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The Boat
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The Merlin Rocket is a restricted class. This means boats are built to fit within a set of rules rather than built to a plan. There is thus scope for a great deal of personalisation of the boats. The Merlins have developed over the years and the modern boats look as up to date now, as the original boats did at the time they were built.
Why Do Merlin Rocket Dinghies Look The Way They Do?
Hull design
- Fine bows for good upwind performance
- Large flat aft sections for good planing stability
- Medium rocker and low wetted surface area for good light weather performance
Hull construction
- The efficient triangulated layout of hull stiffeners produces a strong hull to withstand rigging loads
Rig
- A non-overlapping jib with a narrow sheeting angle results in a good pointing ability
- The fully adjustable deck stepped mast means the rig is easily powered up to suit the conditions
- The centre-main sheet is system is often based on a high hoop. This means that the boom can be centralised for good upwind performance, without over-tensioning the leech of the mainsail.
Spinnaker
- Current spinnakers are now produced to the maximum allowed size of 10m2 giving exhilarating downwind sailing.
- The 2.3m long spinnaker poles allow the spinnaker to develop maximum power at all the reaching and running angles.
- “Alongside the boom” spinnaker pole storage systems and the common use of twin poles systems considerably assists the spinnaker hoisting, gybing and lowering processes.
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