The first 21st century Merlin Rocket designs - HAZARDOUS series:
Hazardous 140 and Hazardous 170 (2004)
Hazardous Zero-9 and Hazardous Zero-9 LITE (2008 to present)

Photo copyright Warwick Baker

Photo copyright P Newton, Digital Images UK

While the UK National Merlin Rocket dinghy class still thrives, design development has stagnated over the last decade. In fact, my new HAZARDOUS series are the first really new designs in the 21st century*, and also probably the first Merlin Rockets to be designed with the aid of yacht design and CAD software. Whether they will match up to the Morrison NSM4 or the Holt Canterbury Tales still remains to be seen. I did a lot of research (via books and the internet) to appraise myself of the latest design thinking, and experimented with a radical new Merlin shape, but I could not produce a "Bethwaite skiff" type of hull within the constraints of the Merlin class rules, and which did not have excessive wetted area. So I went back to the Hexagon/Hysteria/Hazard line and produced a concept which has the same fine entry, but flatter garboards forward, and a radically flatter planing run, to take advantage of the power developed by the sophisticated modern rigs. The first 2 new designs in this series, the Hazardous 140 and 170 designs, differed only in their weight carrying capability - the 140 was designed for a lighter crew (about 140kg, in fact), and had less curve in the aft run than the 170. Wetted surface area compared favourably with my earlier designs (they were good light weather performers). In a planing breeze I knew these boats would fly.

* There is now one more new MR design - the GENII by Jon Turner. The two boats that Jon has produced have many radical innovations and have shown great promise in the skilled hands of Jon and crew Richard Parsloe. ALSO I overlooked Miles James, who in 2004 designed and built "Wuthering Heights" (MR3646), which is Miles's third MR design.

Plans for the first Hazardous 170 were sold to the USA, and the first Hazardous 140 went to France. On 16 June 2005 John Keeling launched his Merlin USA01, named 'Forty-two'. To view some photographs he has sent me Click here.

In November 2008 Laurie Smart was commissioned by Rob Holroyd to build a Hazardous 170 (with a few mods, and thus renamed Hazardous Zero-9. the same mods were done to the 140, which was renamed Hazardous Zero-9 LITE).

Rob's boat was exhibited at the RYA Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace on 7th-8th March 2009.

Merlin Rocket Kits now available - Prices from £999.

In collaboration with JORDAN BOATS, the first HAZARDOUS ZERO-9 LITE Merlin Rocket kit of pre-cut plywood parts has now been produced. The basic kit comprises all the plywood parts necessary to build the boat (profiled to shape, but excluding the deck plywood), plus the building frames cut from MDF. More details.
The introductory price for this kit, including UK delivery and the licence to build one boat, is £999.

If you want to buy a set of plans for either of my current Merlin Rocket designs, click on "purchase plans" at the top of this page.

Click on an image below to enlarge.(These are orthogonal views, ie with no perspective)

Laurie Smart and Jill Blake in "WICKED" pass Dan Alsop and Jennie King in "GANGSTA PARADISE" in the Thursday morning race at Salcombe Merlin Week 2010.

Hazardous Zero-9 Lite, layout plan - PDF file Hazardous 140, main bulkhead construction - PDF file Hazardous 140, shape of sheer plank - PDF file Hazardous Zero-9 Lite, detail at station 1 - PDF file Hazardous Zero-9 3D perspective view - PDF file

Hazardous Zero-9 is designed to carry 7-10kg more weight that the Canterbury Tales, and with the centre of buoyancy set further aft, she will favour heavier helmsmen with lighter crews - often a typical Merlin crew combination. Wetted surface is about 1-3% less than Canterbury Tales, and hull draft is 16mm less. The waterline is finer to amidships, and wider towards the transom. Rob Holroyd named his green machine "WICKED".

