Miracle (dinghy)
Encyclopedia
The Miracle is a small dinghy
sailboat
popularized in the United Kingdom
, and designed by Jack Holt
— one of the last for the well-known designer. Holt brought sailing to the masses in the 1960s with his famous Mirror dinghy, and continued to produce designs such as the Enterprise, GP14, Cadet, Hornet, Pacer, Solo, and Streaker — many of which went on to become hugely successful dinghy classes.
The Miracle design represented the culmination of lessons learned from his many previous designs. Working in conjunction with Barry Read, Jack Holt developed the slot and glue method of constructing Miracles, which enabled some boats to be built from kit
s even by inexperienced amateurs. The first Miracle dinghies were built and launched in 1975. Since then, the Miracle's success grew strongly, and sail numbers today exceed 4,041.
The Miracle is a forgiving and versatile sailing dinghy, ideal for beginners or experts, children and adults alike. There is a class association based in the U.K., with several active fleet
s around the country.
The Miracle was supplied initially as a plywood
kit and designed for home building, based on the slot and glue method of construction. As a result, many Miracles were built by enthusiasts. Subsequently, professionally-assembled Miracles were built by Bell Woodworking, who were the sole source of kits, and a few by other professional builders. Build quality of the commercially built craft was reportedly very good, and is supported by the fact that many older examples have survived. Most Miracles are made of wood.
In the early 1990s, a composite version of the Miracle was developed, made from a combination of a glass-reinforced plastic
(GRP) hull and wood
en deck. Shortly after that, a boat made entirely of GRP was then produced, only a few of these remain, and they still attract good prices. In 1997, plans became available so that the dinghy could be produced as a home build again.
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
sailboat
Sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
popularized in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and designed by Jack Holt
Jack Holt (dinghy designer)
Jack Holt, OBE was a prolific designer of sailing dinghies. His pioneering designs of dingies using plywood did much to popularise the sport of sailing in the period immediately following World War II....
— one of the last for the well-known designer. Holt brought sailing to the masses in the 1960s with his famous Mirror dinghy, and continued to produce designs such as the Enterprise, GP14, Cadet, Hornet, Pacer, Solo, and Streaker — many of which went on to become hugely successful dinghy classes.
The Miracle design represented the culmination of lessons learned from his many previous designs. Working in conjunction with Barry Read, Jack Holt developed the slot and glue method of constructing Miracles, which enabled some boats to be built from kit
Kit
-Animals:* kit, a young ferret* a short form of kitten, a young cat* Kit fox, a relatively common North American fox* Kit, a group of domestic pigeons trained to perform together in competitions-Companies and organisations:...
s even by inexperienced amateurs. The first Miracle dinghies were built and launched in 1975. Since then, the Miracle's success grew strongly, and sail numbers today exceed 4,041.
The Miracle is a forgiving and versatile sailing dinghy, ideal for beginners or experts, children and adults alike. There is a class association based in the U.K., with several active fleet
Fleet
-Vehicles:A fleet is a collection of ships or vehicles, with many specific connotations:*Fleet vehicles, two or more vehicles*Fishing fleet*Naval fleet, substantial group of warships*A group of small ships or flotilla...
s around the country.
The Miracle was supplied initially as a plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
kit and designed for home building, based on the slot and glue method of construction. As a result, many Miracles were built by enthusiasts. Subsequently, professionally-assembled Miracles were built by Bell Woodworking, who were the sole source of kits, and a few by other professional builders. Build quality of the commercially built craft was reportedly very good, and is supported by the fact that many older examples have survived. Most Miracles are made of wood.
In the early 1990s, a composite version of the Miracle was developed, made from a combination of a glass-reinforced plastic
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
(GRP) hull and wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en deck. Shortly after that, a boat made entirely of GRP was then produced, only a few of these remain, and they still attract good prices. In 1997, plans became available so that the dinghy could be produced as a home build again.