MERLIN ROCKET FORUM

Topic : To the Mag Editor

I sail an old Merlin and really enjoy the boat - single or two handed. We are not fast or plastic.

We do not race seriously or tow around the country - but the Merlin is still the boat for me.

This year I joined the Owners Club and have been disappointed with the magazines. There is little of interest to me in them.

Indeed, the is little at all about the boat. I'm sorry but I found the piece on calibrating the rig barely comprehensible and of little use to my hog stepped mast with limited adjustment. The mag mainly consists of races reports and people and club reviews - all of which I'm sure are of interest but I would appreciate more information about how to sail the boat better and look after it.

How about pieces for less experienced sailors about improving their roll tacking, spinnaker technique, preparing an old wooden Merlin for the winter, tips for pointing higher?

Other club mags provide this info. My kids Topper Times recently did a piece on roll tacking that I have learnt from - but I don't want to have to read the Topper Times to sail my Merlin better!!


Posted: 19/11/2004 19:58:46
By: Terry
Terry, there you hit the problem, The MR class has always been clique ridden and knowledge kept rather than shared! No doubt its getting better but your comment was ever thus! We need to do better, but sadly the other thing needed is someone who can write proper English not the cliche (inside knowledge) ridden stuff we see. But that is yachting writing generally I'm afraid. Enjoy your boat its rather more fun to sail than the modern ones.


Posted: 20/11/2004 12:08:35
By: Old Merlin Sailor
Hi Terry I kind of know what your getting at but there are a couple of ways you can get the info you need. Firstly the class do organise training events, if theres not one near you speak to the guys running it there always very approachable ,secondly take a look at WWW.battsails.com
Dick has a very good guide to initial set ups which might be of help.
Of the mag itself I've been very impressed by it's production the only thing lacking is as you comment on the finite technical stuff, lots of general 'basic' stuff but no definative measurments/rig tensions etc. It maybe as the previous comment stated that these are well guarded which I would find hard to accept as, as a class everyone appears so helpfull.
If anyone wants to know the sort of data I believe most club sailors are looking for go to Pinnels 505 rig tuning guide which gives a good start point for that class.
Or try your prefered sail maker to see if they'll give you thr info. good sailing Barry.


Posted: 20/11/2004 13:49:58
By: Barry Watkin
PS type Tuning in the 'Search' box top right of the forum page, various info, Barry


Posted: 20/11/2004 13:56:58
By: Barry Watkin
Actually, as the Modern Merlin has virtually infinite flexiblity in rig settings, unlike say GP14 where you can say that the mast should be set at 21' 9" to transom, all you can say with a Merlin is mark up the settings, sail it and write down what goes fast. Each boat, design, wind & wave conditions are different.

Thats one of the things that make Merlins fun, the need to fiddle about!!

Due to the complexity, unlike Toppers for instance, Merlins are rarley sailed by complete novices, and when they are the novices learn pretty quickly. The principals of roll tacking and pointing high etc are the same for Merlins as they are for any boat that doesn't plane to windward on hydrofoils.

Whilst the magazine could easily have basic articles on sailing, there are many good books, e.g. dinghy helming by Lawrie Smith isbn 09076754097 , search Amazon used starting from £4.00 that are better than odd articles in magazine (in my opinion.

Enjoy sailing.


Posted: 20/11/2004 16:53:56
By: Alan
Virtually all modern performance skiffs have 'virtually infinite flexibility in rig settings' If in any doubt i'll repeat, check out WWW.pinbax.com. fireball/f15/420/505 etc.
But Merlins! esoteric?
If still no top input start with loos on 350 rake6" up to 400 rake16" (fore/stay).Barry


Posted: 20/11/2004 17:08:46
By: Barry Watkin
Re the magazine, I would think the problem Richard is faced with is that he can only publish copy that he recieves. Since 99% of the contributors sail newer boats on the open circuit i'm sure you can see the link with the articles in the mag.

The message to owners of vintage/classic/old boats is if you want articles about your type of boat in the mag, please write some!

As for the comment about cliques and keeping speed secrets secret, i think that's very, very unfair given the amount of time many of the top sailors in the fleet have put into training days and weekends over the last few years. Ask more or less anyone in the mid-rear of the fleet and you'll get the same answer about how friendly people are provided you get the timing right and are willing to learn. Pestering people while they are rigging their boat is unlikely to be welcome.