"WICKED" was been allocated MR sail number 3708. Registration of this Merlin means that I am the designer with (by far!) the longest career in the Merlin Rocket class - 43 years (1966 to 2009) - and counting! By comparison, Ian Proctor's designs spanned only 21 years, but they spanned a larger sail number range (2417 boats versus 1753). Phil Morrison's first design appeared in 1969, and his latest (hopefully not his last) in 1997. Ian Holt, the designer of nearly all the Merlins built in recent years, produced his first creation only 24 years ago.

And with "WICKED" Laurie Smart's career as a Merlin builder becomes the longest in the 63 year history of the Class - 37 years. I know I am biased, but in my opinion Laurie has produced a beautiful boat which is up there at the pinnacle of wooden dinghy craftsmanship. How many more Merlins like "WICKED" will be built, I wonder?

July 2009:

• A Hazardous Zero-9 is being started in ITALY.
• A version of the Zero-9 for lighter crews (unimaginatvely named Zero-9 LITE) has now been produced. The intended crew weight of this design matches that for the Canterbury Tales, but favours a helmsman who is a little heavier than the crew. A set of plans has already been sold to someone who intends to sail his boat on the Wannsee lakes in Berlin, GERMANY.

September 2009:

As the sailing season comes to a close, "WICKED" has not yet really been tested in competition. She appeared at Salcombe Week in July and with an inexperienced young crew beat about 20 of the standard Canterbury Tales designs (though more finished ahead of her!). Since then she has not been sailed due to Rob's other commitments. So for the Hazardous Zero-9 it is still "Case Unproven".

March 2010:

If you have ever wondered what a smooth skin Merlin Rocket would look like, then you will soon find out! Plans for a Hazardous Zero-9, modified for cedar strip/composite construction, have been sold to a New Zealander. Building is already under way. See photos of the build progress.

August 2010:

"WICKED" has been sailed in Salcombe Week and The National Championships at Penzance. At Salcombe, Laurie Smart and Jill Blake sailed the boat. Their best result was a second place. In August, Steve Dunn and Ruth Johnson borrowed the boat for the Nationals. Unfortunately Ruth was injured after race 3, and Steve had to find other crews for the remaining races. He finished 18th over all, ahead of many very experienced Merlin sailors.

March 2011:

"WICKED" will have a few more outings this year - with the designer as crew. I will be crewing for Rob Holroyd in the Inland Championships at Draycote and at Salcombe Week, and then in August it's the Nationals at Hayling Island, with Laurie Smart helming.

And a Hazardous Zero-9 Lite is building at a boatyard in the South East. The boat hull is already off the mould. It is built in 8mm Corecell foam, and completion is due for early 2012. Watch this space for further details - I have photos etc. but the builder wants to keep things under wraps pro tem.

June 2011:

I crewed for Rob Holroyd at the Inland Championships in "WICKED". We started well enough in the first race, pulling up to 2nd at the first mark. Up went the spinnaker - the first time I have handled a MR spinnaker in anger for 33 years! To our great joy, we were still second at the gybe mark - but we then capsized. The rest doesn't bear recounting, but we had our moment of glory!

August 2011: Merlin Rocket National Championships

Laurie Smart and I sailed "WICKED" in the Championships at Hayling Island with some initial success, but a Black Flag disqualification and then a broken mast on the Thursday meant that we could not put a series of results together. If only I were 40 years younger!

January 2012:

The new year will see the new foam planked H09L (mentioned above) take to the water. More details to follow! Also, a keen group of practical dinghy sailors on the US west coast has purchased plans of H09 which they will build in wood and hope to have on the water later this year. Having seen some of the handiwork of the principal behind this project, the boat should look stunning. Much closer to home (just 20 miles awy from me), a boatbuilder has purchased a set of H09L plans and will build a boat in wood this year. So "WICKED" will not be the last wood Merlin Rocket built.

Rob Holroyd has signed me up for Salcombe Merlin Week in July. I will be fitter than last year, thanks to sailing my Hadron, but yet another year older.

See photos of the building in progress, below. - click on the picture to see a larger version.

Photo copyright P Newton, Digital Images UK

Photo copyright Warwick Baker