Chuck's Micro Page

Phil Bolger's

Wonderful Micro

PHIL BOLGER once said he figured when they found out he had designed the Gloucester Light Dory, they'd have to let him into heaven. I DISAGREE! It's the MICRO.

I built "Trivial Pursuit" in the early 80's and sailed the wheels off her. I sold her because at the time I thought I had too many boats, but now wish I'd sold some of them and kept the Micro. Being a designer myself I tend to be pretty critical of designs, even Phil's but I'm here to tell ya that when you're sailing a Micro, the Micro is the boat you're fantasizing about sailing even when you're doing it! It must be lots of people agree because the fleet grows every year and in time, I believe that the Micro will take her place among the top ten small cruisers ever designed. I wish it had been me who drew the boat! I definitely need some help getting through the Pearly Gates.

I've been quoted as saying the Micro is all the small cruiser that 95 out of 100 sailors will ever need, but have been thinking of upping that to 98. Her vital statiscs are listed below along with some interesting hyperlinks. Please continue.

Click on the images below for LARGE FORMAT high quality images and a bit of editorial content. (The view is worth it, and they load pretty fast.)

Length: 15'-4" - LWL: 12'-2" - Beam: 6'-0" - Draft: 1'-9" Sail Area: 153 sq. ft. - Displacement: 1650 Lbs.- Ballast: 420 Pounds

Ballast/Displacement: 25% Displacement/Length Ratio: 412* - Sail Area Displacement Ratio: 17.5**

* With a D/L of 400+, the Micro is a very heavy boat for her waterline length. This translates into a very solid, stately ride and is why when you're sitting in her long cockpit, you feel you're sailing a much bigger boat (to me it feels like a 30 footer), and is also why she performs very well in nasty conditions and strong winds.

**On the other hand, with a SA/D ratio of 17.5, the Micro performs very well in all but the lightest of breezes