To answer the many people who get interested in our boats, I am composing a short illustrated article in French about the origins etc of the class ; Jo will translate it into German.

In describing notable features of the boat, I mention amongst other things the characteristic vertical stem, pointing out the advantage for a boat clinker built on frames, and the resulting importance of keeping the boat upright in waves.

However, I can’t actually see in the rules any obligation,- either explicit or implicit, to have a vertical stem, and clinker boats can be & are built without. Am I missing something ?

only thought on this is that you would lose waterline length, therefore no be quick in the non planing sailing

Nope.  The reason that the restricted classes end up with a vertical stem is that the restriction on length is on overall length LOA and a straight stem gives you maximum waterline length LWL, which is what determines displacement hull speed in the physics, within that restriction.

Which says just the same with lots more words!!

Ich bin ein Merliner

Rod and Jo,
That's a very astute question, and the answer could produce some very interesting results if you care to push it to the limits. 'Ow so? Well, have a look at www.pyc.org and the photos on there. Merlin rules are framed to stop you building a Merlin that looks like a Skiff style Int. Moth, but I'm sure older members will remember there was once a different style of Moth.........

what was this old moth like (europe?)
the longer the waterline length the faster it can go before having to plane, because resistance increases as the boat starts to plane before disappearing and the energy required to rise onto the wave is not always available long wl is good and stops the boat wallowing so much to displace its weight in water so does not need to chuck as much around as it moves
well thats what I think is it right?

They look like big Toppers to me - or maybe Fireballs without the Winder magic!

the int's had a blunt front like a fireball and the brits still have a round topper like front.

very interesting i'm sure, now back to merlin rockets...........

Nearly but not quite- you'll have to surf around a lot on the Int Moth websites to find  a pic of one, but the old moths were scows like the yank A's, C's, E's etc. I think there might be a pic on the Aussie Moth site. What's the relevance to Merlins? Weeeellll, building a scow type Merlin means you can circumvent the rise-of-floor rule. The boat's sailed heeled at about 20 degrees, not flat, so effectively becomes a catamaran, with one very narrow bilge in the water when beating, and can be sailed downwind flat (huge planing area) or heeled (wild thing style like a cat). Think Laser Vortex-the Merlin rules even allow a tunnel hull-ish! Perhaps Jo Richards has had a few ideas on those lines....?

I dare you!

You're not talking about the 'british moth' are you? Bears about as much resemblence to a normal Moth, as a GP14...

Mags, no nothing like those barges. Scow Int Moths look like a huge sailboard with cropped ends and stretched to about 3 times the width. They were very popular in Oz, because they went like steamed ---- in a blow. I think they lost out to the skiffs 'cos they were slower in the light stuff, and it became difficult to build them down to the same (unlimited) weight as the skiffs. You wouldn't lose any waterline length , because the bow, seen in plan, would be square, and when heeled, the outboard corner would be the bow as the water sees it.
Dare I-Ooooh, don't tempt me! The real "joker in the pack" factor though is, I think, the righting power of these things. Righting arm is crew weight times distance from centre of bouyancy. On a normal boat, C of B is (if boat upright)pretty much on the centreline. On a scow heeled to 20 deg, the C of B is out by the leeward gunnel, i.e. On a Merlin, the righting lever arm goes from about 3'6" to about 6'. Any applied Maths gurus out there, please tell me if I'm wrong!

Jeez Roger, it's an ugly bugger

Sure is!

Tried Tunnels 
Dont work.Makes it messy around centre box when going to windward . Rounded chines do !rounded clinker built tips on the planks ,now your talking.
Graham

Golf ball hull? anyone tried it.

I personally like the big red strap which presumably holds the hull together!!  Looks like this is one moth which didn't get close enough to the candle!!!  But beauty is in the eye of the beholder - get it out with Optrex!!

ID hate to nose dive it

Q-Why'd you think they sailed 'em in Oz? A-Nice warm water! Seriously wet in a blow I believe!

Years ago there was a merlin with a raked stem - if my memory serves me right ( which it often doesn't ) it was designed by a Parkstone sailor named Roscoe ???? There was also one with a canoe type stern that turned up at the Whitstable champs in 1963 .

EMPEROR ROSCOE DJ

It was Richard Roscoe who designed very succesful Nat 12's. There was also Slippery Sam that had a raked stem the object being to take the hollow out of the waterline fwd! Neither was a steaming success. Richard still sails mainly a Tri Maran with Rodney Pattison.