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RS400atC View Drop Down
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    Posted: 15 Mar 10 at 3:03pm

Originally posted by timeonthewater

Had a 400 rudder on my Merlin..they're a little too short for anything over a
force 3, when you're healing,

and trying to keep the rig under the boat

downwind. Big difference trading up to a Winder blade, lighter and longer,
and enough "bite" when needed, due to the shape and profile.

The 400 blade was ok for light medium winds though

I was hoping to keep the boat under the rig! :-)

What design of Merlin? Are all Winder Merlin blades the same? The lack of a website or any real info is a bit of a wind-up for a fairly expensive product. I should have gone to the dinghy show, but went sailing instead.

I suppose with a raking rig I will have new things to get wrong, so might end up needing some serious input from the rudder. We're keeping the 400 for windy days!

Cheers,
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timeonthewater View Drop Down
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Posts: 60 		Post Options Post Options   Quote timeonthewater Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Mar 10 at 1:23pm
Had a 400 rudder on my Merlin..they're a little too short for anything over a
force 3, when you're healing, and trying to keep the rig under the boat
downwind. Big difference trading up to a Winder blade, lighter and longer,
and enough "bite" when needed, due to the shape and profile.

The 400 blade was ok for light medium winds though
Too many toys..not enough time
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RS400atC View Drop Down
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Posts: 3011 		Post Options Post Options   Quote RS400atC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Mar 10 at 9:38am

Originally posted by sten

why not get a merlin rudder blade? some one must have a spare old design blade they would sell cheap try posting on there class association site.

I would have thought so too, but the only one I found was promptly lost by Parcelforce. There seem to be several other Merlin owners who've only got fixed rudders also wanting lifting ones. Very frustrating!

I think I've sorted a blade to get going with, but I'm still interested in a stock or complete lifting rudder, as I've lost a lot of DIY time thinking I had a solution sorted.
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sten View Drop Down
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Posts: 208 		Post Options Post Options   Quote sten Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Mar 10 at 9:09am
why not get a merlin rudder blade? some one must have a spare old design blade they would sell cheap try posting on there class association site.
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radixon View Drop Down
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Posts: 2407 		Post Options Post Options   Quote radixon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Mar 10 at 8:34am
Originally posted by RS400atC

No, not for another 400, a development class so I can concoct my own stock to take a reinforced blade, it does not have to meet SMOD rules!

A developement class hey:
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mike ellis View Drop Down
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Posts: 2339 		Post Options Post Options   Quote mike ellis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 10 at 9:33pm
Check your PM.
600 732, will call it Sticks and Stones when i get round to it.
Also International 14, 1318
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craiggo View Drop Down
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Posts: 1810 		Post Options Post Options   Quote craiggo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Mar 10 at 10:06pm
For a Merlin, I would go with a winder Fireball or Scorpion rudder if you can get hold of one.
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RS400atC View Drop Down
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Posts: 3011 		Post Options Post Options   Quote RS400atC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Mar 10 at 3:38pm

Cost tends to be insurance xs for most people. I think a 400 blade is £300 IIRC, a little bit more than a Winder Merlin blade.

Quite a few man hours to make on manually from scratch, as well as the IP of knowing how strong and what shape etc.

To be fair to the RS400 you have to consider the whole costs over the period you own it, on that basis I can't complain.

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Merlinboy View Drop Down
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Posts: 3169 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Merlinboy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Mar 10 at 3:01pm
They are also Bloody expensive to replace!  My mate hada carbon dagger board and case fitted to his Canoe for loads less the the cost of a 300 board!  It also weighed less then a third of the weight!
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RS400atC View Drop Down
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Posts: 3011 		Post Options Post Options   Quote RS400atC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Mar 10 at 2:54pm

Originally posted by craiggo

Im guessing its for a Cherub?

So my recommendation is only to use one if you can get it cheap or free.

Sorry Nick P !

No not a cherub, a Merlin!!!

I'm guessing I need a fairly long rudder due to half of it being out of the water when the boat heels at all?

I agree that RS foils are not as strong as they could be, they're also quite hard to mend if you want to re-use it in a standard stock.

Having said that, my 400 rudder hit a submerged mooring very hard the other day and survived, with just a lump of gelcoat missing. But the broken ones I have seen are quite light on the glass and heavy on the gelcoat IMHO

 But an extra layer or two of glass or carbon might make a reasonable foil fairly easily. Or it might make a right mess.

Cheap or free is exactly what I had I mind, might spend more when I understand more about the boat. I haven't sailed it yet!
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