Hello 
My name is Pierre-Yves, I am 21 years old, I am French thus excuse I for my English!
I have just had a boat to be restored and according to my searches(researches) I think is an merlin rocket.
Can you say to me if it is an merlin rocket?
The boat is wooden, it measures 5m of long, 1.60 wide.

The former(ancient) propriaitaire was English, it crossed the sleeve with this boat to come in the Dunkirk, in France

I leave you photos for use!

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/2295/imgp0455ib6.jpg 
http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/8117/imgp0458ih5.jpg
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/9587/imgp0461nr8.jpg 
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/6757/imgp0454sv7.jpg
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5973/imgp0456xn1.jpg
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/845/imgp0459sv2.jpg

I thank you beforehand, 
goodbye

Pierre-Yves. I am sad to say that I do not think that this is a merlin but a very early example of an Ian Proctor designed boat, the Osprey. You can check out the Osprey Class website 
http://www.ospreysailing.org.uk/

As this is a very early boat there is a group that may be interested, try sending the details to www.cvrda.org

I hope this helps

David

Hi,
Merlin Rockets are all 14ft (4.27m) long.
If your boat is 5m it is not a Merlin.

Mags

It does resemble an 0sprey, however

Osprey Specifications 
LOA 5.35m 
Beam 1.75m 
Sail Area (Main,jib,spineker) 31.15m2 max 
Weight 134 kg 

I remember seeing a dinghy with similar planking to an osprey some 30 yrs ago, but cannot recall what class it was. Sorry

The pictures seem to show a deck stepped boat - I beleive that the Osprey is a hog stepped boat.

The origional Osprey was designed by Ian Proctor and built  like a Merlin of the time with solid wooden planks and ribs probably by Jack Chippendale. On the 6th June 1953 Osprey sailed by Ian Proctor, Cliff Norbury and John Oakley (all M/R Champion helms or crews) won the 64 mile Coronation Round the Island Dinghy Race which attracted nearly 200 boats.

A week or two later David Mayne and I were racing David's Nat 12 at Hamble. After the day's racing Richard Creagh Osborne invited us to sail with him in Osprey. We jumped at the chance and had the  time of our teenage lives tearing around Southampton Water and trapezing for the first time in a large very fast dinghy. At one point Richard shouted. "What would one of these cost?". One of us shouted "The price of two 12s perhaps". Richard had won the 1st prize of a Nat 12 at a recent open meeting so he shouted back. "Wow, and I've got two 12s!"

PJM,

I think that you might find that some of the very early Ospreys did indeed have deck stepped masts - and woden spars!

D