Heron (dinghy)

Heron
Learning to sail in a Heron, West Lakes, South Australia
Boat
Crew2 (max)
Hull
Hull weight63.7 kg (140 lb)
LOA3.429 m (11.25 ft)
Beam1.372 m (4 ft 6.0 in)
Sails
Mainsail area4.78 m2 (51.5 sq ft)
Jib/genoa areaJib: 1.72 m2 (18.5 sq ft)
Genoa: 2.83 m2 (30.5 sq ft)
Spinnaker area6.36 m2 (68.5 sq ft)
Racing
D-PN120.0
RYA PN1346

The Heron Dinghy is a dinghy designed by Jack Holt of the United Kingdom as the Yachting World Cartopper (YW Cartopper). The Heron dinghy was designed to be built by a home handyman out of marine ply over a timber frame, but can now also be constructed from marine ply using a stitch and glue technique or from fibreglass. Modern dinghies will usually have built in buoyancy tanks; older craft will have bags or retrofitted tanks.

Since about 1980 boats have been increasingly made of fibreglass, although the Australian association has approved stitch and glue construction .

The Heron is sailed in the UK and Australia and New Zealand, with a few others spread around the world. UK class rules vary slightly from the Australian Rules.[how?] In the UK a spinnaker is permitted and a larger genoa can be used. The UK also permits the use of different rudder shapes and a Bermudan Mast. Other more minor differences exist between the rules.[1] The Heron cartop dinghy was popular in Ireland from the late 1950s until the arrival of the Mirror which was lighter, easier to build, and had built in buoyancy.[2]

They are mainly used as adult/child racing dinghies.[citation needed] For state and national titles the Olympic triangle course is often used.[citation needed]

The Heron has a Portsmouth Yardstick of 1346 when sailed single handed.[3] In the US Sailing scheme it has a D-PN of 120.0.[4]

Over 10,500 Heron sail numbers have been issued since the design first appeared in the late 1950s.[5]

The first Heron, No 1 Flook, still exists and is now owned by the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.[6]

  1. ^ UK Heron Association Archived 9 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ I sailed in the Dublin Bay fleet and at regional events in Skerries, Howth, and Cork Harbour during that period
  3. ^ "Portsmouth Number List 2012". Royal Yachting Association. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  4. ^ "Centerboard Classes-Inactive". US Sailing. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  5. ^ "National Heron Sailing Association of Australia". Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  6. ^ Heron #1 "Flook" – BC08 www.nmmc.co.uk, accessed 15 November 2024