MERLIN ROCKET FORUM

Topic : Old bits on new boats

Just wondering why the new moulded boats still have bilge keels? Most of the hulls move between water and trolley and it's a bit like having an appendix; probably useful once but not relevant any more. 

See 4:m:iii; One bilge keel or chafing piece of which the cross section shall
contain a rectangle not less than 20mm x 10mm for a length of
1200mm shall be fitted over a land on each side and so placed
that the weight of the boat will bear on the main keel and one
bilge keel only, when the boat is on a level surface.


Posted: 16/02/2007 21:17:42
By: Peter
Is anyone going to be fished in by this or should we just post a link to one of the many "carbon/tin/smooth/lead" debates usually kicked off by a late night forum dweller well into his 3rd or 4th can?


Posted: 16/02/2007 22:05:04
By: Jon
Turn it on it's head: why shouldn't the new moulded boats have bilge keels?


Posted: 17/02/2007 08:09:48
By: Chris
Or just turn somersaults- why have planks?


Posted: 17/02/2007 12:30:53
By: The dark side
Why have a rudder, it only slows the boat down when you move it??


Posted: 19/02/2007 10:18:44
By: OH for a faster boat
I thought this was a discussion forum. Not everyone has a back history to the development and changes that have occured to the Merlin Rocket.
Why do we have bilge keels on the new fibre boats. They don't come with handles to lift them from the water to the hard as they did back in 1947; so back to Peter's question, why do we keep them?

Not change for changes sake; the fake planking distinguishes the Merlin from other classes; the carbon mast was a big step change to the performance of the boat. Foam sandwich hulls have given us equal performance and durability with low maintenance. All have happened through discussion.


Posted: 19/02/2007 17:27:38
By: David
The N12s removed bilge keels and keels, as most will know.

Given the current strength of the class any change which makes existing contemporary boats much less desirable as a competetive steed is a bad idea. I would probably put removing the bilge keels into that catergory, and definatley removing the main keel as well.

You can of course remove the keels on an existing boat, but this requires major surgery a new centreboard and lots of £ching.

I wouldn't vote for it.


Posted: 19/02/2007 17:51:13
By: Chris
If you look at the modern merlins the bilge keels have been altered to the extreams of the rules to aid in strait line stability, and keep the boat more stable in a windy gybe, boats witout keels tend to be very skitish on gybing in heavy winds.
They do have more than one job, and the guys at Hastings still use them when sailing up the shingle.


Posted: 19/02/2007 20:54:54
By: Dave F

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