How to Rig a Mirror Dinghy - gaff/gunter rig

A step-by-step guide to rigging a "gaff-rigged" ("gunter rig") Mirror dinghy, concentrating on typical problems for beginners. Note that the same principles will also apply to most other gunter rig sailing dinghies.
Filmed at Woollahra Sailing Club on Sydney Harbour, Australia.
/ woollahramirrors
www.woollahrasailingclub.org.au
00:00 Intro
00:30 Walk Around
01:35 Mast Step(s)
02:40 Attaching the Stays
03:17 Raising the Mast
03:44 The Forestay
04:15 The Jib
06:00 The Mainsail
07:39 The Boom
07:58 The Outhaul
08:52 The Lacing
09:12 The Downhaul
09:35 The Vang
09:53 The Mainsheet (centre-main sheeting)
11:39 The Tiller
12:01 The Centreboard
13:10 Buoyancy Tanks
14:03 Outro

[@emfine100]

Great little lesson Khiem! Very clear, relaxed but thorough explanation of the entire process. Many thanks!

[@MikStorer]

It is great to have an accurate rigging video for the Mirror and other boats using a Gunter Lug rig. Khiem, the demonstrator, sails his Mirror weekly at his sailing club.
It is much better than most of the other rigging videos for the Mirror - most of them don't seem to have rigged a Mirror before.

[@afloatinawoodenboat]

Thanks so much! Such a great resource.

[@robstevens5503]

So many similarities with my boat yet so many little differences too! Always good to get a couple of ideas of how to refine my set up, although I think I am getting pretty close to optimal (for me) now.

[@Ger1ger]

Thanks, you've literally taken the wind out of my sails as I've been thinking about making this kind of video. Maybe I'll still make a supplementary showing the more traditional solutions on "Puffin", 62816, e.g. looped-over shrouds and stay on the masthead, simple vang and stern sheeting arrangement.

[@khiemtran6272]

The more the better! I think if we had put in everything we wanted there would have been over an hour.

[@khiemtran6272]

We used to have a few of the more traditional boats at our club, but now Roger is the closest one we have. Something on stern sheeting would be good as we don't have any boats here anymore setup like that.

[@MikStorer]

I think there is still space for another video covering the other details on other boats. Really good to balance the very poor videos that have been on youtube for some time.

[@CaptMarkSVAlcina]

I remember doing some of that on my Mirror Dinghy many moons ago.

[@branni6538]

Are these entirely wooden or are the buoyancy tanks plastic?

[@khiemtran6272]

They are all wooden (mostly plywood) with fiberglass tape on the seams.

[@branni6538]

Ok...........thanks!