Cherub (dinghy)
 Class symbol | |
 | |
| Boat | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
| Hull | |
| Hull weight | 50 kg (110 lb) |
| LOA | 3.658 m (12.00 ft) |
| Beam | 1.753 m (5 ft 9.0 in) |
The Cherub is a 12 feet long, high performance,[1] two-man Planing dinghy first designed in 1951 in New Zealand by John Spencer and built from plywood [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The minimum hull weight was originally 112 lbs.The most popular design in the 1960s was the Spencer Mark 7 but this was superceded by hulls from a range of designers such as Bowler and Farr which emphasized a flatter hull shape which was wider aft. This aided down wind planning. About 1970 the jib was enlarged to an overlapping genoa about 25% bigger than the original jib.
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 double luff spinnakers and used a notably long (9 foot) spinnaker pole. Cherubs have a high power-to-weight ratio and are very quick 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.In the 1960s and 1970s the Cherub was a popular sailing dinghy in New Zealand when they were mainly amateur built. Cherubs are nowadays mainly sailed in Australia and the UK, with some boats in other countries, notably France and small numbers in New Zealand.
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.