Hartley 12
The Hartley 12 is a very easy to manage and delightfully responsive rotomould dinghy. This attractive dinghy is particularly suited to those in the early stages of sailing. The Hartley 12 is so easy to sail. It’s wide beam and deep hull shape allow it to be quite tolerant and forgiving of the kind of mistakes made by less experienced sailors.
The Hartley 12 comes with a single reef-able sail and has a clip on jib option. The deep hull shape enables you to sit-in this dinghy which a far more comfortable sailing position for adult sailors and much kinder on the knees than sit-on styles! The high boom position makes for much better all around visibility and less bumps on the head for beginners.
The attractive hull shape moves swiftly over the water and self drains effortlessly.
The Hartley 12 has a centreboard rather than a dagger-board to enable easy launching. Having a centreboard and an easy up-and-down rudder gives this boat a distinct advantage over other dinghies of this size during the launching and recovering of the boat.
The soft sail can be easily reefed by simply rotating the mast and wrapping the excess sail neatly around the mast to reduce the sail area. There is also an optional clip on jib and a high performance mainsail available for enhanced performance and additional excitement.
The mast comes in two pieces for ease of transport on a car top or road trailer.
Hartley 12 Features
- Very stable, manageable & forgiving
- Deep roomy cockpit – kind to knees & back
- Ample crew space – low centreboard case – high boom – greater comfort
- High boom, better head clearance & visibility
- Centreboard for maximum control – ease of launch & recovery
- Dry boat – splash deflecting gunwale – self draining cockpit
- Easy to right after capsize – does not invert unless you sit or stand on mast
- Clear open transom – no fear of entrapment
- Comes upright with very little water in cockpit which quickly drains through self drainers
- Easily reefed
- Designed specifically for training & development
- Can be sailed by 1,2 or also 3 people
- New generation rotor mould design – historic build problems now eliminated
- Specially designed gunwales to lift & grip securely – no accessory handles to break
- Excellent hull shape that sails over waves effortlessly
- Manageable weight – not too heavy to manoeuvre on shore
- Attractive design appealing contemporary boat look
- Suitable for beginners, intermediate, adult & youth
Specifications
- Length – 3.70m (12′)
- Beam – 1.55m
- Draught – 1.08m
- Weight – 62kg
- Max. Capacity – 2 People
- Main Sail Area – 7.1m2
- Performance Main Sail Area – 7.5m2
- Jib – 2m2
Safety
The Hartley 12 dinghy is a wonderfully comfortable boat to sail. The balance and synergy between the hull and the sail area make it a very stable boat that is less likely to capsize than other boats of this size. However part of the excitement of sailing is the ever present possibility of becoming overpowered by the forces of nature and the inevitable capsize that follows. This very nature of dinghy sailing requires that we must always be able to right a boat after a capsize. Naturally the easier we can do this the safer it will be.
Capsizing
If and when you capsize this dinghy you will be pleasantly surprised at the ease with which you can right it. The buoyancy placement and hull shape result in this dinghy staying in the half way position for a very long time, giving you ample opportunity to get yourself safely into the recovery position. Moreover, even from an in water position it is easy to get onto the centreboard by using the moulded shapes in the hull as hand and foot holds. Once on the centreboard the boat comes upright with minimal effort, even single handed, with the aid of the built in righting lines.
During capsize tests we found it remarkably difficult to make this boat invert. Most importantly the high transom arches and lack of any obstruction at the transom provided a clear and unobstructed escape route should anyone end up under the boat. Meanwhile, having the mainsail sheeted only from the centre of the boat has a distinct safety advantage because it eliminates the likelihood of entanglement in a stern bridle & mainsheet configuration.
After a capsize, because of it’s unique shape and open transom design, the boat comes upright with minimal water in the cockpit, it can then be safely sailed away on any point of sail to eliminate the small amount of water that remains.
The Hartley 12 is available in a number of setup options, please go to the official site www.hartleyboats.com to see the full range of options. We are here to help too, feel free to get in touch and we can help with pricing and details, please call +852 2827 5876 or use our contact page.
