Cherub (dinghy)
| Current Specifications | |
|---|---|
| File:NSW06-07Abbottsford.jpg | |
|
120x50px Class Symbol | |
| Crew | 2 |
| LOA | 3.658 m (12.00 ft) |
| Beam | 1.753 m (5 ft 9.0 in) |
| Hull weight | 50 kg (110 lb) |
The Cherub is a small, high performance,[1] two-man planing dinghy first designed in 1951 in New Zealand by John Spencer[2] (d 1994). The class is a development (or "box rule") class, allowing for significant variation in design between different boats within the rule framework.
The Cherub is Bermuda-rigged with trapeze(s), and has a crew of two.
Current Cherubs use an asymmetric spinnaker system but earlier boats used relatively large "conventional" spinnakers and used a notably long (9 foot) spinnaker pole. Cherubs have a high power-to-weight ratio and are very quick indeed downwind in stronger breezes but can be slow upwind in lighter airs compared to longer boats.
Many Cherub sailors are in their late teens or early twenties but the flexibility of the class and the Cherub’s great sailing qualities mean that they are also attractive to many older sailors. Many women sail Cherubs, both as skippers and as crews. Husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, brother/sister and parent/child combinations of crew are common. Cherubs are nowadays mainly sailed in Australia and the UK, with some boats in other countries, notably France.
The class differs in detail specification between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Northern boats use a second trapeze and permit appreciably larger sails then the Southern Hemisphere boats.
