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Merlin Rocket Review

Beautiful, challenging and refined, the Merlin Rocket is one classy lady. Jeremy Evans tests a championship winning version of a dinghy that claims to provide the ultimate twin crew hiking experience…

In January 1946, members of Ranelagh SC launched a new 14ft racing dinghy called the Merlin on the Thames. It was designed by Jack Holt to be built in clinker (overlapped planking) construction, and was given class rules which allowed for the development of hull and rig.

Meanwhile, a group of Tynemouth sailors commissioned Wyche and Coppock to design a half deck 14ft dinghy for racing on the North Sea. The Rocket had more sail, narrower decks and a lighter hull, but despite those differences the two classes merged to create the Merlin Rocket in 1951. And that’s the way it has stayed — a racing class for both inland water and open sea.

As a development class, the Merlin Rocket has provided a great opportunity for designers to make their mark. Ian Proctor, David Thomas and Phil Morrison all found fame with their Rockets, but in recent years the pace of change has slowed down. Ian Holt’s Canterbury Tales design rules the roost more than a decade after its first appearance, with slight variations such as finer entry for better pointing, or flatter stern for more power offwind.

The Merlin Rocket has become a development class in which most boats are similar, though nothing like a fleet of look-alike one-designs! At 2007 Salcombe Week in early July, 72 out of 96 Merlins — a very impressive fleet for a week long, non championship event — were Canterbury Tales or derivatives, and all but nine raced with carbon masts. Most of the modern fleet are now built in foam sandwich, though a handful of owners are willing to pay £20K-plus for a wooden boat that looks more like a work of art.

Last year’s week-long national championship at Pwllheli attracted a fleet of 79 Merlin Rockets, the second biggest entry since 1998. Hulls built by Winder shared the top places, fitted out either by Winder themselves (first and fourth), Pinnell & Bax (second) and Speed Sails (third).

For this test session on a totally modern Merlin Rocket, Andy Davis brought along the Winderbuilt, Speed Sails-finished boat he raced into third place with his crew Ellie Bremer. Andy runs the Speed Sails loft with responsibility for all dinghy designs, and is also Solo national champion; Ellie is an amateur sailing enthusiast, which she combines with studying naval architecture at university.

Build and layout

The Winder Merlin does not have a beautiful wooden hull or deck. It’s built in foam sandwich with carbon deck and bulkheads, but is so light they had to put 18kg of lead on the cockpit floor. That raises the argument why don’t the class lower the minimum weight? Answer: because then wooden boats would become uncompetitive.

Despite being a mere ‘plastic’ Merlin Rocket, this is an awesome-looking boat. The class went wide in the 1960s, when the beam of the winning boat at the national championship jumped from 5ft in 1966 to 6ft 8ins two years later. And that’s the way Merlin Rockets have stayed, with hiking leverage for the crew that is probably only beaten by the racks of a B14. They need it as well, with that signature big top mainsail which makes a Merlin Rocket so easy to spot on the water, and a 10sq m kite with 2.3m poles (carbon of course) that’s designed to be equally potent for running dead downwind in classic symmetrical style, or reaching asymmetric style on the apparent wind.

The cockpit is wide open with slightly incongruous looking buoyancy bags at the back end. Andy Davis explains that you need them to keep the back of the boat floating high in a capsize, ensuring that water in the single bottom cockpit will disappear fairly rapidly through the two large transom flaps. Plus, they make a really comfortable cushion for your legs when hiking on a broad reach!

Popping the carbon mast up is so easy — feather light weight ensures you could almost do it with one hand. But once the rigging is sorted, you are confronted with a mass of controls that could be intimidating for a novice. Anything and everything is provided for the helm and crew to maximise power and control that rig. Not just the normal cunningham, kicker and outhaul, though it’s worth mentioning that the kicker alone consumes an incredible 18 metres of rope! You can also pull a string and move the whole rig while fully powered and sailing. Give a quick tug to move shrouds, lowers and forestay in unison, raking the mast tip 18 inches fore or aft in twoinch increments so you can set the boat up perfectly for all wind conditions.

The modern Merlin Rocket is designed to provide equally refined performance whether you’re roll tacking on the Thames or blasting across coastal waves — the national championship has always been held on open sea, providing a large group of inland racers with the opportunity to experience the delights (and frights) of sailing this highly refined boat offshore. All the controls have been developed to make this possible. For instance, if the wind is light there’s a diddy little traveller on top of the mainsheet hoop which ensures the mainsail can be sheeted to the centreline. If the wind is fresh, the rig can be raked back and the mainsail progressively depowered until there’s nothing pulling at the top at all.

