Merlin Rocket Advances - From the Feedback

madforsailing's article on the advanced rig control system fitted to After Hours caused some soul searching by the 'keep-it-simple-faction'

Glen Truswell and Tim Holden certainly opened up the development versus one-design debate with their high-tech Merlin Rocket, After Hours. While some of the writers to our Feedback saw the attraction of the challenge, many felt that keeping the boats simple and cost effective was the way forward.

Glen and Tim have chosen to take a radical view of rig control and equipped their new Merlin Rocket with a comprehensive system. At the same time they completed the boat in a striking paint scheme, that only emphasizes the difference to the high gloss woodwork of the traditional Merlin.

The concept was to be able to adjust all the fixed points to keep the boat and rig balanced while sailing, and to take full advantage of the deck-stepped carbon masts now used in the class.

In order to provide the adjustment envisaged, a complex rigging exercise was necessary, involving mounting all the major - and normally fixed or minimally adjustable rig points - so as to be easily adjustable underway. For this the forestay, mast foot, shroud and jib sheeting points are mounted on tracks with ball bearing slider cars. Adjustment can be made to individual controls as normal, but the system allows the whole rig set-up achieved to be moved within the hull to obtain optimal balance. Mast and shroud anchorages move 200 mm fore and aft, jib halyard 250 mm, jib tack 300 mm and centreboard pivot 150 mm. Six months was spent fitting and refitting the systems to obtain free running routes and interaction of controls.

This complexity left some of our Feedback writers somewhat aghast at the work and cost involved, and their reactions seemed to indicate a liking for a more off-the-shelf solution. The problem for the older development classes has been not just the swing to the lightweight, asymmetric rigged boats, but also the cost advantages of the one-design concept when taken to its logical conclusion, and produced by one manufacturer - the so-called "manufacturer classes".

This is where the RS and Laser concepts in particular have scored so heavily, producing boats as complete packages with the cost advantages of single sourcing. This has affected many of the older one-designs, which are produced by several manufacturers, as well as development classes such as the Merlin where the hull design is subject to change.

The After Hours concept may be at the extreme end of the range, but it will be interesting to see which parts of the system survive the real world of the race circuit, (and the Merlins have one of the best with the Silver Tiller) to appear on other boats. The class builders have developed a number of packaged Merlins that aim to make use of the latest winning hull designs at affordable prices, and this has had a positive impact on racing numbers this year.

In an increasingly one-design sport it is refreshing that the Merlin Rocket can still attract people willing to be different and not just except the pre-packaged solution. The UK development classes have a long tradition of technical advances that were considered radical at the time and caused much heated debate - but are now accepted as standard. Are we to let this heritage slip away?

We've posted some of the Feedback that we've received in our Gossip Shop under the General topic, 'Merlin Rocket Development' - so if you want to have your say in the debate - just follow this link.

To see the gear used on the latest Merlins click here.

And if you want to read the original story - just click on the Associated Article below.