Mast maker says they have three different drawings for Merlins.
Can anyone help with measurements/ differences? 
I do not have the original can anyone also help on the fittings I'd need?
Looking forward to seeing some of you when I've ditched the paddle and have some sail up!

Hello Shaun

Please give me a call 020  8231  8911

I am sure that I can help you

Mervyn

Are you sure it was a wooden mast originall at that sail no Metal Masts were pretty nearly standard.

True, i have 1126 and she had a metal mast when new?

She has the wrong mast at the moment and that's all I know. She has and Albacore mast but it looks as though the boom (wooden) might be the correct boom, I'm assuming that if it's got a wooden boom it would have had a wooden mast? or is this wrong.

Metal Mast - wooden boom VERY common.

Out of interest - does anyone know whether a deckstepped Merlin of 1951 vintage would be able to accept a modified  Enterprise or GP14 wooden mast or would there be severe limitations as to strength with a Merlin rig?

Probably too short.

A piece can be scarfed onto the top - Chris Barlow did it with No 36 Terrapin taking the cut down 22'6" back to it's original 25ft and apparently with new sails is a beautifully sailing boat but then Chris is a better woodworker than I am  (see link for his starting material!!)!!

And the finished product - you can just see the slight colour change about the position of the top batten where the new piece was scarf jointed - a really beautiful job

I have two wooden Merlin masts in excelent condition, one of which should meet your requirements assuming you require "deck stepped" of ther 22ft 6inch river style tall rig. Mike Stephens- ALOHA

Mike Will keep you in touch, thank you, I haven't taken delivery of the boat yet, it's coming this weekend. I thought the older boats were not strong enough for deck stepped masts?

Think you will find thate MR no 1 - Kate is deck stepped.

As far as I'm aware all the origional Merlins had deck stepped masts which could rotate, they had a sort of ball and socket mast step to allow this to happen. In most boats rotating masts proved to be more trouble than they were worth so by the time I started sailing in old Merlins most of them had stops to prevent them rotating. Keel stepped masts became increasingly common during the early 50s and my Dad's first boat 'Dizzy' no.490 built in 1954 had a wooden one. 

The photo of 'Lucky' no. 177 in the Vintage section of the photo gallery clearly shows her deck stepped mast. She would have had kingpost below the mast to take the downward thrust.

Kate No 1, Iska No 6, Terrapin No 36 and my boat Secret Water 111 (see photos through the site) both have deck stepped rotating ball and socket stepped masts.  I now have Gannet (252) a Rocket which has an inkwell type step but fitted to a non-original alloy mast.  Any idea whether the inkwell would have been original - it certainly looks it in cast brass/phos bronze.  Anyone with any extra info on Rockets I would like to hear from them.  Click name for my email address.