Mermaid

[Garry R]

Met someone tonight who has a Mermaid dinghy. Went onto the dinghy database and sure enough there it is BUT what year was it designed if anyone knows. Potential CVRDA-er.

[Bill-Conner]

Wiki... says designed 1962, looks very angular!

[clibb]

There were at least three Mermaid dinghies. One was an Irish design by John Kearney, begun in 1933, and was clinker built. A second one was usually called the Mermaid 14, and was a Roger Hancock design. I can't date it earlier than late 60's. One little twist. Though only 14ft long it had a little detachable cuddy under which the crew could shelter when cuising or camping. I don't know what the sail insignia was.The third boat was also a Roger Hancock design, and was actually called the D.I.Y. Mermaid. Very angular, 11ft long, and very much a home build boat, though you could get either of Hancocks boats from Mermaid Boats in Bosham. It looked like a gaff-rigged SigneT. This one's sail insignia was a diving mermaid with the letters DIY above. It had a PY of 127 in old money, and I have a picture showing that there were at least 453 of them by 1971. Back then there was a class secretary, a Miss Nadrett, based in London S.W.10.

[Rupert]

I was picturing the DIY Mermaid when I read this - wasn't aware of the other Roger H one! It would be welcome at cvrda events anyway as a lost class, but it sounds like it makes it in anyway.

Isn't SteveB our expert?

[davidh]

Indeed, Roger Hancock is a real unsung star of the diy dinghy world. And yes again, Steve is something of an expert on the subject. Sadly neither boat nor designer get the credit they deserve!

Here you are Max...more boats for your ' Boat a day' calendar!

D

[Nessa]

there is at least one clinker mermiad here at Hunts.

[Garry R]

The one I saw is an 11ft angular one. It needs the mast hounds sorting as they have pulled out of the wooden mast and the hounds has twisted but I would say not a big job to do.

[STEVERESERVE]

Hi,
Lots of DIY Mermaids still around and out there getting used as well, I rowed mine 60 miles down the Thames last summer!
We have a Wikipedia page and a yahoo group devoted to the class. Any chance of some photos of the one you have found?
Steve

[STEVERESERVE]

Hi,
Nice old photo and info here
http://www.noblemarine.co.uk/boats/dinghy/Mermaid/
Steve

[Max McCarthy]

Here you are Max...more boats for your ' Boat a day' calendar!

D

Yes, thanks David!

I will add it to the list!

Cheers,

Max

[JB9]

I was thinking of the Seaview Mermaid.

http://sail-mermaids.com/

[hifive]

The Irish Mermaid is still in regular use in club racing around Dublin bay.
Heres a link to the Skerries sailing club in north county Dublin, which has a very active Mermaid community.
http://www.skerriessailingclub.com/mermaids.html

As far as I know they are still being occasionally built to traditional methods in Dublin

There are also a lot of similar, but smaller, I.D.R.A. 14 clinker built dinghy's in regular use in and around Dublin.


I competed in the Mermaid nationals (more or less as ballast!) in 82 and managed the to come 2nd last but had a lot of fun club racing IDRA's in Sutton dinghy club (Dublin) around the same time and had more success.
The mermaid is about 18 loa and usually sails with a crew of three with no trapeze, but I really liked the IDRAs which sail with just the two crew and has a trapeze,
A good light IDRA could show a clean pair of heels upwind to any of the similar sized dinghy's that were competing locally at the time. Fireballs and lasers would scoot past down wind but we would catch them again on the beat!

Mark.