The Mirror was from the start promoted as an affordable boat, and as a design it has done a great deal to make dinghy sailing accessible to a wide audience.

Although most popular in the UK, Mirrors are also sailed in other countries, notably Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, New Zealand, the Philippines and the United States.

The result is a robust, versatile and fairly light boat that can be easily maintained and repaired, and can also be launched into the water very quickly from storage or transport.

Most single handers retain the mast in the standard position and handle the jib as well: because of the Mirror's small size, this is quite manageable.

This may also be used by single handers as well - although flying a main, jib and spinnaker single-handed sounds complex, it is quite manageable with a bit of practice.

This was sadly relatively short lived, and the imposition of 25% VAT in the late 1970s on boats, killed the dinghy market and the sales of the Mirror - it never really recovered, and by the time the economy improved, its franchise of practical post war kit builders had been replaced by kids who had little understanding of the most basic woodworking skills and even less interest - it remains popular but not to the extent and enthusiasm that fostered the book 'Mirrormania' in 1976.

The Mirror World Championship is contested biennially by the nations of Ireland, the UK, the Republic of South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Netherlands and Australia.

Compared to racing dinghies which tend to have low gunwales, are a wet ride, capsize easily, and cannot be rowed or motored; the Mirror is more like a traditional boat with relative comfort inside the cockpit, plenty of room for stowage, and both the crew and gear remain dry in light winds.

In heavy winds, the hull form is very stable and this makes them very reliable for the more adventurous cruiser, knowing that capsize is less likely than racing boats of comparable size.

Their small size and light weight means they are easy to handle, launch and recover, transport, tow, and store on land.

They can be launched and recovered by hand from inhospitable places where cars and tractors are unable to go (eg deep mud estuaries, large beaches with gentle gradients, etc), which gives them an advantage over bigger dinghies.

Their ability to take oars and an engine means that the cruising dinghy sailor can be self sufficient without relying on rescue boats in case of problems with the sails or rigging.