I've now watched the series - Thank you for posting all your hard work -. You had a lot of work to bring Tartan Warrior back to sparkling, I was a little upset to see how the years had treated her from the time we owned her. And an amazing trip down memory lane replacing all the hardware (and so may control lines!) - I still have a set of plastic bags labelled for each cleat/block etc! Probably far too late, but the twin spinnaker poles had elastic shock cord from the mast to the end of the boom. The aft end of the pole had a small block which ran along the shockcord to return it along the boom when not needed. The spinnaker sheet ran through a plastic ring, the ring attached to control line inside the spinnaker pole - as you pushed the pole forward, the control line automatically pulled the spinnaker sheet to the clew end of the pole. HTH Colin
Great series of videos. I used to sail Rockets when i was a teenager, 44 now and hoping to make a return to the class. Tossing around the idea of buying a modern MR or doing a restoration project… Thanks again
Brilliant, I started racing as crew in Merlin's some 52 years ago, then purchased Leviathan (2777), I too stripped her down but to change the hull colour. I maintained the varnished cockpit and deck finish. Sadly the next two owners didn't look after her so well and I understand she now has a painted finish all over. I then went on to race Albacores and now race Snipes. Have just finished my 3rd Snipe restoration, taking an older hull, stripping her down, putting a more modern rig into that hull. Love the challenge that brings.
Another fantastic job extremely well executed, Well Done. I like the way you are prepared to have a go at jobs you can do, and farm out the jobs you can see are beyond your skill levels at this time. I look forward to your next project. Mind you the control lines on this build are a million miles more complicated than the Cadet and Firefly dinghies I learnt to sail on 😊
Well done with the restoration Corin. Been there and done that with a few merlins. They really are great boats, the rolls royce in terms of build quality and first owner expectations of them. A polite FYI, whenever you helm and the crew is not hiking, you need to helm from forward of the thwart i.e. your hip wants to be on the shroud. The crew also should not be on the thwart, they need to be well forward too.......its one of the things that makes merlins a bit tough for recreational sailing (i.e. not racing) becasue any normal person wants to sit on the thwart but thats not where the crew should sit unles going downwind in good wind, .....although, when your not racing the performance penalty of the crew sitting on the thwart can be lived with. In summary, get forward at all times. The wake should stream off the transom 100% flat, no wake. Again, 100% well done with the restoration. Do that, and suddenly the boat will start to perform, don't do it, and you'll always be beaten in handicap racing.
Hi, Came to this video too late! Very pleased to see Tartan Warrior has a new lease of life - as one of her former owners! Also love the "Highland Cathedral" intro! In my time there was a carbon fibre boom and spinnaker poles..
Hello again! Thanks for all your comments, lovely to hear from a previous owner. I'll definitely give a flow agent a go next time I have a dinghy upside down - sadly just a couple of weeks too late to try on the GP14! The previous owner to me did have a broken carbon boom and carbon mast he offered with the boat but having no carbon fibre repair experience I didn't think it was worth it at the time. Now trying to get the aluminium mast into the boat without damaging anything I wish I had gone for the mast at least! Everything you mention about the spinnaker pole rings a bell from when we set it up, so I think there is still a similar system - snodgers I believe those automatic launching sheets with the plastic rings are called. Thanks again, Corin
Thank you so much! It’s been a really rewarding experience and has taught me a lot about the fascinating class of dinghy that is the Merlin Rocket. I’m now itching to get out on the water again (once I’ve fixed my road trailer!) and see if I can cut the time it takes to rig her in half as the complicated rig is the only off putting thing about her currently.
Thanks Cliff, that’s the plan! I want to optimise the rig for speed of setup rather than striving for a fraction of a knot top speed here and there, because I think I will end up sailing her more often if it’s only half an hour from arriving at the slipway to getting out on the water rather than an hour and a half fiddling with a hundred different ropes and control lines!
Thanks Richard, It’s been an amazingly rewarding experience as all wooden boat refits are, but she really is a particularly beautiful boat, not to mention a splendid sailor!
I've now watched the series - Thank you for posting all your hard work -. You had a lot of work to bring Tartan Warrior back to sparkling, I was a little upset to see how the years had treated her from the time we owned her. And an amazing trip down memory lane replacing all the hardware (and so may control lines!) - I still have a set of plastic bags labelled for each cleat/block etc!
