Jump to content

Hello and Junior Cherub question


Guest

Recommended Posts

Hi

I've just found these forums and they look pretty good so I thought I would join

and ask my questions, hopefully someone can help.

 

I am looking at getting back into sailing having not done it since I was about 16 which

was a long time ago as I am now 41. Back then I sailed a Heron, International Moth

and with my Dad, his Scorpion.

 

I recently became the owner of a Junior Cherub which I know nothing about.

 

Is this a good dinghy to learn in? I know the Cherub is fast and more advanced.

 

Also, is it something I can sail myself or do I need a second crew member.

 

My eldest son is 10.5 and I'd like to get him introduced into sailing as well.

 

Thanks for any help

 

Michael.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The Junior Cherub (JC) is a great boat! Ideal for you and your son. Originally was a Cherub hull with a smaller rig - and meant for teen sailors. You could change your rig and sail with the Cherubs when the time came. It's out of date compared to the current Cherubs, but will still have a fair turn of speed. It would be fine for just you with main and Jib, but a handful with the kite unless conditions are quite light.

 

What is the JC's sail number and name? (Just in case I know the boat)

 

Cheers

Matt

Link to post
Share on other sites
The Junior Cherub (JC) is a great boat! Ideal for you and your son. Originally was a Cherub hull with a smaller rig - and meant for teen sailors. You could change your rig and sail with the Cherubs when the time came. It's out of date compared to the current Cherubs, but will still have a fair turn of speed. It would be fine for just you with main and Jib, but a handful with the kite unless conditions are quite light.

 

What is the JC's sail number and name? (Just in case I know the boat)

 

Cheers

Matt

Thanks Matt, the sail number is 283 but there is no name on the boat - it looks like it was fairly recently repainted.

Where would I need to go to look up the sail number and find the history of the boat?

 

Cheers

Link to post
Share on other sites

Not sure about that. Sadly the JC is a defunct class in NZ now. There is no registry or class association as there was (as far as I know). It was once pretty strong here in Wellington, and had a fleet of over 20 at the nationals in the late 70's. There were good fleets in Chch as well. It's a real shame - this is the type of boat that encourages intermediate sailors. She'll plane easily, rewards trim and good sail set well, gives a really good speed sensation, and is not expensive.

 

Have you got a photo??

Link to post
Share on other sites

Nope, don't recognise her, sorry. However, I would say that the sail probably does not belong to the boat - or at least the rig. Most of the JC's after about sail number 200 had alloy rigs, and some had kite chutes in the foredeck. Makes no diff for your use! Looks like someone has recently painted her in the photos.

 

Did you get a pole and kite with her?

Matt

Link to post
Share on other sites
Nope, don't recognise her, sorry. However, I would say that the sail probably does not belong to the boat - or at least the rig. Most of the JC's after about sail number 200 had alloy rigs, and some had kite chutes in the foredeck. Makes no diff for your use! Looks like someone has recently painted her in the photos.

 

Did you get a pole and kite with her?

Matt

 

yes, it came with a huge wooded pole and a kit which I've not actually unfolded yet.

Link to post
Share on other sites

That's a high sail number. I never knew they got that high before they vanished as a class.

 

I have a 1978 register (not necessarily accurate) and it only shows sail numbers up to JC-21 although at that time, there were still a lot of JC's carrying their old cherub reg numbers.

 

By the mid-1970's they were being promoted as a stepping stone into the new Olympic 470 class, thus hastening the demise of the senior Cherub.

 

Does anyone have any more info on the JC's after the late 1970's??

 

How long did they go on for?

Link to post
Share on other sites

I was an active JC sailer in the early 1970's (national champ 1972), and helped run the nationals in 1974, which was probably the peak year, featuring people like Murray Jones, and the Dodson brothers. A number in the 280 range sounds wrong, and is inconsistent with the wooden spars. Your boat is probably an earlier boat than the number. Numbering system changed about 1973 from a cherub number (mine was 844) to a JC number. Best tip I can give you about the boat is to get a beach trolley for it to go between the boat & road trailer. Boats of this type are very hard to handle on a road trailer, and a beach trolley makes things much easier.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My thoughts exactly, WT.

 

The JC's split off from the Cherub register in 1970, and the class was recognised by NZYF as a national class the following year. The first of the JC numbers appeared in the 1972/73 Christchurch JC register. Murray Jones's Amuri at #1281 was one of the the last to carry a general Cheub reg number.

 

Could it be possible though for her to have been an older cherub, that raced with a reduced rig to qualify as a JC?? Would the rules have allowed that?

 

Cherub 280 was Bruce Wiseman's Masquerade from 1959. Ian Pryde design, built by Max Carter, and a pretty good boat. She was sold to Wellington in 1961 and was still racing there in 1964, owned by D. cook of Titahi Bay. Given that Wellington became a JC stronghold, could it be possible that she was modified to comply?/ That could account for the wooden spars.

 

By the way, I assume your boat was Samantha?? If it was, can you please tell me ... were there two JC's named Samantha?? I have her under 2 numbers CH-744 and CH-844?? It's always bothered me. It's not impossible for the same class to have two boats of the same name, but such similar numbers. I have always assumed one to be a typo, but the ownership dates overlap.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, deacon B, my boat was Samantha. As far as I know, she always carried #844. Bought her off Jeff Harwood, sold to Phil Ash (who is still around, sailing 3.7 out of Gulf Harbour). Amuri was fibreglass, built by Iain Aitken in 1972 or 1973. Iain then built L'Aquilon, JC 8, which incidentally is now in Nelson, and currently for sale on trade me. Iain now in Auckland, and has a Zephyr, like me. Cheers, Andy Knowles.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just blundering through my databases and Cherub 283,was originally launched in 1959 as Restless by Len Anderson.

 

In 1960/61 Alister Russell bought her, converted her to a Junior Cherub and renamed her Nereid, and was pretty much top dog at Kohi during the 1961 and 1962 seasons.

 

She was later sold to V. & N.R. Penberthy.

 

The JC insignia on sail number 283 obviously came some time later, but it looks like you have a pretty old boat there. - assuming of course that the hull and sail number are still a matching pair.

Link to post
Share on other sites

what a nice looking JC, we have one in the club shed I've tried a few times, its pretty worn down but still seaworthy. it easy to handle and stable, somewhere between a sunburst and a phase 2 or 420. that one is rigged with a trapeeze and is good fun on a reach even without a kite. should be a really good teaching boat. just got myself an all out cherub and discovering what its like to go wave jumping, I can't see why these classes putted out really.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It is a shame the JC (and the Cherub) faded away - nice boats and more of a challenge/fun than a sunburst as a youth boat and much cheaper than a 420...

 

IIRC, Christchurch Yacht Club in Redcliffs was the patron for the class and struggled to keep it going as a national class - for a while it was an inter secondary school class in Christchurch. Peter Mander from CYC donated his certificate for his Melbourne Olympics gold medal as the JC national trophy - does anyone know what happened to that once the class disappeared?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi everyone. This boat is now actually for sale on TradeMe and I'm thinking of buying it. I grew up sailing Sunbursts and Phase 2s and am looking for something cheap and robust to teach my kids to sail in. Any thoughts either way on buying this boat - they're asking $900 ono. Cheers. Andrew

Link to post
Share on other sites

if this javelin deal falls through then i might be interested in this aswell. it looks about the right size for me to handle on my own (65kg) and it should be a bit more fun than my phase 2. how much do you think it would cost all up to set up the kite on it?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...