Hi Merlin Sailors.

I am a rigger of experience and I am joining the fleet. If anyone has any questions or queries I am always happy to help in any way possible.

You can contact me on here or at my email address.

[email protected]

Hope to hear from you soon.

I have received a good few email, questions about splicing and recommended ropes and covers for different jobs but if there are any questions people have it would be great to do it on this thread as maybe we can all learn and help each other...?

Hi Guys

Having psted this thread a while ago, i have had a number of emails. 

One common bit of advice I would give to all of you, DONT USE VECTRAN... 

It is an awful rope that deteriorates incredibly quickly in sunlight, hates salt water and doesn't like friction. 

There are much better more stable products like Dyneema SK 90.

Hi Merlin Sailors.

I have answered a few emails recently on the use of Titanium (T5) thimbles instead of ball bearing blocks in systems like cascade vangs.

They work very well and I am just about to order more.

They with out at £15 each and last for ever unlike even the best BB blocks. Well tested during the last Olympics on 470s.

Please let me know if anyone is interested....?

I can supply as single thimbles for you to splice or, if you give me strip length measurements as a cascade vang ready made in 2mm Sk90 Dyneema.

Hope this is of interest to you

Best wishes

G

Hi Gareth,

Not sure you should really be touting for business on this forum.  If we all do this it will get completely crowded with stuff many don't want to read.  Could you perhaps get the Web Authors to put your company details up on the 'how to buy' pages ?

Apologies to all...

I wasn't thinking that I was free advertising, what I offer above is not for personal profit. More just trying to help others out. 

Having read many many posts on this forum there are some huge misconceptions regarding rope, rigging and systems.

Your help is much appreciated Gareth. Thank you. Anyway how our you getting on with that ship of yours MR 3450? Any photos of progress yet? :-)

The project has been delayed a week or two while I help deliver an ageing 130 ft super yacht from Mallorca to holland.

I am currently at anchor in fifty knots off Southern Spain. But I have wifi and there is so much interesting stuff to read on this forum I can dream about getting my merlin sorted while reading everyone's posts.

Glad that the wifi and kettle are working right now.

Gareth,  apologies if I have gotten hold of the wrong end of the stick.  Alan

No problem at all Alan...

I am happy to give free advice and help get people good quality gear too, I am happy help any mates in the Merlin Class.

And I am really looking forward to meeting you all this season when I get "The Dream Machine" 3450, out the shed and tuned up...!

Gareth - can you point me to a dimensions table (a web link or similar) for the thimbles as they might be idea for a project I have on ... :-)

The only ones I can find are rather big for what I have in mind.

Hi Andy

Most thimbles are designed to protect the rope they are spliced in to and therefor it is the rope and not the thimble bearing the load.

If they are load bearing I usually chat it through with my machinist mate who advices on what's going to work.

I can email you some contacts for machining that know about thimbles if you'd like.

I appreciate that, but I want to know what the ID / OD & thickness of the thimble are. I have not found anything smaller than an 18mm OD, 7mm ID, 9mm thick for a rope of 5mm diameter in ali. If I want to splice this into a 2mm rope (more than adequate for the loads involved), it's going to be a bit silly, hence my question - as you are suggesting a 2mm system, then what is the size of the thimble?

I can send you some. 

I'll email you photos. I have a 9mm thimble made of t5 that has an inner D of 6mm and takes 2mm around the circumference. But I get them machined, I don't buy them from antel or another supplier. 

You can buy off the shelf thimbles smaller than you mention from harken and antel, but they are galvanised Ali ones and very expensive for what they are.

Hi all,

I'm new top MRs having taken delivery of 3248 earlier this week. Has anyone got any advice on initial set up for me.

Many thanks Ray

There are some great photos of Andy Hay's old boat he modernised in the gallery