Kolibri dinghy

drylander

New Member
Hi,
Someone just gave me a 12' sloop rigged Kolibri sailing dingy that needs some repair and probably a few parts. I haven't found much info on the web yet, but I guess it was made in the 70's in Germany. It may be similar to a US made boat called an "echo" but haven't found anything useful about that. I could use some help figuring out the rigging as it's not as simple as my sunfish :)
Thanks, Mark
 
I've got one of these. The ones made by Glenmore in Calgary are derivative of the German made (and imported to USA in the late 1960's and early 1970's). CL sailboats in ?Ontario makes an Echo which is also based on the earlier German made Kolibri. The Kolibri is also known as the Koralle Jr. and there are a few of them around. I collect photos and info on them. I've got the rigging instructions for mine buried in a pile on my desk.... somewhere.

Is yours the earlier (late 1960's) version or the newer one by Glenmore?
The "original" German dual shell of polyester resin, not laid fiberglass. There is space though not much between the cockpit floor and the bottom of the hull. Let me guess...the wounds to your Kolibri / Koralle Jr. are perhaps cracks in the hull or cockpit? I'm about to repair a crack in the hull I got. It's not separated, but a very distince crack. There's a crack in the cockpit floor and the hull (bottom), as if some silly person jumped into it as it was on land or over a rock in a shallow area. I'm going to use two-part epoxy to repair mine.
Glenmore folks are very helpful and gave me some ideas. They have some of the older Kolibri parts, but I they didn't have any of the old chainplates and they use a different rigging system on their new Kolibris.

Is your boat Lime green, deep pastel blue (swimming pool blue on drugs), orange or yellow? The older one were made in what I think of as late 60's "Psychedelic" colors. Well, I guess they skipped the hot pink ;)

The mast for mine is a two-piece anodized (gold colored) aluminum. The daggerboard and rudder are mahogany veneer marine plywood. It has oars, and oarlocks, a sail bag, a drain with plug at the stern, a mainsail with a red hummingbird (kolibri means hummingbird) and a jib. Mine was missing (looks like it never had) the hiking straps. It didn't come (used, 3rd hand) with the reefing claw either. It does have a tiller extension. The two part mast is just set into a slight dimple in the cockpit and held in place by the stays. The mainsail has 3 or 4 battens, the uppermost one going from leech to luff. BTW, if you need this replaced, as I did, be sure you get the size right so that it is longer than the leech to luff distance. It's supposed to hang outside the pocket about an inch. This will allow you to shape your sail for the wind conditions. Sorta neat. (When the batten is in all the way and secured with the ties through the leech end, it creates a curve in the sail.)

I'm getting another chainplate or two fabricated for mine, and mending the cracks with epoxy. I hope to get in into the water soon. I've heard they do okay for a small, lightweight boat. Send photos of your boat if you have some.

Have fun! Oh, maybe I'll try to attach a few photos. The one with text is mine, the others borrowed from various web sources.
 
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Attachments

  • Koralle Jr -Kolibri orange like ours Sailtx fast 985bux ckpit.bmp
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  • Kolibri Koralle Jr craigs413681311 550bux w trlr E-Aurora NY 9-07 port take lovely.bmp
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Greetings Petrel,
Thanks so much for the information, and the cool photos. Mine I believe is the early German one, in deep pastel blue. I am missing the seat (easy enough to make) and some various hardware, to be determined. I think my sails are okay though. Some parts are non original, like the tiller handle (no extention) And it does have a broken hiking strap that may have been added later. I just got an e-mail today from Glenmore, they sent me a scanned version of the original Kolibri rigging manual! I'll send you a copy if you send me your e-mail address, mine is [email protected]. Not quite sure when I will have a chance to fix the hull, maybe not until next spring. Where are you located? Best, Mark
 
Dear Drylander,
I am trying to help a friend rig a Kolibri she bought. I need help with the main sheet. Can you send me a copy of the Kolibri rigging manual? My e-mail is [email protected]. Thanks.
 
Hi
Anyone know where I can get a threaded bilge plug for my Koralle 13.52 foot dinghy, its an original East German marine ply which also needs a bit of repair along the central bottom hull (any one in the UK do this type of work?)
 
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Greetings Petrel; I have just swapped a sabre sailing dighy for a kolibri, same colour gold/yellow as yours which would idicate that it is...what year?
As I am of ancient years I found the sabre too sporty for my ability to duck and crouch resulting in quite a few solid belts in the head from the boom, plus being a competitive class I did spend more time in the water than enjoying its exhilerating sailing potential! The roomy Kolibri I fell in love with as soon as I saw it...hey, I'm referred too as 'vintagereplica' because I have an appreciation for older cars, motor-bikes, planes and boats. I had my first sail today while my mate tried out my sabre...we both liked what we tried and swapped boats. I paid $2500au for the sabre and he paid $800au for the Kolibri, but hey, if you get what you want in the long run who cares about the dollar discrepancy. If you have any specifications on the Kolibri I would appreciate them. Mine had the original manufacturers trailer, but as our trailers were registered for road use in our own names, to avoid complications we retained our own trailers.
Cheers from vintagereplica, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
 
I have this little boat that was given to me via Craigslist in Los Angeles, CA. It is registered as a 1976 Sunsail 12' long.
It came with a set of sails with the Kolibri insignia on them, but they didn't really fit the boat.
I cannot find another that is like it. Some Kolibri models are very close, but there are differences in several details. Does anyone recognize this boat?
IMG_3413.JPG IMG_3400.JPG IMG_3397.JPG
 
I have a thirty year old Kolibri that I love. It needs new sails--can anyone suggest where I can get them, new or used? Thanks, Ira
 
I have a Korrell 11.5 that I am currently restoring. This particular boat has a centerboard that is permanent I believe, which it is missing when I bought the boat. I was wondering if any one had any information on the centerboard.
 
Glenmore Sailboats out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada manufactured Kolibri 12's for awhile in 70s/80s (iirc). I purchased one used in Southern Alberta, Canada in Sept 2020. Not much info remains online about this boat but I have a PDF of the rigging manual in case this is useful to someone. Also, Glenmore Sailboats may be able to point you in the right direction for replacement parts / sails.
 

Attachments

  • Kolibri-2-MANUAL.pdf
    2.4 MB · Views: 145
thanks for the manual. I'm looking to repair my hull that has been upside down for 25 years in the elements (snow,rain,pollution) and fiberglass hairs are showing. Do you know is this boat made with polyester resin? Do they come with a gelcoat? I can't tell mine is from 1971 Germany
 
I just purchased a Kolibri but I don’t have the front forestray turnbuckle. Can anyone give me the specs for a replacement? I ordered one from Duckworks but I’m concerned it is going to be too long. Thanks for any help you can offer.
 

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