fixed, whilst I was in his chair with all the instrument in my mouth he asked that I give him license to manufacture TOYs. When he let me go I found that I had agreed that he would be sole builder in the UK and that he would pay me a Royalty per boat.
It was then that I redrew to make in GRP and changed the bow shape to be suitable for GRP.
I do not now know how many were built, I know some were built in Russia and some in Hamburg.
We did several competitive trails observed by IYRU committees and did not disgrace ourselves.
I wish you much fun sailing Toy, there was a TOY owners association but I was too busy to look after my boat and it's furtherance.
Wishes Tony Allen
Last edited by amyb on Wed Sep 04, 2013 10:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Rupert
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by Rupert »

What a great post - thanks for sharing that, Amy.
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by Rupert »

The ToY section now updated.
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amyb
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by amyb »

Thanks Rupert,

I want to continue my research maybe find out how many were made and what year mine is. What number did you have Rupert?

I think next I want to see if I can find any articles in 'The yachting World' about the competition which may show all the boats put forward for trials.

Anyone have any copies from the 60's or is a trip to a library archive in order!!

(mum says i'm turning into dad!!)

Amy

we'll have to discuss handicaps at the next event, on the database it says 93, Noble Marine's database says 1132 in new money, and I raced on 91 at hunts!!
roger
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by roger »

Amy, great bit of research. It may be worth talking to David Henshall he has lots of contacts in the dinghy world and may be able to help your research.
I think Neil had one at one time as well.

I can see you doing for the TOY what Rupert and co have done for the minisail.
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neil
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by neil »

yep - had 117. It was the boat that caused me to discover the CVRDA all those years ago, think I did 2 races before the seat exploded and required surgery. Looking out these pics has reminded me what colour my hair should be.

Image

Image

Somewhere I have a bag of spare wooden bits - the transom had a habit of exploding so I collected spare ones :D If I find any bits happy to move them on to a new ToY owner
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Pat
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by Pat »

David Henshall certainly has lots of info on those trials - the Unit he owned was one of the trials boats shown here when he brought it to the Baltic Wharf event
http://cvrda.org/coppermine/displayimag ... play_media
(Half Cut and What a Lark Removals Ltd)
amyb
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by amyb »

I see you now have an IC Neil, I can see the toy being a sliding seat intro and the canoe being to place to end up!!

thanksfully I happen to know a very competent boat builder who can help me give the boat a thorough MOT this winter!!

(I'm Chris Barlow's Daughter for those that haven't met me yet!)
simonmw
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by simonmw »

I want to continue my research maybe find out how many were made and what year mine is.
My second one was number 216- so assuming the numbering started at 1, there were at least that many...

There was also a production run in the late 1990s, the moulds were resurrected (I believe by some sailors from Clacton on Sea, but don't quote me on that) and a number of hulls were built- dubbed the 'ToY 2000' to differentiate from the original boats. These had an updated rig with a bigger roach on the mainsail, higher hounds on the mast and a set of spreaders, but the most significant difference was that they dispensed with the seat altogether, replacing it with racks and a trapeze.

At least one of these later hulls, as of 2004ish (when I last saw it) had never been fitted out, and was stored in an alleyway alongside the owner's bungalow in Holland on Sea. I wouldn't be surprised if it is still there!
Current custodian of-
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Rupert
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by Rupert »

I'll have to find a photo of mine - I can't recall the number at all, except that it predated the rig change.
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chris
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by chris »

Following the trail above, I've just got to the Cavalier, by Holt, on the dinghy database. There are two photos. A small B&W one and a larger colour one. Since the cavalier is described as a Una rig, non-spinny, single hander and the colour photo shows a large boat with a spinnaker up and a crew of three this is clearly not the same Cavalier. In fact it is labelled a Royal Cavalier. ..A little job for you Pat.
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Ed
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by Ed »

A few boats have passed under the bridge since Neil was an IC owner.....

sails a very smart Megabyte these days...

if we ask nicely and wait, I am sure he will come online with a nice photo of it.

eib
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Rupert
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by Rupert »

Ed wrote:A few boats have passed under the bridge since Neil was an IC owner.....


eib
And there was I thinking the correct expression was "A lot of beer has been passed since..."
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amyb
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by amyb »

Is anyone still sailing an IC at events? I'd love a go in one sometime!!
roger
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Re: Tony Allen and the TOY dinghy

Post by roger »

I think Max has an AC but it wouldnt be at a cvrda event. Micheal has one stashed away somewhere but we have only seen pics.
I would be interested in one if we had somewhere to sail it and I really enjoyed sailing Stuarts at Roadford that time and I soon got used to walking round the back of the sail.

Looks like you have the planking bug Amy. There was talk of a plankers event once with the aim of trying to get the few planking Hornets out alongside the ICs and the minisails and Toys. May be we should look at that again.
Hornet 191 Shoestring,
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
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