Water Wag
| 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." |
| Crew | 2 |
| Construction | Larch or silver spruce planking |
| LOA | 13'0" |
| Beam | 4'10" |
| Keel/Board Type | Boilerplate |
| Rig Type | Sloop rig |
| Mast Length | 13 feet |
| Mainsail area | 75 sq.ft. |
| Jib / Genoa area | None |
| Spinnaker area | 60 sq.ft. 5.57 m2 (60.0 sq ft) |
| Total sail area | 10.22 m2 (110.0 sq ft) |
The Water Wag is the oldest one design dinghy in existence, having been devised in 1886 and formalized as a one design class in Ireland in 1887. The design (last modified in 1900) is still sailed to this day.(Last edited May 2017)
The Water Wag inspired similar one design fleets around Ireland and subsequently around the world. One interesting example of a one design class is the now defunct Dublin Bay Sailing Club's "25-footer". Today the Water Wags race on Wednesday evenings from April to September inside or outside Dún Laoghaire Harbour, Ireland.
The Water Wag class has been administered by The Water Wag Club, consisting of a President, Vice-Presidents, Hon.Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Captain and committee members. There being no club premises, committee meeting are held in the Royal Irish Yacht Club on Monday Evenings. Current Captain of the Water Wags is Mr. Sisk.
President:
King:
Captain:
President:
In 1886 the Water Wag was designed as a one-design sailing and rowing boat by Thomas B. Middleton of Shankill Corinthinan Sailing Club. Water Wags are silver spruce planked boats with a sloop rig and 75 sq feet of main sail, and with a 60 sq ft spinnaker and no jib. The boat is open decked, with single mast close to the bow . Middleton who was a solicitor and not a professional yacht designer prepared a concept sketch for the boat which may have been developed into a construction drawing by Robert Mc.Allister of Dunbarton Scotland. it is probable that Mc.Allister reviewed his drawing with the eminent Scotch designer G.L. Watson before constructing the first boat 'Eva' for Thomas B. Middleton in late 1886.
In 1900 a new design which differs from the earlier design by being 1'-3" longer, having a transom and flying a jib, which was designed by James (or Maimie) Doyle from Kingstown was introduced. The new design was subject to some minor adjustments of sheer line and rudder size over the years 1901-1902 before the design was finalised.
The Class has never been tempted to adopt construction materials other than wood. Traditionally the sails were made of calico, cotton, and subsequently silk. In recent years Terylene and nylon have been used with the effect that coloured spinnakers are now used by most boats.
A variant of the original design, with its double-ended hull, found its way to Herne bay Sailing Club in Kent, and during the 1920s and 1930s several boats were built locally and the class was actively raced during the 1930s and 1940s. These boats, however, were not built to the strict one-design principle of the originals and as well as differing from the original in several respects (foredeck, bowsprit, mast position) they also differed slightly from each other and so raced as a handicap fleet. By the early 1950s most of the boats had been sold out of the Kent club and racing ceased. One of the last boats to be built in Kent, by E and B Gammon at Herne Bay in 1947, Zander is in the collection of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.
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