Posted: 20/11/2004 19:41:39
By: Chris M
Morning Terry,

I am sorry you find that the magazine doesn't 'fit' you perfectly, and more worrying personally is that something I wrote was incomprenhsible - not had that one levelled since school! The line we try to tread is to report to the membership what is happening at the class association events, and to try to provide a modicum of education without rehashing information that is freely available to our members from other sources. The latest Yachts and Yachting for example has a major spread on roll tacking, and there was a similar article in about february this year, not to mention the Mark Rushall article in the middle of the year! So there is plenty of 'General Sailing' information about without us spending the subscription income reprinting it.

I am conscious of the need to avoid the 'Cliquiness' to which you allude, and we have made efforts to eliminate this, clearly more to do! With regard to information about how to set up your own boat and make it go faster it is difficult to know how to help you, other than by knowing what your particular problems are and addressing them one to one. Regrettably, because of the 'one off' nature of Merlins in the past, there are precious few 'Golden Dimensions', and what works for one Merlin, can be disastrous for another. If you try to replicate settings for a brand new boat with carbon everything onto a 1970's ship the result would just not work! and if you sail on flat water with 18 stone in boat, like many River sailors, your settings will be very different to a pair with 22 stone all up sailing on the sea at Shoreham, for example. The truth is, you probably know more about the detail of what makes your boat go fast than I do, having spent most of my 20 years in the class sailing deck steppy rigs.

You don't identify where you are based, Terry, but if you are anywhere near a major Merlin Centre of Excellence, such as Whitstable, Hollingworth, Shoreham, Parkstone, Midland, Hampton, and you make the effort to visit and ask the questions, you will get the answers. Likewise, if you sign up to any of the multiple training events the class runs, and you ask the questions, you will get the answers.

The association exists exactly for members such as you, and it provides masses of opportunities for its membership to join in, we can only hope that you do!

To the wider membership I would say, if you know the answers to the technical queries Terry is raising, please let Richard Battey know, and he will be delighted to publish the answers in the next magazine.

ATB

GGGGGG


Posted: 22/11/2004 09:17:00
By: Chairman GGGGG
There is also lots of info on this web site, see the link below.

http://www.merlinrocket.co.uk/archive.htm

Posted: 22/11/2004 10:51:58
By: Ross
Just a thought - given the fantastic quality of the pictures (certainly a massive improvement from when I used a Time £30 scanner when doing the Mag!!)could some of the fleet fast boys be invited to 'comment on a picture' explaining what is right / wrong etc etc. and perhaps give a little commentary. I'm sure such a guest 'spot' would prove very educational


Posted: 22/11/2004 12:23:21
By: Scotty
Re cliquiness - I feel the problem here is that the active part of the class contains a group of people who have been going to open meetings most weekends through the summer and meeting the same people for years so if you start off not knowing anyone it's easy to feel a bit excluded.  BUT if you join in I have always found a lot of helpful people.  I thought the last mag was the best ever but I can see why Terry felt there was not a lot in it for him.  Merlins are out-and-out racing boats and even the older ones are technical to sail.  The magazine reflects this.  What about hitching your boat up and giving an open meeting a go next year, Terry?  If you can get a couple of other people from your club to do it too you won't feel so isolated.

(I know I only made it to one open this year but there are reasons)


Posted: 23/11/2004 17:58:33
By: Andrew M
Terry,  We also sail an old Merlin 1620 for fun rather than prizes, I’ve been a member of the association for 2 decades, and can say that I have received an immense amount of help over the years, but not necessarily in any particular issue of the magazine.

Our boats will never be competitive with the new ones, but performance,- and enjoyability,-has absolutely improved as I have learned, sometimes by going against what is recommended for newer boats,- that’s half the fun, and getting the best out of an old boat can be extremely rewarding. I can sail 1620 with my eyes closed, and now getting to grips with 2988. Like you, we mainly don’t race, just sit about enjoying it ; there are a lot of old Merlins giving a lot of pleasure to their pilots,- enjoy !

The class, and the magazine are only what WE all make them. Chris is right ; why not send in a picture of your boat, ideally on the water, describe any problems you have etc. I think you’ll get a reaction,- see what you’ve started here!

