u/marooned66

Hi all,

I've just picked up an old wooden Mirror dinghy as one of my retirement projects and would really appreciate some advice before I start dismantling it.

The mast, spars, rudder, daggerboard and sails all appear to be in reasonable condition, but the hull has an S-shaped distortion immediately aft of the centreboard case.

Goal is simply to end up with a safe, sound boat for enjoyable sailing on nice days with no racing!

So far I've found:

• The hull feels generally solid.
• I can't find any obvious soft or rotten timber by tapping or probing with a screwdriver.
• However, if I push firmly from inside, the distorted area flexes noticeably and then springs back into shape.
• There are also a number of old fibreglass repairs and ageing fillets around the centreboard case and buoyancy tank joints.

Not sure how the damage was caused but I understand it is either caused by

• exposing the timber around the centreboard case before doing anything else.
• the boat may have spent years sitting full of rainwater on a trailer.
• impact damage from grounding with the daggerboard down.

At this stage I'm deliberately trying not to start cutting anything until I understand what's actually failed.

If this were your project:

1. Does the flexing suggest detached internal structure rather than rotten plywood?
2. Would you first expose the joints around the centreboard case and identify exactly what is moving?
3. At what point would you decide that repairing the existing structure isn't worth it and replacing part or even all of the bottom panels would be the better approach?

I've uploaded all the photos (including close-ups, underside, interior and rigging) link here.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

It's only been a week since i've been there. Met some of the most amazing travel friends I ever made, made amazing memories. Fell in love with the culture, the language and the vibe. I miss it and I can't wait to go back again 😫