Andy claims it’s easy once you’ve got the hang of it all — there is plenty of guidance to rig control on the excellent class website — but admits the Merlin Rocket is ‘a bit of a handful in a howler’ which goes for any high performance boat and will split the fleet. Downwind, Debbie adds that it’s not unlike rodeo riding, with the crew standing at the back of the cockpit and hanging on to the mainsheet hoop. Then all you’ve got to do is lift the bow for a carefree gybe…

On the water

We sailed the Merlin Rocket in Force 3-4 on flat water and light chop, providing perfect conditions for this highly refined development of a 60-yearold girl. Upwind is a delight — how many boats can point so high and foot so fast so effortlessly? Not only that, but the driver experiences perfectly balanced, fingertip control. Forget other dinghies. The Merlin Rocket provides an exceptional sailing sensation which is truly elitist.

As you would expect from a class that’s been a long time on the quest for sailing perfection, ergonomics are excellent. A mixed crew provides a good hiking weight, with a reasonable degree of nimbleness required to negotiate kicking strap and centreboard case at the front of the cockpit each time the boat tacks — which is fast!

Offwind, it’s time to play with the kite which piles on the power and speed. Two very long poles stowed either side of the main boom is standard set-up for the class, allowing the kite to be flown like a rather full and high asymmetric on a reach or gybed from pole to pole downwind. The kite is hoisted from the chute which is moulded into the foredeck, keeping everything well clear of the forestay and jib while on a mission for total control — part of the trick as demonstrated by Ellie, is to keep both corners of the kite absolutely level. For those accustomed to sailing with an asymmetric, the learning curve for a symmetric like this may seem quite challenging — you’ve got to control a lot more drive halfway up the rig, while handling two poles and two sheets each time you gybe. But the rewards are great, equipping the Merlin Rocket with a dual personality that allows it to shine dead downwind in classic dinghy style or sail like a squeeze-and-go skiff which can hold its own on gybe-to-gybe reaches.

Merlin Rocket Review: Verdict

As a true ‘am’ sailor, Ellie Bremer gave her reasons for why she sails a Merlin Rocket in preference to any other dinghy:

1. Beautiful boat — both to sail and look at.

2. Brilliant sailing — hot competition is guaranteed.

3. Great turnouts — very active class and association.

4. Brilliant socials — lots of boys and girls sail them.

5. Hugely rewarding — the input of the crew into strategy, tactics and rig control has a massive impact on performance.

There are potential drawbacks to this highly desirable machine. Merlin Rockets are more expensive than many other dinghies, although it’s a surprise to find the price of a championship winning boat is little more than a Devoti Finn. A modern Merlin Rocket will for sure be difficult to sail well. You need to learn how to manage that rig, and even then it will be a handful in a strong breeze. You need to be careful not to break that carbon mast — do not stick the end in the mud! You will also be up against sailors who have developed their tacking, boat handling and tactics into a fine art. But, by all accounts, they will help and encourage.

As a development class, there is also the possibility that your Merlin Rocket could be totally outdated by an incredible new design. This seems unlikely. The modern Merlin Rocket has found a level where boats are different enough to be interesting, without anything that’s different enough to leave the class behind. All developments are concentrated on making the boat quicker and easier to sail, through tweaks to the rig and slight tweaks to hull design. Best of all you get to race a boat with a very individual character that can be tailored to your own sailing style — a welcome diversion in a world focused on bland uniformity.

Image courtesy of www.merlinrocket.co.uk

Image 2 courtesy of wikipedia

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On the Newstand and Digital Library Now - November/December Issue No. 301 Preview

Sailboats - Racing

Merlin rocket dinghy 'hazardous'.

The Merlin Rocket is one of the UK’s premier 2 person racing dinghies.After nearly 70 years and 3750 boats built, the Merlin Rocket racing dinghy continues to develop and evolve. The class rules allow development in hull and rig design and today the Merlin Rocket attracts the top crews (male and female) because of its versatility and thoroughbred handling characteristics.The original boats were designed for clench-built clinker (lapstrake) construction, but this later evolved into glued clinker/plywood construction. Today, most boats are built in FRP, but the hulls still conform to the clinker planking appearance.The Merlin Rocket is designed for a crew of two. There are no sitting-out aids, but the 4.27m LOA hull flares out to 2.2m beam to provide sitting out power for even the lighter crews.I started designing race-winning Merlin Rockets when I was a teenager. Nearly fifty years on, and I am still developing: the HAZARDOUS is my latest design and built in wood is fully competitive with the FRP boats, and looks a darned sight better.The plans include full size patterns for all plywood parts, including the planks. Files for direct CNC cutting of all plywood parts are also included. For more details, see my web page below.Julio Arana, of Austin, Texas, is building a HAZARDOUS Merlin Rocket. He is writing a blog, describing the progress of his project. Julio’s blog may well become the standard work on how to build a Merlin Rocket. See Julio’s blog at http://mymerlinrocket.blogspot.co.uk/