Probably far too late, but the twin spinnaker poles had elastic shock cord from the mast to the end of the boom. The aft end of the pole had a small block which ran along the shockcord to return it along the boom when not needed. The spinnaker sheet ran through a plastic ring, the ring attached to control line inside the spinnaker pole - as you pushed the pole forward, the control line automatically pulled the spinnaker sheet to the clew end of the pole. HTH
Colin
Great series of videos. I used to sail Rockets when i was a teenager, 44 now and hoping to make a return to the class. Tossing around the idea of buying a modern MR or doing a restoration project…
Thanks again
Brilliant, I started racing as crew in Merlin's some 52 years ago, then purchased Leviathan (2777), I too stripped her down but to change the hull colour. I maintained the varnished cockpit and deck finish. Sadly the next two owners didn't look after her so well and I understand she now has a painted finish all over.
I then went on to race Albacores and now race Snipes. Have just finished my 3rd Snipe restoration, taking an older hull, stripping her down, putting a more modern rig into that hull. Love the challenge that brings.
Another fantastic job extremely well executed, Well Done.
I like the way you are prepared to have a go at jobs you can do, and farm out the jobs you can see are beyond your skill levels at this time. I look forward to your next project.
Mind you the control lines on this build are a million miles more complicated than the Cadet and Firefly dinghies I learnt to sail on 😊
Well done with the restoration Corin. Been there and done that with a few merlins. They really are great boats, the rolls royce in terms of build quality and first owner expectations of them. A polite FYI, whenever you helm and the crew is not hiking, you need to helm from forward of the thwart i.e. your hip wants to be on the shroud. The crew also should not be on the thwart, they need to be well forward too.......its one of the things that makes merlins a bit tough for recreational sailing (i.e. not racing) becasue any normal person wants to sit on the thwart but thats not where the crew should sit unles going downwind in good wind, .....although, when your not racing the performance penalty of the crew sitting on the thwart can be lived with. In summary, get forward at all times. The wake should stream off the transom 100% flat, no wake. Again, 100% well done with the restoration. Do that, and suddenly the boat will start to perform, don't do it, and you'll always be beaten in handicap racing.
Hi, Came to this video too late! Very pleased to see Tartan Warrior has a new lease of life - as one of her former owners!
Also love the "Highland Cathedral" intro!
In my time there was a carbon fibre boom and spinnaker poles..
Hello again! Thanks for all your comments, lovely to hear from a previous owner. I'll definitely give a flow agent a go next time I have a dinghy upside down - sadly just a couple of weeks too late to try on the GP14! The previous owner to me did have a broken carbon boom and carbon mast he offered with the boat but having no carbon fibre repair experience I didn't think it was worth it at the time. Now trying to get the aluminium mast into the boat without damaging anything I wish I had gone for the mast at least!
Everything you mention about the spinnaker pole rings a bell from when we set it up, so I think there is still a similar system - snodgers I believe those automatic launching sheets with the plastic rings are called.
Thanks again,
Corin
Brilliant lovely to see such initiative.
Thanks, looking forward to getting her out on the water more often next season!
I've loved seeing your hard work pay off - she looks beautiful and I hope you enjoy plenty of time sailing her. Nice music choices too!
Thank you so much! It’s been a really rewarding experience and has taught me a lot about the fascinating class of dinghy that is the Merlin Rocket. I’m now itching to get out on the water again (once I’ve fixed my road trailer!) and see if I can cut the time it takes to rig her in half as the complicated rig is the only off putting thing about her currently.
Well done Corin. She looks beautiful. An heroic effort and amazing result. May you enjoy many hours and plenty of sea miles under her hull!
Thanks Cliff, that’s the plan! I want to optimise the rig for speed of setup rather than striving for a fraction of a knot top speed here and there, because I think I will end up sailing her more often if it’s only half an hour from arriving at the slipway to getting out on the water rather than an hour and a half fiddling with a hundred different ropes and control lines!
@@CorinNelsonSmith I like your attitude. Cliff
Hard work paying off.
Looking fantastic on the water.
Thankyou for sharing.
Thanks Richard, It’s been an amazingly rewarding experience as all wooden boat refits are, but she really is a particularly beautiful boat, not to mention a splendid sailor!
Fabulous job. She looks beautiful. I hope you have many happy days sailing her.
Bit of a upgrade from your Mirror dinghy. I've always liked the Merlin Rocket, never owned one or sailed in one, but like the lines of the Rocket .
great work. This film motivates me to build a wooden boat on my own. I hope it becomes half as nice as your Dinghy
Thanks Donald - I definitely couldn't have built this myself but it was incredibly satisfying to restore over a few months.
Crewed a similar looking eighties example on Hollingsworth lake twenty odd years ago. Brought back good memories 😀
Fantastic, I’m glad you liked it :) I’m hoping to get out again soon now i’ve fixed the trailer issue!
Nice work
Well done, did something similar when I was at 6th form MR 2885 a hexagon design.
And I have the same surname!
nice music
Thanks