I've acquired Ian Holt's last (?) Merlin design 'Steppenwolf' and was wondering if anyone has any pics of her, rigging-wise or sailing? Feel free to email anything over to me at editor'at'caledoniasailing.com as I'm starting the process of figuring things out and deciding what to keep and what to change, and it'll help! She'll be getting a nice bold paint job too, and I'll be documenting the rest of the rebirth process in due course. Cheers!

Hi Andy Hamish has a pic of us sailing her at the nationals, I will ask him if he can scan it and send it. there are also a couple on this site, look for the regatta at Holy Loch a few years back.

Cheers

Calum B

It was Polaris 2007 with Dave sailing her, me in 3376 and Hamish in 3321, how time flies!!!!!

Cheers

Calum

Thanks Calum, I'll have a look. Incidentally, when is the Wormit regatta this year? Stil working on the programme...be good to meet you both at some point!

I stumbled across a pic of Steppenwolf from the Blithfield open back in 2005. see link,
Did I read in another post that it was in a bad way and unlikely to hit the water again? how can this be, unless there has been a large accident with a chainsaw aren't most things repairable? Just need a pot of glue and some wood, right? I hope that the perpetrators have been reported to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Wooden Boats.

Not only that but Alan Jackson is trying to sell a load of boat bits that would have been off the same jig. Surely you could patch it together?

Simon H was going to sort the hull out for me and then I was going to rerig, but when he started getting paint off he discovered that not only had water travelled along some of the planks and caused more rot than he thought, but the plank lands had previously sprung and been glued back together with car body filler. His opinion was that it was not economically viable to repair the hull, and that it would be of questionable structural integrity. Of course any wooden boat is infinitely repairable, but you have to draw a line somewhere, especially if the aim is to get on the water in a decent boat in a reasonable time frame. He still has her I think, but she may be a lesson to everyone as to what can happen to a wooden boat if you leave her without proper protection from the elements! (note that Keith and Simon had rescued her from this state, and had no part in her getting there!)

Btw I did also ask about the viability of splashing a mould off the hull as I was interested to see if that shape could 'go' wih a modern carbon rig etc, but was advised that there were better hullshapes for such an exercise. I don't think the boat ever acheived much, so could be right...

Look at that results list - 18 wooden boats out of 38 sailing, several very well known (Unfinished Business, Rong Number, Smart Cookie, Whyte Mischief, Moondance Assassin & of course Gangsta Paradise) & it was only 8 years ago!

Steppenwolf is certainly repairable, but it was not really viable to do it commercially for Andy on a tight budget, particularly as he would still have had to get hold of all fittings, foils, rig, trolley etc etc. I am currently in touch with a couple of people that are interested in taking her on so hopefully she will still go to a good home and eventually get restored. In the mean time, there is a real possibility that I will have to use her tonight as a lifeboat - my house is approximately 50 feet from the water's edge at the top of an Essex creek. The Environment Agency have closed the flood gates but the surge is predicted to be about 1.6 metres above a normal spring height. If this is the case, then I think I may be in trouble. Anyway, fingers crossed. Look out on tomorrow's news for a man, woman and small child paddling for their lives in a light green Merlin hull.......

Simon, did you get my email?

oh dear.....another earlswood casualty it seems.....

Hopefully a) you don't get flooded out Simon, and b) that someone with more time and deeper pockets than I can rescue the boat. She would make a nice project for someone with the time to do the work and the pockets to buy the gear. The last refit taught me that there is a lot of work in just refinishing and re-rigging a Merlin, so the original plan when we thought the repairs to Steppenwolf were mostly cosmetic was for Simon to do the small list of structural stuff. That list turned out to be actually a fair bit bigger on further examination, but for the right person she will still be a nice boat when done.

http://www.merlinrocket.co.uk/gallery/view_photo.asp?folder=gallery/salcombe_week/2007&file=dave_fowler_vortex1.jpg 
http://www.merlinrocket.co.uk/gallery/view_photo.asp?folder=gallery/salcombe_week/2007&file=dave_fowler_vortex2.jpg
http://www.merlinrocket.co.uk/gallery/view_photo.asp?folder=gallery/open_meetings/holy_loch&file=polaris2007_pic25.jpg
Some of the pics from this site, I have more plus all the rigging details if you would like them, I'm sad to hear she needs major work, when I sold her she was in vgood condition.

Dave.

Dave, I have only seen a picture of her current state and sadly not a picture of health!! I am hoping that someone has taken on the challenge of putting her back together again. 

It is a great shame that people allow boats to fall into such disrepair. 3136 has appeared on ebay which is Al Warrens' old boat and I am sure was owned bu Julian Harms some years ago? I remember seeind this boat at the Whitstable champs in '97. now look at her!! Very sad :-(

Can any one post a link to a pic of her current state.

Hi Dave 

Just sent you a PM with picture attached. R

Hi dave, would it be okay if I used one of these pictures on the F'Book page for the new MR book? Many thanks, Dougal

Hi Dave, Steppenwolf is currently stored at my workshop in Essex (and actually belongs to Keith Callaghan). Give me a call (07415 280213) or email if you want to discuss. Her future still uncertain at this point.

Its ok with me for the 2 pics with air flow bits, but you would need to ask Amy's Mum about the 3rd, contact via Paul Hollis.

Richard. Alan didn't own 3136. I had her built by Laurie in 1978. Hope someone buys her to restore as she was a beautifully built boat. Alan and I won a few open meetings in her and Rodney Pattison sailed her with me at the Poole nationals.

Just found a photograph of her launching at Hamble River Sailing Club. Big bottle of Moët as well!

Well done mate.. Some seriously good work there..\r\n\r\nI've got to clear off to Italy for work for a week so you will probably get ahead of me...\r\n\r\nWe need to have a chat about fittings at some point... I have tones of bits that will help us both.

"Update\r\n\r\nSteppenwolf has now been repaired, insides stripped and refinished. Deck damage is also fixed. \r\n\r\nA mast is being repaired for her, all fittings have been acquired.\r\n\r\nJust need a boom: see post boom for 3542\r\n\r\nSee:\r\n\r\nhttp://abersochcampsites.co.uk/steppen/steppenmay14.jpg\r\n\r\nhttp://abersochcampsites.co.uk/steppen/steppenmay114.jpg\r\n\r\nhttp://abersochcampsites.co.uk/steppen/mechanicalcheck.jpg"

Progress of Steppenwolf's revitalisation can be followed on facebook.

"Oops, that darn https://, try this one"