MERLIN ROCKET FORUM

Topic : Newbie, 3100

Hi there, having just bought Sunday Driver,3100, Winderbox, and being brand new to sailing a merlin I am a bit flummoxed with the two pole system. Is there any books or internet info that can explain how to set it up quite simply? As although I am a fairly experienced laser sailor, my 52 year old crew has only ever sailed big yachts.  Any tips or advice on the basics of merlin driving would be greatly appreciated ;-)


Posted: 15/05/2011 18:25:49
By: Andy Peacock
Well I should probably leave more info. I do have the poles attached to the guys via some twinning lines, and the spinny end of the poles has a guy attached higher up the mast, but means that there is no pole up haul or down haul. Is that the norm? The thing that gets me, how does the mast end of the poles stay secure to the boom when beating? Do I lash up some bugee cord or something? Help :-)


Posted: 15/05/2011 18:48:01
By: Andy Peacock
If you look in the rigging guide you should find the info you need. A picture tells a thousand words!

This is a modern Winder tales, but the effect is much the same regardless of the age of the boat. The hard parts are when the woodwork doesn't lend itself to siting the controls

http://www.merlinrocket.co.uk/gallery/default.asp?folder=gallery/rigging_guide/3594


Posted: 15/05/2011 20:40:41
By: Chris M
Where are you sailing her?  The best option is to find someone locally who sails a Merlin and see their set-up first hand.  Other than this the poles lie alongside the Boom upwind and the Uphaul is usually operated by a control line lead to the bottom of the mast.


Posted: 15/05/2011 21:05:12
By: Stuart Bates
General modern boats description (although there are many variations!):

Spinny end: pole is held up by lines from 2/3rds or so up mast. Typically clipped with a quick release to the outer end of the pole (release to allow mast drop or cover on). The two lines come together and then a single line down inside the mast to a small clam cleat at the bottom of the mast to control pole height.

Spinny end: pole is held down by snodger. This is a thin line from just in front of mast (hole through deck) into underneath of pole at outer end, out of pole end and is then attached to the ring through which the buy (and sheet!) run. The snodger in the boat is led back to the helm, who tightens it up (holding pole down and guy to the end of the pole) just AFTER the crew has clipped the pole onto the mast.

There are guide elastics that run from 1/3 up the mast, through a pulley on the top of the pole at the inner end, and back along the boom. When releasing the pole from the mast, these are meant to do the auto-store of the pole along the boom.
The other part of the auto-store is the elastic on the snodger under the fore-deck. This tidies things up and holds the outer end of the pole reasonably close to the mast when beating.

No twinning lines as such, just a reaching hook to tuck the guy under just in front of the shrouds.

Lengths and elastic strengths is all a mater of choice and experimentation!


Posted: 16/05/2011 09:13:18
By: ChrisJ
Also see this gallery.

http://www.merlinrocket.co.uk/gallery/default.asp?folder=gallery/rigging_guide/3489

Posted: 16/05/2011 12:03:56
By: Mags
Awesome guys, thanks. I have figured the bungee routing out. That's the bit I was struggling with. We had the spinny up and flying for the first time on thursday night. Happy days, I'm still smiling :-)  Merlin Rockets are just FANTASTIC !!!!!!


Posted: 21/05/2011 08:08:39
By: Andy Peacock
Awesome guys, thanks. I have figured the bungee routing out. That's the bit I was struggling with. We had the spinny up and flying for the first time on thursday night. Happy days, I'm still smiling :-)  Merlin Rockets are just FANTASTIC !!!!!!


Posted: 21/05/2011 08:09:14
By: Andy Peacock
does the snodger require any purchase?


Posted: 09/06/2011 15:49:30
By: confused
As long as you pull it on hard before the spinny flaps too much or fills 2:1 is adequate BUT the whole system needs to be low stretch.  I now have an effective 4:1 as I have twinned the control to either side of the centrecase, which is definitely easier.  On a tight reach the ring wants to pull out of the end of the pole and this will allow the pole to sag onto the jib luff (risk of breakage with carbon poles) and you lose effective pole length just when you need it most.  In older boats there's often not a lot of room for the purchase so the lengths have to be just right.  I have been caught out twice by setting the system up to work easily with the mast upright forgetting that you need quite a bit more length in the snodger with full rake on.  If you have already cut off the ends of your expensive low stretch string it does not generate happiness.  If you forget for a 2nd time when the string next needs replacing and have your crew fail to get the pole on at all when it's really honking in big waves the air round even the calmest boat can get a bit blue.


Posted: 09/06/2011 16:52:00
By: Andrew M

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