Wildcat Dinghy

an area to discuss dinghy developments
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scott robinson
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Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2007 5:13 pm
Location: Canada
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Wildcat Dinghy

Post by scott robinson »

Hi Everyone,
Back in about the mid fifties my father (grew up in Essex) built a Wildcat. Other than a paragraph in a Dinghy Yearbook I know nothing about the boat. Does anyone have any pictures?

Scott
J197
cweed
Posts: 222
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 10:14 pm

Re: Wildcat Dinghy

Post by cweed »

There's a Wildfire dinghy listed in 'Boat World Guide to dinghies 1971' , and there was also the Little Americas Cup Challenger 'Wildfire' of circa 1960, which was an American 'c' class catamaran....................
Rupert
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Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Wildcat Dinghy

Post by Rupert »

There is a tiny drawing in the Dumpy book of sailing dinghies, with virtually no info, just showing an inboard rudder, very curved stem, a cat with tail up on the sail, and a note to say sail area 123 sq feet and designed by GG Lord. Will scan pic tomorrow.

More in Fisher, but no pic.
LOA 15' 3 1/2" LWL 12' 3" Beam 4' 11" Sail area 123

"An Attractive looking hard-chine plywood boat with plenty of beam for its waterline length. Will plane but not as speedy as many other racing classes. Began as an East Coast boat but since spread to clubs ranging from the Tay to the Thames. Sheffield is a main centre. A good sea boat - and easy to build."
Rupert
Pat
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: West Wiltshire (Wessex)

Re: Wildcat Dinghy

Post by Pat »

There's a picture on the Dinghy Database http://www.cvrda.org/dinghydata/Wildcat.htm
Nessa
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Re: Wildcat Dinghy

Post by Nessa »

I love the Dumpy Book. I also love the class insignia for the wildcat.
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cweed
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Re: Wildcat Dinghy

Post by cweed »

That sail logo is the splitting image of that for the 'Felix' catamaran.................
sailorgilly
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Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2015 4:08 pm

Re: Wildcat Dinghy

Post by sailorgilly »

Our school had one of these and I sailed it rather a lot in the 70's as a fearless [!] teenager. It was called 'Ratcatcher' and if my memory serves the sail number was 257. It had been converted from sliding seat to trapeze by the sailing/woodwork teacher, Harry Walsh, who was a demon Merlin Rocket and FF sailor. It had plenty of sail, including a rather nice genoa, and was, as other people have commented, a bit of a handful in anything over a breeze. It was seen as something of a milestone if you were allowed to take it out, the standard learners boats at the time were Cadets, Mirrors and incredibly tough but also incredibly heavy Tideways.
Steering had been adapted from a skeg rudder to a transom lifting one as it spent most of it's life being sailed by learners on gravel pits and Midlands ponds and it was the first boat I ever sailed with a centre main. Had a long aft deck which was great for sprawling out on if there was hardly any wind but if it did blow it would beat most Merlins of the time to windward. All in all a beautiful looking dinghy with classic lines, I never saw another one and often wondered what became of it.
Mikey
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 4:27 pm
Location: Earith, Cambs. United Kingdom

Re: Wildcat Dinghy

Post by Mikey »

There were 2 Wildcats at Hampton - late 50's. One was S/N 51. One of the characteristics was the square sectioned mast with brass track for mainsail sliders (a la Cadet).

Mike Liggett.
Brooking
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:50 am

Re: Wildcat Dinghy

Post by Brooking »

Hi Scott,

I do hope this gets to you. I've only just come across your plea.
I met Keith when I was sailing at Burnham on Crouch, Essex with my best pal—a guy called Rob Yuill back in the '50s. We both took to your father—he was a really bright guy, and a cool helmsman too.
Rob Yuill had bought a Wildcat—his first foray into dinghy racing. Later progressing to the amazing Flying Dutchman.
The Wildcat was easily the prettiest racing dinghy ever designed. She was no sluggard either, although probably a bit short on the waterline, but with her long flat run she was a flyer downwind. I think she was 13'-6" loa.
So as you'll see from my crummy snaps, she had a hard chine hull, long overhangs, a slim hinged centreboard, a dagger rudder that dropped through a slot, and a box-section wooden mast. Rob fitted rolled side decks into his cockpit. He raced at Burnham, but mainly on the Blackwater close by, as he belonged to Maldon YC. He was extremely successful. He and Keith were good friends and I met him when I was crewing for Rob at Burnham. We both missed him when he went off to Canada. But that's where you come in!
I'm hard put to dig out better snaps than these of Rob's first Wildcat (75) he'd called 'Cheetah'.
He later sold her to his sister—my sweetheart and later my wife, and I ended up losing her rudder for her, trying to claw off a blustery lee shore by the Royal Corinthian at Burnham. The snag was, you had to get yourself into water deep enough to ship the rudder RIGHT down or she'd rush off on that heading. We never did find that rudder. But we ended up sailing a 24 ft offshore racer.
I'm not at all sure I've successfully uploaded my snaps, but please let me know if I can help with anything. Good to make contact.
Best wishes,
Alan Brooking.
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