The History of Mirage Yachts Ltd..A Recollection

Dick and Irene owned a large volume C&C dealership in Point Claire, Quebec. At the time C&C did not build any model smaller than the 27. Dick was a very keen racing sailor and wanted a smaller MORC boat to both sail and sell from his retail dealership. At his request the C&C had designed a 24 footer, but the decision by the production management was made not to build or market it. Steffen then bought the 24 design from the C&C design office and set up his own shop on the second floor of a rented building in Point Claire, Que to build it.

Sales of the 24 were gratifying and eventually 15 workers were busily turning out new Mirage 24's. A lot of the reason for its success was based on its racing record in MORC class racing. Fifteen years after its introduction, a Mirage 24 placed #1 in the production-built division at the MORC national championships.

The Mirage 24 proved so successful that an envious C&C shortly thereafter introduced the C&C 25, quite similar in design to the Mirage 24. Nevertheless, the Mirage 24 continued to sell very well and dominated the C&C 25 on the race course. So when Dick then approached the C&C design team for a larger model, he was subsequently turned down. This David was too threatening for the C&C giant. That marked the beginning of the successful Mirage/Bob Perry relationship.

In 1975, the plant was moved to a 12,000 sq. ft facility in nearby Vaudreuil, Que. The Perry designed Mirage 26 (later stretched to a 27) was introduced shortly thereafter. By 1979 the plant had grown to 30,000 sq.ft. with an additional 5,000 sq. ft. spar manufacturing facility in Dorion. Que. In 1983 the plant was again increased to 35,000 sq.ft. to accommodate the new Perry designed Mirage 33/35.

The Bob Perry models were highly successful and the core of the steady growth at Mirage for over a decade. Eventually the Mirage 26/27 was followed by the Mirage 33/35, the Mirage 30/32 series and the remarkable Mirage 25. Each of these models while remaining at the upper end of the performance scale, established the Mirage as a wholesome family cruiser.

Racing was Dick Steffens true passion. Back in the late 70's the J/24 was the scourge of the race course. Seeing an opportunity opened by the interest in the J/24, Dick asked his old friend and Laser/International 14 designer, Bruce Kirby to design a better mousetrap." The Kirby 25 was the result. Soon Kirby 25's were pounding the PHRF and MORC fleets even worse than the J/24 did. When J/Boats introduced the J/30, Mirage unveiled the Kirby 30. which on the water rocketed right by the J. Ironically, J/Boats then introduced the J/29-- a boat a whole lot like the Kirby 30! Countless trophies in MORC, PHRF and other fleets have been won (and they continue to win) on race courses all over North America by the Kirby/Mirage models. The modified Kirby 30, the Mirage 30SX remains today, a highly competitive PHRF or MORC rocket.

In the mid-eighties the "French Invasion," fueled by an advantageous (unfair) exchange rate, minimal import duties, and government support, was in full swing in North America, lead by Beneteau, Jeanneau , Elite, and others. The French boats sported avant garde styling and reasonable two stateroom accommodations, even in smaller boats under 35'. The Perry designed Mirage 30, introduced to the market in this period was the first aft cabin Mirage model to be introduced to the marketplace. Unfortunately, Perry failed to compromise what was indeed a very good cockpit design in favor of the aft cabin accommodations as did the French boats. At boat shows it was apparent that the Mirage 30's aft cabin double berth suffered somewhat as a result in comparison to the French competition. Steffen was somewhat disappointed in the sales of the 30, although it proved to be a superb sailing boat.

In 1985, Steffen looking to build a replacement model to the aging 27, asked several designers including Bob Perry, to do preliminaries for a 28 footer with a double aft cabin. This was where the Perry/Mirage relationship ended. Perhaps the French influence of the Quebec location of the business swayed Steffen's decision. Of all the designs submitted, Phillippe Harle's was Steffens choice. The result became the Mirage 29 and was introduced in the spring of 1986. This model was an instant success. About 50 boats were sold before hull #1 hit the water and nearly three hundred were eventually built. The Mirage 275 and Mirage 39 followed, both also Harle designs.

Not long after the introduction of the Mirage 39, in 88-89, Dick sold Mirage Yachts Ltd. to a Montreal investor. (I do not recall his name). This investor had bought up the assets of several of Canada's well known names in sailing, including Tanzer and Aloha. Unfortunately for him, the 1990 US recession (Canada's own recession was well underway by then) and the oppressive US "luxury tax" was just around the corner. At this time my relationship with Mirage ended, so I really cannot comment on the history beyond 1990. The only thing that I have heard of it since is that from time to time some of the molds and tooling have been offered for sale.

Note: this history is taken almost entirely from my own memory. There may be some errors as a result. Definitely there are omissions, which I cannot help. Perhaps others can fill in some of the blanks or correct what I cannot.