Merlin Rocket class at the RYA Dinghy Show
by Lou Johnson 26 Feb 2018 12:37 GMT
3-4 March 2018, stand B16
Merlin 1493 'Katy Lou' under refurbishment by Dirty Hands © Phil Scott
Craftmanship, innovations and at least one show stopper from the Merlin Rocket Class
Tick, tock, tick, tock, yep that clock to the start of the RYA Dinghy Show, 3-4 March 2018. The Merlin Class is all geared up to welcome visitors old and new to the stand and as always, our team have been hard at work both in designing the stand as well as finishing the boats. There's nothing quite like a boat show to spruce up some boats!
On stand B16 we will celebrate arguably the last of the successful Proctor designs, the Proctor 12, with 1493 on show. Jon Turner will have 3774 on display, although not his latest build, she has some of his latest tweaks, truly in the essence of innovation and development and on that note, we have another fine example from Winder Boats, where some iconic branding is ready to hit the water on one of their latest builds.
Let's start at the very beginning, as it's a very good place to start!
The Merlin Rocket Class since 1946 has been represented by a triangle in black at the top of the mainsail, and for those fortunate enough to win a national championship, they are able to carry a gold triangle. A stalwart in the class was recently quoted saying; "We have best logo in the dinghy sailing world, by this I mean the Merlin Triangle. It is simple, clean and everyone knows it." For this very reason, our black triangle is being reintroduced across our merchandise our promotional activities. We hope you like it. Keep an eye out for these at the show.
The centenary year of Ian Proctor is being recognised at the RYA Dinghy Show 2018, and acknowledgement of his design and innovation with the Merlin Rocket, we have 1493 Katy Lou on display. Currently being refurbished to her former beauty by the Phil Scott aka Dirty Hands, she is sure to be a real show stopper. Owned for circa 15 years by Alex and Ross Jackson, once complete she will return to her home on the River Thames where she will compete in the Thames Series and Bourne End Week this year.
The Merlin Rocket is a restricted development class, by this individuals and boat builders push boundaries within the rules to try and inch out every bit of performance. The next two boats on the stand highlight just this with Dave Winder at Winder Boats and Jon Turner constantly working with customers to get the most from their boats on the water.
3774 Panther entering her fourth season, is the same hull design is that of Nick Craig and Alan Roberts who won the Aspire National Championships 2017, the first of wins for successful boat builder Jon Turner since his era 1982 – 1998. JT is continuously developing a number of systems, that when combined go a long way to enhancing the performance of the boat. A new low compressing fulcrum on the gybing centreboard, a sophisticated rake system in the form of a black box, and an easy to operate fast grab handle system on the traveller are some of the new developments to see. JT has also developed his spars and foils which independently of boats are getting some good results on the race course. Come by and see his high modulus super lightweight boom.
As designs have evolved many people in the class find themselves with multiple Merlin Rockets, those they sail on the river and those they sail on the Silver Tiller Circuit and at the National Championships. The third boat on the stand is the boat Alex Jackson will be sailing at Silver Tiller and National Championships, as is the latest design from Winder Boats. A wink towards an iconic car racing brand, 3795 Goon, is the current Winder Boats hull shape, whilst it would appear some sailors love a bit of complexity, this takes some complex elements and combines them with some neat but simple control systems, making sure everything the helm and crew need are readily accessible, the less constant tweaky string is further forward or in a less prominent position. Alex has chosen to have the jib tack forward on his new boat, a development being adopted by many in the class and one that is relatively simple for those in the know to adapt. He is using the latest low aspect ratio jib development from HD Sails which will be on display. This boat comes with all the latest gizmos available from Winder Boats.
Pippa Taylor, MROA Dinghy Show organiser comments; "The Dinghy Show is almost here, and we have a great team lined up for this year, with the stand being manned by a great variety of people throughout the weekend. Pop over and say hello and to take a look at our three different, but equally fantastic boats as well as our new branding. We are also very excited to be launching our new partnership with Magic Marine over the weekend as well as the continuation of our partnership with Craftinsure. We have loads going on... see you there!"
For more details on the class visit www.merlinrocket.co.uk or check out Merlin Rocket on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram #MerlinRocket