Design Specifications

Keith Callaghan Email: [email protected]

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The first 21st century Merlin Rocket designs - HAZARDOUS series: Hazardous Zero-9 and Hazardous Zero-9 LITE (2008 to present)

Twenty-three sets of plans for the hazardous series merlin rocket designs sold to date worldwide..

The new Hazardous design - Hazardous Zero-9 is designed to carry 7-10kg more weight that the Canterbury Tales, and with the centre of buoyancy set further aft, she will favour heavier helmsmen with lighter crews - often a typical Merlin crew combination. Wetted surface is about 1% less than Canterbury Tales, and hull draft is 16mm less. The waterline is finer to amidships, and a little wider towards the transom. A version for lighter helms, with less rocker in the aft run and more freeboard and beam aft of midships is also available. This design is called HAZARDOUS ZERO-9 LITE.

Rob Holroyd's H09 "WICKED" was allocated MR sail number 3708. Registration of this Merlin means that I am the designer with (by far!) the longest career in the Merlin Rocket class - 43 years (1966 to 2009) - and counting! By comparison, Ian Proctor's designs spanned only 21 years, but they spanned a larger sail number range (2417 boats versus 1753). Phil Morrison's first design appeared in 1969, and his latest (hopefully not his last) in 1997. Ian Holt, the designer of nearly all the Merlins built in recent years, produced his first creation only 24 years ago.

And with "WICKED" Laurie Smart's career as a Merlin builder becomes the longest in the 63 year history of the Class - 37 years. I know I am biased, but in my opinion Laurie has produced a beautiful boat which is up there at the pinnacle of wooden dinghy craftsmanship. How many more wood Merlins like "WICKED" will be built, I wonder?

In October 2012 Simon Cory of CORY YACHTS launched MR3737 "Mini Cool Blue". This superbly built and strikingly elegant Merlin Rocket has a foam planked FRP hull with varnished wood decks. MCB is to my Hazardous Zero-9 Lite design. Simon plans to offer a limited number of boats for sale. The boat was exhibited on the Merlin Rocket Owners Association stand at the RYA Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace, London, on 2-3 March 2013, where she was shortlisted for the Concours d'Elegance prize . See the bottom of this page for more photos.

Julio Arana, of Austin, Texas, is building a HAZARDOUS Merlin Rocket. He is writing a BLOG , describing the progress of his project. Julio's blog may well become the standard work on how to build a Merlin Rocket.

The latest H09L to get allocated a sail number is Simon Hipkin's MR3750 "No Pasaran!". This boat was launched at Salcombe Week 2013.

I have written a sailing autobiography in words and pictures, using Photobox. You can see many more details of my 21st century Merlin Rocket designs in volume 3 of this book. View RIDING THE WAVES, Volume 3 . Merlin Rockets feature from page 24 onwards. The book is free to view!

Merlin Rocket Kits now available - Prices from £1300.

In collaboration with JORDAN BOATS , the first HAZARDOUS ZERO-9 LITE Merlin Rocket kit of pre-cut plywood parts has now been produced. The basic kit comprises all the plywood parts necessary to build the boat (profiled to shape, but excluding the deck plywood), plus the building frames cut from MDF. More details. The price for this kit, including UK delivery and the licence to build one boat, is £1300.

If you have ever wondered what a smooth skin Merlin Rocket would look like, then have a look at this. Plans for a Hazardous Zero-9, modified for cedar strip/composite construction, have been sold to a New Zealander. Building is nearly complete. See photos of the build progress.

If you want to buy a set of plans for either of my current Merlin Rocket designs, PURCHASE PLANS HERE

NEW FOR 2012: Library of Technical drawings . Find out what all those strings do, and more!

"Merlin Rocket" is a registered trade mark of the Royal Yachting Association. Merlin Rockets are not allowed to race in the UK as a Merlin Rocket unless the boat has been measured in accordance with the Class Rules and a certificate obtained from the RYA.

