The Merlin is a class that is constantly changing. Always developing new ideas and bits of kit. The merlin dinghy cover designs from 2015 were a definate step on from what was offered before and this was because a lot of thought had gone into the design. There are always improvements to be made. Some are small and others seem obvious and necessary.
The ideas that were taken from the 2015 designs followed through into the 2016 covers, with the latest range giving the customer a much greater ability to personalise the covers with a choice of colours. The design for the flat topcover is the most popular, as it can be left in the boatpark as well as trailed with. This meant that a lot of the ideas were to make the cover better all round.
The most important changes are in the skirts being a little deeper, to offer a bit more protection from the sun, but a lot of the reason for the deeper skirts is to support the full transom cover and give it structure to hold the aft part of the cover taught. This then meant that scalloped darts were included along the top of the transom to promote better water run off. This again supported the material and provided a gradual slope away from the hoop. This also helps with trailing due to the cover having a more supportive design. The airflow going over the cover has less loose material that it can pick up and billow. The hoop cover now has an extra layer of material over the top to toughen it all up and the shrouds and lowers pass through a much better designed “L” shaped slit that much reduces the amount of water that can get in.
Chris Gould will be sailing Merlin Rockets again this year, so if you have any questions, give him a ring on 07910291507 or send a message through the contact form.