Merlin, tacking the top batten
Merlin, tacking the top batten
I am really no expert and seek advice!
We have real bother trying to tack the top batten of our Merlin in light winds.
Merlin 950, original Proctor mast and boom, simple Cunningham, drum kicker, keel stepped, transom sheet.
The mainsail we are now using is a 2003 (well modern!) Jeckells loose footed job. I have a clew slider and outhaul etc. Top batten is quite stiff. (Jib is 2013 Hyde (just yesterday), no hanks so jib halyard currently set quite tight)
What is the trick or more to the point what combination of yanking, shaking and heaving creates the desired effect? I've fiddled with the tension of the top batten to little effect.
Any suggestions much appreciated, the original flappy sails from '59 don't have this problem but then their performance into the wind now sadly leaves something to be desired!
Michael
We have real bother trying to tack the top batten of our Merlin in light winds.
Merlin 950, original Proctor mast and boom, simple Cunningham, drum kicker, keel stepped, transom sheet.
The mainsail we are now using is a 2003 (well modern!) Jeckells loose footed job. I have a clew slider and outhaul etc. Top batten is quite stiff. (Jib is 2013 Hyde (just yesterday), no hanks so jib halyard currently set quite tight)
What is the trick or more to the point what combination of yanking, shaking and heaving creates the desired effect? I've fiddled with the tension of the top batten to little effect.
Any suggestions much appreciated, the original flappy sails from '59 don't have this problem but then their performance into the wind now sadly leaves something to be desired!
Michael
Tideway 206
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
A well timed roll tack and pull on the mainsheet usually helps and reduce the batten tension in light winds.
Hornet 191 Shoestring,
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
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Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
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Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
Try centre sheeting... gives you the possibility of grabbing the sheet at the boom, and cracking the sail across...
Matt
Int Moth K2992
Int Moth K2992
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
Try experimenting with kicker tension too. I found a bit of kicker always helped the top batten go over on my Lark.
PeterV
Finn K197 & GBR564
Warsash
Finn K197 & GBR564
Warsash
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Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
It's been many decades since I raced Merlins. Never had a problem tacking the top batten though. The "secret" is the quality of your roll tacking. It needs to be very smooth in light winds to avoid shaking the wind out of the sails. Also, after you passed through head to wind ease the main so that the end of the boom is outside the gunwhale as you smoothly bring the boat level on the new tack.
Best wishes
SB
SB
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
As previous posters have said a good roll tack is essential and you could try a softer batten. You need to be very careful when attempting to update an old rig as usually the sail is not cut to suit an early Procter rig. You cannot expect a sail that was perhaps cut for example for an M7 to set well on an old stick. Your controls are also very dated and you cannot get sufficient tension to pull the sail into shape - e.g. winch kicker not cascade and the hull could not take the required rig tension anyway. I think you will struggle to get a really good set. People are getting new sails cut specifically for old rigs and some are coming onto the second hand market. I would advise getting second hand sails from a boat of a similar vintage - they are about - I recently got an excellent suit for my 9b from Chris Rathbone at UTSC (ex. 2266).
Mike Liggett.
Mike Liggett.
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
This is more than likely your problem.You need to be very careful when attempting to update an old rig as usually the sail is not cut to suit an early Procter rig.
Having said that, with a little playing with rig-settings and learning the 'knack' of a good rolltack and you will most probably be able to make it work.
If it looks right, it normally works OKish, even if not delivering full potential of power. If it doesn't look right and you can't get it to even look right, you will have to either give up or consider getting the luff re-cut. This won't be a fix-all, but it might make the sail workable.
Best wishes
eib
Ed Bremner
CVRDA
Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
CVRDA
Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
Thanks everyone for your help.
Sailing the Merlin is something of a shoestring operation for us so we will have to work with what we have got and as you say, it is something of a mishmash.
Yes, we certainly need to improve our rolling tacks, they are somewhat haphazard at best.