• A Hazardous Zero-9 is being started in ITALY.
• A version of the Zero-9 for lighter crews (unimaginatvely named Zero-9 LITE) has now been produced. The intended crew weight of this design matches that for the Canterbury Tales, but favours a helmsman who is a little heavier than the crew. A set of plans has already been sold to someone who intends to sail his boat on the Wannsee lakes in Berlin, GERMANY.

September 2009:

As the sailing season comes to a close, "WICKED" has not yet really been tested in competition. She appeared at Salcombe Week in July and with an inexperienced young crew beat about 20 of the standard Canterbury Tales designs (though more finished ahead of her!). Since then she has not been sailed due to Rob's other commitments. So for the Hazardous Zero-9 it is still "Case Unproven".

August 2010:

"WICKED" has been sailed in Salcombe Week and The National Championships at Penzance. At Salcombe, Laurie Smart and Jill Blake sailed the boat. Their best result was a second place. In August, Steve Dunn and Ruth Johnson borrowed the boat for the Nationals. Unfortunately Ruth was injured after race 3, and Steve had to find other crews for the remaining races. He finished 18th over all, ahead of many very experienced Merlin sailors.

March 2011:

"WICKED" will have a few more outings this year - with the designer as crew. I will be crewing for Rob Holroyd in the Inland Championships at Draycote and at Salcombe Week, and then in August it's the Nationals at Hayling Island, with Laurie Smart helming.

And a Hazardous Zero-9 Lite is building at a boatyard in Sandwich, Kent. The boat hull is already off the mould. It is built in 8mm Corecell foam, and completion is due for some time in 2012.

I crewed for Rob Holroyd at the Inland Championships in "WICKED". We started well enough in the first race, pulling up to 2nd at the first mark. Up went the spinnaker - the first time I have handled a MR spinnaker in anger for 33 years! To our great joy, we were still second at the gybe mark - but we then capsized. The rest doesn't bear recounting, but we had our moment of glory!

August 2011: Merlin Rocket National Championships

Laurie Smart and I sailed "WICKED" in the Championships at Hayling Island with some initial success, but a Black Flag disqualification and then a broken mast on the Thursday meant that we could not put a series of results together. If only I were 40 years younger!

January 2012:

Much closer to home (just 20 miles away from me), a boatbuilder, Simon Hipkin, has purchased a set of H09L plans and will build a boat in wood to be completed in 2013. So "WICKED" will not be the last all-wood Merlin Rocket built.

Autumn 2012:

Rob Holroyd and I sailed WICKED in Salcombe Merlin Week in July. Excellent sailing - just wish we could have got nearer the start line at the gun!

Tom Jeffcoate, a helmsman with several national titles and a European title to his credit, sailed WICKED at the Inland Championships, finishing 11th - not bad for his first outing in the boat. More recently he came 3rd at the Felucca Trophy Open Meeting at Hollingworth Lake.

Simon Cory of CORY YACHTS has launched his foam planked/wood decked HAZARDOUS ZERO-9 LITE. Named "Mini Cool Blue", MR3737 is superbly build and finished. If she goes as well as she looks, Simon has a winner! See bottom of this page for photos.

Winter 2012-2013:

Simon Hipkin is ready to deck his H09L. At the same time, he has completed building the prototype BlueMotion-550 - a 5.5m high performance dayboat, which was exhibited at the RYA Dinghy Show in March.

Summer 2013:

Jasper Barnham and Graham Sexton will be sailing WICKED at several Silver Tiller events this year. Jasper and Graham are current Laser 2000 national champions and came 3rd in the 2012 Endeavour Trophy, but they have not sailed Merlin Rockets before. They have already made their mark in the first three ST events of 2013. A new suit of HD sails will further boost their performance! After 8 events, they are lying 3rd over all in the Silver Tiller series

Simon Hipkin launched his H09L MR3750 "No Pasaran!" at Salcombe in July. His first Salcombe Week, in a brand new boat, proved a baptism of fire! "No Pasaran!" is the first all-wood MR launched since WICKED in 2009.

Jasper and Graham finished 5th in the 2013 Merlin Rocket Inland Championships,sailed at Grafham Water. This is the first Championship podium result for one of my MR designs since Mike and Mandy Fowler sailed their Rowsell-built Hexagon 'Imagine' into 4th place at the 1975 Inlands.

See photos of the building of WICKED and other HAZARDOUS Merlin Rockets, below. - click on the picture to see a larger version.

More photos are available on my Flickr website.

Last updated 30 March 2020