- Cherub (dinghy)
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Current Specifications 
Class SymbolCrew 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 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The minimum hull weight was originally 112 lbs.The most popular design in the 1960s was the Spencer Mark 7 but this was superseded by hulls from a range of designers such as Bowler and Farr which emphasized a flatter hull shape which was wider aft.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.
References
Other Classes of dinghies
Sailing dinghy, Sharpie and Skiff classes Dinghies under 10 ft Frog • Cape Cod Frosty • El Toro • Fatty Knees • Fly • Holdfast Trainer • Manly Junior • Minto • Naples Sabot • O'pen BIC • Optimist • P Class • Pelican • Puddle Duck Racer • Sabot • Starling • Tadpole • Topper Topaz Taz • Turnabout • Zoom 8Dinghies under 15 ft 10ft Skiff • 12 foot dinghy • 125 ("One-twenty-five") • 12ft Skiff • 13ft skiff • 29er • 29erXX skiff • 3000 • 405 ("Four-oh-five") • 420 • Access Liberty • Adventuress • ASC • Astus 14.1 • Australian Sharpie • B14 • Banshee • Beetle Cat • Bermuda Fitted Dinghy • Blaze • Blue Jay • Bosun • British Moth • Butterfly • Buzz • Byte • Cadet • Cherokee • Cherub • C-Lark • Comet • Coypu • Dabchick • Daring • Dart • Enterprise • Escape • Europe • Envy • Extra • Finn • Firefly • Flying Ant • Flying Eleven • Flying Junior • Force 5 • GP14 • Graduate • Gull • Heron • Idle-along • IDRA14 • International Twelve • International 14 • Javelin (NZ) • Javelin (US) • Jet 14 • Jollyboat (NZ) • Lark • Laser Standard • Laser 2 • Laser 2000 • Laser 3000 • Laser 4.7 • Laser 5000 • Laser Funboat • Laser Pico • Laser Radial • Laser Vago • Laser Vortex • Lido 14 • Marlin • Merlin Rocket • MG14 • Miracle • Mirror • Moth • Musto Performance Skiff • National 12 • NS14 • OK Dinghy • O'pen BIC • Otter • Pacer • Pegasus • Penguin • Phantom • RS Feva • RS Tera • RS Q'Ba • RS Feva • RS Vareo • RS100 • RS200 • RS300 • RS400 • RS500 • RS600 • RS700 • RS800 • Sabre • Scorpion • Snark • Snowbird (sailboat) • Solo • Spiral • Splash • Streaker • Sunburst • Sunfish • Tinker Star Traveller • Tinker Traveller • Tasar • Topper • Topper Topaz • Topper Topaz Magno • Topper Topaz Vibe • Topper Topaz Xenon • Twinkles 10 & 12 • Vagabond • Vaurien • Wanderer • Woodpussy • Zeddie • ZephyrDinghies under 20 ft 16ft Skiff • 18 foot dinghy • 18ft Skiff • 470 • 49er • 505 • Albacore • Beaufort • Invitation • Buccaneer 18 • Comet • Contender • Corsair • Day Sailer • Fireball • Flying Dutchman • Flying Scot • French National Monotype 1924 • Hornet • Interlake • International Canoe • Jacksnipe • Javelin (UK, NL & DE) • Jersey Skiff • Jollyboat (UK) • Jolly Boat • JY15 • Laser 4000 • Laser Bahia • Laser Stratos • Lelievlet • Lightning • Mirror 16 • Mutineer 15 • O-Jolle • Osprey • Payne-Mortlock sailing canoe • Pirate • Precision 15 • RS K6 • RS Vision • RS700 • RS800 • Salcombe Yawl • Sea Bright • Sea Scout Standard Boat (BP18) • Snipe • Texas Tornado • 12m2 Sharpie • Thistle • Topper Topaz Omega • Vanguard 15 • Wayfarer • Windmill • Windy • Winkle Brig • X boat • Y flyerDinghies 20 ft or over Categories:- Dinghies
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