Andrew should by now have a medal for all the helpful advice he’s offered over the years, and his suggestion of getting to a MR meeting is not wrong, but I can also heartily recommend the MR training week on all counts. It caters for all levels ; I defy you to do it and then claim the class isn’t helpful. It can’t possibly be too far for you, we travelled from Belgium !

Scotty’s suggestion is also a winner, as usual. If anyone took any picture of us sinking(rather than capsizing) in 2988 at every corner in Salcombe 2004, maybe they can explain what we were doing wrong.

Rod & Jo


Posted: 25/11/2004 19:53:42
By: Rod Andrew
Thanks for all of the responses. Everyone had a good point to make.

Having pieces related to older boats in the magazine would be valuable to broaden the club appeal - but I am certainly not competent to write one.

However, I have reviewed some of the references and now have a list of things to try out next time I am on the water. You can also expect me at a training weekend in the midlands sometime in the New Year.

Maybe I will renew my membership after all!


Posted: 25/11/2004 20:03:02
By: Terry
Just a thought at least a few MR National Champions own and sail old Merlins regularily on inland waters. And they make their boats go fairly well, maybe some input from them too?


Posted: 25/11/2004 20:49:52
By: Alan
I think Chairman GGG is right - not much good duplicating sailing articles found elsewhere in books and on the net. However, what about some articles on standard techniques with specific reference to the Merlin - something to help those of us who think we can sail, but still havent worked out the intricacies of doing it in the MR.

Such articles could be entitled: "The mainsheet hoop - best grips for use when tacking" or "where to put your butt on a run in a F6".
I'd love to see articles explaining what to do with older boats too - something like "how to make an 80s merlin go upwind" or whatever.

These articles dont have to be long - a paragraph or two would suffice. We just need volunteers to write em...sadly I am not able to do any myself. Hows about we make it compulsary for all winners of ST races to write one short article? A special 'prize' for them...

Mags

p.s. Link on spinnaker handling follows...

http://www.merlinrocket.co.uk/mrspin.htm

Posted: 26/11/2004 09:17:19
By: Mags
Ok Mags I will take the challange. I will try and produce an article on upwind performance in an old boat, being as I sail a young'un of only 23 years old. After trying the carbon element for some of last year I will try and compair the two masts types (old ali & carbon), and how to make modern sails that are cut for carbon go an an ali mast.
With hope ready for the spring.

DaveF
3296


Posted: 26/11/2004 14:30:34
By: DaveF
Terry

I was sorry to read that you find the magazine disappointing and uninteresting.

Chris Martin's reply hits the nail on the head. I can only print what I receive so effectively content is driven predominantly by the contributors.

I have recently tried to include technical articles copy typed from Y&Y et al, albeit this takes condiderable time to input, and quite frankly tells nothing other than to teach the cnverted how to suck eggs, which is not the aim of the magazine.

Personally I believe the magazine has moved forward considerably over the past 2 years not only in presentation but in reproduction with a number of interesting articles covering all areas of the class.

Most importantly, I am eternally grateful to the contributors who take considerable time to produce and forward valuable material for each edition. Your comments could therefore be construed as a criticism of other members and their hard work!

Anyway, perhaps you might like to knock up a 1000 word article on older merlin sailing for the Spring 2005 edition? You have the email address!!

Mag Editor


Posted: 28/11/2004 23:14:50
By: Mag Editor
Dear Terry

A few comments on your message, hopefully helpful, from the Class Training Officer.

We organise a number of events each year and you should find one of these v helpful. We lay on top of the fleet experts willing to tell you everything they can about making your boat go faster. There are no secrets - the top guys even swop advice with their rivals - but of course no-one knows the lot or they would win all the time!

Regarding maintenance etc, this is not class specific and there are loads of good books and magazine articles on this - libraries can get you anything if you give them the reference.

Tuning old and new boats, boat handling, etc. We publish several data sheets which should shortly be available via the website under Training. Meanwhile I'll Email you the lot.

Our Magazine Editor can only publish what he's given and since I got his Email wrong last time I sent a contribution in you can appreciate his problems! Hopefully my article will be going on the website too.

Best wishes
Dan Alsop
Class Training Officer


Posted: 30/11/2004 13:06:49
By: DAN ALSOP

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