Evening, 
 
I'm hoping you can point me in the right direction. I've just acquired 3305 from a chap in Devon who took it in part exchange and knows nothing about it. It looks to be a lovely piece of kit but will need paint and varnish and some tidying up etc.
 
The trolley tag says 'Uvney' on it, possibly the name of the last/a previous owner. The mast has stickers from Salcombe Harbour in 2013 and Lymington in 2011 so I think it's probably spent a good portion of its life on the south coast. 
 
The centreboard has a red Jon Turner Dinghies sticker on it. It's a low bow tank boat with bulkhead so must be post 1980? Its hog stepped with the centreboard case extended to the bulkhead and shaped for the mast to pass through it. I think it might be an NSM 1 or 2 but thought these were all case stepped?
 
Does anyone know anything about this boat/ have any mention of it in the year books? any history or a name etc. would be great to know. 
 
The mainsail has a sailmaker logo I've not seen before. A red sailboat - can't find anything like it online or see that it belongs to any of the big sail lofts of years gone by, the sail was measured in 1996 -  curious to see if anyone recognises the brand? 
 
Thanks, 
 
John.  
  

No info on the boat but seem to remember Hyde sails using a red boat logo in the past - like a FD silhouette

Its a Winder built NSM II. Perfect Hoppertunity.
 
Neither a name or number that rings any bells, but a good shape by a good builder! The mast passing through all the way to the hog wasn't unusual although case stepping was more common.
 
Should be capable of turning heads off an adjusted handicap. 
 
Red sailboat - look at the Musto logo. If its the same they're Hyde sails. 

I think this boat was built by Guy Winder for Brian Hopper at Whitstable Yacht Club in 1983.    It was quick      Brian and wife Sue now live near Hastings 

Thanks for the info a Mark, Chris, Richard. 

The hull looks to be solid- needs paint and varnish but it’s all there and no rot that I can see. 

Perhaps when it’s finished off Brian and Sue may want to have some photos/ know that it’s being used and hasn’t gone to the fire. 

The boat has a single suit of Dacron sails for the hog stepped rig and what looks like a new rules spinnaker from speed sails in 2009 which a mouse has chewed - hopefully this can be patched/panelled to last a few seasons. 

The mast is a newer looking proctor spar. No section name on it.  It’s got seldom blue spreaders with purple bottles crew adjusters though so early 2000’s maybe. 

One of the bottlescrew adjusters has snapped. Does anyone have one in their spares bin they’d be happy to part with for a decent price?

The halyards are all shot on it so it’ll need re-roping. Does anyone know offhand the length needed for main halyard and spinnaker line for a hog step mast? I’m guessing 2-3x mast length? 

It’ll need a new wire jib halyard also- being a hog step mast are these a standard length from a chandler or do I need to get one made up to fit the spar? 

I understand modern sails can be recut to suit the luff curve and crew weight used on a hog rig - I might be on the look out for any older sails people may be offloading later this year. 

Final question, I promise :). 

The thwart is shaped on the back of it to take a hoop, I know a lot of these were installed when they became fashionable on new boats and they killed upwind performance on old boats by limiting rig tension through the mainsheet. 

The present set up has a rope bridle holding a block. I think the original fit out would have had a traveller? 

Is it best to hoop it, put a traveller on, or leave it with the bridle and play the main sheet upwind with some loss of tension and pointing in a blow as opposed to fitting and playing a traveller and keeping the rig driving hard with the main full in. 

Thanks. 

John. 

By chance I do indeed have a late 90's purple bottle screw adjuster (with blue bracket to bolt on the spreader) in my junk box.  You are welcome to it for cost of postage.
 
Best send me a photo to check its the correct part?
 
I expect 3305 would have had a hoop when new (with a fixed central take off point as hoop top tracks came later).   I had two Winder boats 3158 and 3338 both of which had hoops. If you're lucky someone else might even have one of those lying around?
 
Geoff

Thanks Geoff,

That’s very kind of you. 

Don’t think I can send pictures on this forum. 

If you drop me an email I’ll send you a picture of the bottlescrews on the mast

My email is [email protected]

Thanks,

John

If its a proctor ticket on it it will almost certainly be a D section from the mid-late 90's.
 
It would have had a round hoop when new. A bridle does much the same job. I wouldn't worry and if a hoop the right length turns up great
 
Sails. If you move the readers back a bit to give a little more prebend you wont need to recut the luff. 
 
Main halyard - 13m should be ok
 
Spinnaker 15-16m depending on where fittings are.
 
Jib halyard varies a lot. 

In terms of  the Hoop vs Bridal, if the bridal is part of a split mainsheet then you will be able to centralise the boom, when both parts get tight.  Some people took out the hoop in an effort to reduce weight, but that is not as important as some think.
 
Hyde sails were very active in the fleet in the 1990's so likely to be one of their suits.
 
In terms of the Spinnaker it may be worth checking on the length of the poles and their set-up to ensure that you can fly the larger spinnaker correctly.
 
If you happen to be on Facebook look up the Merlin Rocket Revival Group, lots of us on there with knowledge of the older boats.

Thanks for the info Chris, Stuart. 

I’m on Facebook and have joined the vintage revival page. It’s great to see so many wooden Merlins being cared for and enjoyed. 

I’ve potentially got a hoop and some sails coming from a group member. 

The poles are the old alloy ones that are coming to me with a superspars b1 boom. Not sure if they’ll be a bit short for the big spinny but right now my thoughts are get all the bits together and then fine tune it when it’s back on the water. 

I’ve got a pulley and hook system to set up for jib tension and the shrouds are on quadrants. It’s a low bow tank and bulkhead boat so it should be stiff and not close up... 

But what’s the magic sort of setting for rig tension- I know we don’t really measure it as a fleet but would be good to understand how to eyeball not enough vs boat snapping tension to get it just right for average weather. 

 Am I right in thinking more tension transmits more power into the hull? But also pulls the mast more straight so powers that up? 

So heavier weather would be less tension on the jib and use the ram to create bend in an already ‘raked’ back spar to resist the pushing force of the boom caused by the hard set kicker? 

 So the centre of effort is further back in the boat and the sail spills more power through the rig angle and a flat curve from the out haul and a locked off upper section through lots of Cunningham ? 

Equally aware I’ll need to play the boat at it’s own game as it’s not modern raking rig . So extra pie and veg and hike out hard?! 

Thanks

John. 

Ive just got the measurement certificate for 3005 from the RYA. 


built by Guy Winder and weighed 99.5 kg with no correctors. 


Original name is listed as Modesty Blaise. Original hull colour looks to have been purple. No record of a certificate being issued before this one but measured in April 83.  

Edit. 3305
typo there.