I have just become the owner of Siesta,  Merlin 635 Which I know is a Holt Martine design but I wondered if anyone knew the history of her? 
I have a 25' rig with original cotton sails and also some very early terraleen sails. I am however, missing the spinnaker and pole. If anyone comes across a  cotton spinny or an old school pole please let me know. No hurry as there is significant restoration to be done yet!

Jez,
Sorry to damp your enthusiasm but a 25' rig would never have been legal on any Holt Martine by the time they came along it hasd been 22'6" for quite a long time.
Non-the-less good luck with keeping another good Merlin sailing/racing.

Maybe. I have not measured it, but it is very long/tall. Maybe I am too used to a modern deck stepped rig now!

Hi,

From what I remember when I was looking to change from my 22ft 6in rig to a shorter one the 22ft 6in is the measurement between the bands and the mast is approx 25ft overall.

HTH

Tony

I have a very old wooden spinnaker pole if you (or anyone else) wants it?

Hi Geoff, that would be a good start, thanks. I would like to keep this boat as original as I can. Since I have the original sails and boom and the boat is still pretty original.

I will let you know when I am coming to an open sometime this year and I will collect it from you then.

Thanks

No the 22'6" is sherline to top black band not the luff length (Between the BB's.

My Martine certificate dated April 1975 states the mast (after conversion from metric) is 22'6" and the distance between black bands is 20'3"

The 25 ft. masts were very heavy and by the time I started sailing early Merlins in 1952 all those at Minima Y.C. had been shortened to 22ft 6ins. Those masts were still heavy and as schoolboys Brian Appleton and I, weighing about 16 stone, sailed his 'Gail' no. 28 at the 1952 Championships. We soon discovered that once 'Gail' had reached a certain angle of heel the weight of the mast tended to complete the capsize!

I sail Iska, no 6 with a 25 ft mast. The sails are only 100sq ft being divided 30, 70 so that makes the main tall but very short footed. There is the original sail plan for this sort of rig in the Pictures section. Just a handfull of the earliest survivors still have the tall rig. luff 22'3", foot just 6'3". There is a lump of lead on the tip of the centreboard to help.
The spinny was flown from a point below the hounds, inside the forestay. I don't know when this rule changed but I think 1066 is still like that. The pole was originally just 4ft.

I'll look if i have a spare cotton spinny still. I do have quite a few cotton sails but I think I passd on my last spinny last year.

Thanks Chris. I am picking the boat up on Sunday and then she will go in my Garage and be left to dry out for while. I will start work later this year. It looks like someone has had an outboard on the back of her as there is an inch thick mahogany transom stuck on the back of the original one and then half a tree one the inside with the centre section of the rear deck cut out. She has also had bulkheads put in front and back to create tanks. She is a bit of a mess but will come back.

I am still debating whether to reinstate rolled sidedecks, if she had them in the first place that is? I think she would have done.

Hi Jeremy. I would suggest that unless you have firm evidence that your Martine had rolled decks then it's unlikely that she did. Jack Holt's own boat 'Fiddlesticks' must have been built at the same time because her number is 636. My brother John and I sailed her at a Championships in 1957 and she definitely had narrow side decks.

That's interesting, thanks Robert. They do look original so I will save them if I can in that case.

Martin Hunter's Martine "Quiver" more less a sister ship has narrow side decks and a stern deck, so did Dick Marshal/Roy Brigg's "Martin"e presumably the first martine, though I remember Derek King/Graham Donald's Chopsticks and Peter Clayton's Nellie having rolled in decks and they were later than any of the Martines. If Jeremy wants the pictures I can search the archive of our pictures and find dinghy park pictures of them all.

Thanks David, but that's fine. I think I know what I am going to do with it now.

I had a Martine 719 Kelpy which had narrow rolled decks. Flat decks sloping inwards were standard, rolled decks were extra rememenber that there was a price limit at this time. Martines are great boats and very hard to find, you will go very well in her.

Did not know you owned "Kelpy" at one time. I remember the boat very well - made with very light coloured timbers.  Tony Davis (Hampton SC) was the original owner and remember sailing with him at Hampton.

Hi Mike. I'm pretty sure Mervyn Allen also owned 'Kelpy' at one time.

Isn't that what Mervyn said a post or two above?

and just to proove it...
http://www.ranelagh-sc.co.uk/Images/merlin11-1963.jpg

For those coming to Ranelagh this Sunday I think we can promise less rubbish in the river!  11.30 start.
Nick