My problem is that I don't fully understand what is happening in other words what is preventing the batten from 'popping'.
Is this because the weight of the boom is dragging the leech down and consequently bending the batten?
Should we try heaving on the kicker and loosening the sheet as we go about?
Is it (as some suggest) because the batten is too stiff and so once it has tacked it has a hard time going back?
Does adjusting the length or tension of the batten make any real difference?
In order to understand things I need to approach it one step at a time. Rolling tack improvement first, what next?
Sailing the Merlin is something of a shoestring operation for us so we will have to work with what we have got and as you say, it is something of a mishmash.
Yes, we certainly need to improve our rolling tacks, they are somewhat haphazard at best.
My problem is that I don't fully understand what is happening in other words what is preventing the batten from 'popping'.
Is this because the weight of the boom is dragging the leech down and consequently bending the batten?
Should we try heaving on the kicker and loosening the sheet as we go about?
Is it (as some suggest) because the batten is too stiff and so once it has tacked it has a hard time going back?
Does adjusting the length or tension of the batten make any real difference?
In order to understand things I need to approach it one step at a time. Rolling tack improvement first, what next?
Tideway 206
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
Thing is.....it is not just better roll-tacks....
But doing your roll-tack in a specific way that will help pop the battens.
It is all about timing and integrating (and then controlling) one part of the roll that maximises the motion of the top of the rig/sail, which causes the batten to flick over. You can then time that with a hard tug of the main sheet.
Gosh, much harder to explain than to demonstrate.
Sometimes you will see crews and other boats, do a nice gentle, quiet, controlled roll to leeward and then as the helm just starts the roll-back, they thump their arses down on the gunwhale, giving the sheet an almighty whip, which gets the batten to flick over with an bloody great crash/thump. Sometimes it works and off they sail..... Sometimes it doesn't: the boom flies back hitting the crew in the mouth. The helm falls back out the boat, which then starts to capsize back on top of both of them. The crew is swearing, the helm is swimming and the batten is still stuck on the wrong side.
Been there.
eib
But doing your roll-tack in a specific way that will help pop the battens.
It is all about timing and integrating (and then controlling) one part of the roll that maximises the motion of the top of the rig/sail, which causes the batten to flick over. You can then time that with a hard tug of the main sheet.
Gosh, much harder to explain than to demonstrate.
Sometimes you will see crews and other boats, do a nice gentle, quiet, controlled roll to leeward and then as the helm just starts the roll-back, they thump their arses down on the gunwhale, giving the sheet an almighty whip, which gets the batten to flick over with an bloody great crash/thump. Sometimes it works and off they sail..... Sometimes it doesn't: the boom flies back hitting the crew in the mouth. The helm falls back out the boat, which then starts to capsize back on top of both of them. The crew is swearing, the helm is swimming and the batten is still stuck on the wrong side.
Been there.
eib
Ed Bremner
CVRDA
Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
CVRDA
Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
Thanks Ed, you have set the scene for our forthcoming race on Saturday evening. We will dispense with blue double breasted blazers and dress appropriately!
Tideway 206
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
One technique used in the Lark, which suffers similarly, is a quick pull on the boom to snap the batten into place. This merely emulates what you should be doing as you pull the boat upright in the roll tack. Getting the batten tension and kicker tension right is also important and doesn't cost anything to adjust!
(Half Cut and What a Lark Removals Ltd)
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
Ask someone(who knows) to observe you and maybe they can help you improve your technique
Hornet 191 Shoestring,
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
Well we practised and fiddled and practised again and I'm happy to report that we now seem to have got the knack.
Thanks everyone for your help...and thanks to the N12 website which is a really good example of what a class website should be.
Thanks everyone for your help...and thanks to the N12 website which is a really good example of what a class website should be.
Tideway 206
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
Re: Merlin, tacking the top batten
It may help in light winds to have minimum tension on the batten itself - only just enough to remove creases on the sail there. Worth playing around with tensions.