Water Wag
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Thomas B. Middleton (1900 design, James or Mamie Doyle) |
| Location | Dublin Bay, Ireland |
| Year | 1887 |
| Design | Open timber punt |
| Role | "A class of sailing punts, with centre boards, all built and rigged the same, so that an even harbour race may be had with a light rowing and generally useful boat." |
| Name | Water Wag |
| Boat | |
| Crew | 2 |
| Hull | |
| Construction | Larch or silver spruce planking |
| LOA | 13 feet 0 inches (3.96 m) |
| Beam | 4 feet 10 inches (1.47 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | Boilerplate |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Sloop rig |
| Mast length | 13 feet (4.0 m) |
| Sails | |
| Mainsail area | 75 square feet (7.0 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | None |
| Spinnaker area | 60 square feet (5.6 m2) |
| Total sail area | 10.22 m2 (110.0 sq ft) |
The Water Wag is the oldest
The Water Wag inspired similar one-design fleets around Ireland and subsequently around the world.
Design
In 1886 the Water Wag was designed as a one-design sailing and rowing boat by Thomas B. Middleton of
In 1900 the Water Wag design was changed by the writing of a much more prescriptive specification and a transom stern, lengthening the boat by 15 inches (380 mm) and making the stern of the boat much larger. The outward angled transom was designed to improve the aesthetics of the boat, and to save building cost. The sail area was increased from 75 square feet (7.0 m2) to 110 square feet (10 m2) by adding a jib.[3] The new design was subject to some minor adjustments of sheer line and rudder size over the years 1901-1902 before the design, by James (or Maimie) Doyle from Dún Laoghaire, was finalised. Despite being a larger boat the cost of building was less.
The Class has never been tempted to adopt construction materials other than wood. Traditionally the sails were made of
A variant of the original design, with its double-ended hull, found its way to
A variant of the 1900 design was adopted by many clubs in India and Sri Lanka, the main difference being the use of teak planking which being heavier, resulted in the boat requiring more freeboard. A small foredeck was added to assist in keeping the boat drier.
Water Wags do not carry any symbol on the sails, and have no individual identifying mark beyond the sail number on the main sail and different spinnaker colours.[3] Despite every boat of the Water Wag Class having a unique name, none of the names are painted or engraved on the hulls. All boats are generally referred to by their names and not by their numbers, particularly when hailing and congratulating a fellow sailor on a good race result.[5]
References
- ^ Vincent Delany (30 August 2017). "130th season for the Water Wags". Yachts and Yachting. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "History - Waterwags". Water Wags. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ a b A.F. Delany. The Water Wags 1887-1987.
- ^ "Water Wag "Zander"". National Maritime Museum Cornwall. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ Vincent Delany class historian 18 Mar. 2019