Can anyone give me any information about a Rocket I have seen advertised? It is a Radical Posture design by Rob Peebles built by Brett Dingwall and Nick Martin in 1983. Is it suitable for a lightweight crew and for sailing on a lake? I have located a reference to it in the Merlin design guide but there is no accompanying information. |
The worst that can happen is that you get wet and you learn quickly. |
Brett Dingwall builds a nice Flying Fifteen and Rob Peebles designed some good National 12's but it can't be that good if there was only one built! |
Rob Peebles as mentioned designed some fast 12's & this was his attempt at a merlin, fairly advanced in it's day,fine forwards saw it nose down a few time untill they learned. I would of thought it would make a good inland boat just get used to it in light to medium winds first,bear off quick & get weight aft quick in any breeze. |
Thanks everyone for the information. I'm a member of Leigh and Lowton SC (near Wigan). We don't have any Merlin's here at present - mostly RS and Solos and I sail a very old Mirror. I'm looking for a more competitive boat as well as another wooden boat and the Merlin really looks good. I understand that some designs are more suited to lighter crews (our combined weight is 19 stone)and some more suited to rivers rather than lakes. Perhaps the Radical may be a bit too specialised/unique for me. Thanks for the offer of a sail - I'll get in touch if I can get down south. |
It's on e-bay. Looks to be in very good condition, and if you can get it for a low enough price should be OK or even better than that to start with. You always wonder about one-off designs. If it had been a breakthrough you would think someone would have built another, but designs are faddy and the financial risk significant. Merlins developed from 12's haven't really set the world alight and the mention in the Merlin book is not very encouraging. However it would be interesting to know what the boat's results have been like if it has been sailed against other known Merlin designs. You could be the right weight for it. |
There's at least one active member at Bolton Sailing Club, Geoff Minns. That might be easier to get to? I can put him in touch with you if it would help. |
You could go and check out the open meeting at Hollingworth this weekend. http://www.merlinrocket.co.uk/clubs_events/view_club.asp?id=25 |
Jon I hope you don't go to Hollingworth this weekend, this weekend is Wembly, next weekend is Hollingworth |
Lol, I'm waiting for Blithfield. Hopefully it wil blow its t*ts off again................... |
We(the wife and I) started as complete novices a year ago in a boat of similar age and value to yours...we have had a great time learning to sail and after a year, I think we are making a bit of progress. Make sure that you join a club which has a fleet of boats so that you can get advice on rigging and general sailing tips. Join the MR Association and get some water wings! |
Go to Hollingworth! Even if you can't get there for the open meeting weekend, they have arguably the most active and also wide ranging competetive fleet anywhere in the country. They're also ultra friendly! |
There are quite a few Merlins at Bolton which is nearer. We are also very friendly and have a mix of new and older boats. http://www.sail.org.uk |
Richard don't be put off to easily at that sort of money you could have a very pretty & capeble boat |
I saw one of the Universities had their Larks at Leigh and Lowton for sale very cheaply - you could always get one of them for starters - they're just a baby Merlin really from Merlin designer Mike Jackson and good for lighter weights and fast across the pond!! |
we all know about university larks!!! |
Our Merlin Open is 1 & 2 October. If you can't make that weekend then we race on Sunday afternoons. |
My understanding is that it was designed for light weight crews,as a club boat it ought to do as well as most of its era. |
I spoke to Brett Dingwall about this boat, as I was thinking of buying it too. It was experimental design for Nick Martin. It didn't end up going as well to windward as was hoped. It should be very fast off wind |
experimental design? merlin rocket? did he not know you just buy the same kit as the man at the front! |
Are we sure this is a Merlin??? Radical Posture is certainly a Peebles N12 Design, if Rob did design a Merlin I'm sure he would not have given the boat the same name as one of his 12's. Radical Posture was a further development of Rob's very successful baggy-trousers design but it was a step too far. |
Yes, it's definatley a merlin and it does share the same name. |
If we didn't experiment with hull shapes, we would still be sailing Kate clones. |
I thought Radical Posture was a National12 design by Rob! Ideal for 16 stoners in a force 6 Flat water . |
Perhaps Rob just used the same lines and scaled it up a bit! Sounds like everybody is talking about a boat(or boats) with the same characteristics! |
OK guilty as charged. This was a Merlin design I did for Nick Martin, and it was basically a stretched N12 design of mine - Baggy Trousers. Bret built it, and initially it came out rather heavy (thick plywood) and had to go on a diet which left it a bit floppier than it should have been. The rig ended up quite a long way forward, and that combined with a lot of displacement aft & very straight rocker up front meant it planed very flat and it was easy to drop the bow under downwind on a fast plane if you didnt concentrate. N12-like you needed to sit a long back downwind and it gained a bit of a reputation as a bit of a handfull.... Like the Baggy, it always concieved as an open water boat, so wasnt at its best light weather tacking etc although Ive noted that as the years go by earlier sea boats often become the weapons of choice in land..... I always thought it had more potential than it showed, and vaguely remeber Ian Holt owned it for a while, so mayebe the design direction didnt die out completely.... whatever you decide - enjoy. |