Which Design?
A frequent question about modern designs of Merlin Rocket is "which is the fastest?"  The answer is whichever is the right one for you, your crew, the places where you will race and the way you sail.

So which design is right for you?  This depends on your weight, sailing water and temperament.  And do not forget the character of a design can be modified by adjustments to the rig or to the centreboard and rudder.  For example offwind stability can be improved by fitting a deeper rudder and increasing the kicker tension.  Light weather tacking speed can be improved by fitting a fatter, wider rudder blade and by angling it back.

Generally speaking, light crews need to pick a design which is wide enough for good heavy weather performance and heavy crews should have a boat with an underwater shape designed for sufficient displacement, otherwise light-weather performance will be poor.  Designs have stabilised over recent years and the choice is becoming easier.

When referring to weight in this guide, lightweights are less than 22 stones and heavyweights over 26 stones.  However, these days weight is really not so crucial.  So much can be done with the rig and if you look through the records you will see boats designed for lightweights going well with heavyweights in them and vice-versa. 

A Note on obtaining a Merlin
This guide has been written with the second-hand market in mind.  The Owners Association provides a free list of Merlins for sale which is updated almost daily and, of course, the other place to look is amongst the back pages of Yachts and Yachting.  And do not forget the website (www.merlinrocket.co.uk) which is continually updated for new boats put on the market.

Generally speaking, price reflects age, condition, demand and track record.  If you only want a boat for pleasure sailing, condition is the prime consideration.  Luckily, Merlins are built to last and an old boat, well looked after, will give years of pleasure.

As the class is now over fifty years old, there is also a Vintage Wing of the Owners Association, which provides special events for the much older boats, including prizes for the best kept and those with original rigs.

The "Modern" Merlins
After years of diverse shapes and sizes, the design of the Merlin Rocket has stabilised over the past fifteen years.  This is partly due to the immense success of the designs of one or two particular designers who seem to have dominated Merlin thinking for the past twenty years.

For many years, Phil Morrison's designs were immensely successful and dominated results sheets.  From 1972 until 1988 the Morrison designed boats won the National Championships unchallenged.  Many hundreds of boats have been built to his designs and his N.S.M 1's, 2's, & 4's are the back-bone of the modern Class.  In recent years, the limelight has fallen on designs by Ian Holt but the total numbers built from his drawing board is but a fraction of those from Morrison whose designs are probably still the most popular at inland clubs.

It must be said that many of the earlier designs would still be successful in the right hands.  Some owners, as happens elsewhere, have become "fashion" conscious and tend to buy identical boats to those which have won championships even if they are usually racing on a totally different type of water.  The wise helmsmen thinks where he is going to do most of his racing, picks up a good bargain second-hand and fits a modern rig if necessary.

Do not write off any of the other designs.  You can still be competitive in older boats, particularly at club level, but if you want to be in the top ten at the Championships, then you will probably want to sail a "modern" Merlin.

The Current Popular Designs
The vast majority of "top" sailors in the Merlin fleet are sailing Holt/Turner designs - currently in vogue the Canterbury Tales (or variants) in either timber or the Turner or Winder FRP version.  Others are sailing Phil Morrison designs such as the NSM 4, NSM 2 (including variants), Summer Wine, Gnome, and New Potato.

Generally, the lightweights sail Canterbury Tales, Gnome, New Potato, Summer Wine.  Light to medium weights sail NSM 4 and the heavier crews sail NSM 2, NSM 4 or perhaps an Ian Holt boat designed to carry more weight such as Riders on the Storm.

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