This was the first Merlin launched and was owner modified with a raised deck to give more interior room.

Built on a budget it had used sails (that's a J24 spinnaker). It is still sailing fast and safely 30 years later

 

A Canadian Merlin. Please be careful when fitting windows, they really affect the looks of a boat - these are just a bit too big.

 

 

This was the first view we had of Tucanu, which two years later became our own boat. It was beautifully built and launched in 1992

 

Note the high clearance and centrally mounted engine. This was an 8hp Honda, too big really, we changed it for a 6hp LS

 

sailing at 7.8 knots in 8 knots of wind

This shows the standard mast beam before we made a deep one - see the Cuddy pages

It is amazing how much gear we can stow in the hulls, this just before we left for a three week cruise. Plastic deck boxes hold a lot of food, we carry spare fuel on deck

A big boom tent like this can only be used in light winds

There are spectacular anchorages in British Columbia, and great fjords to cruise through

 

The photo, below, shows the straight wake when the Merlin is sailed "hands off". Yet it is still very manouverable and tacks fast, even without the genoa

 

We have some carbon racing sails with a squaretop mainsail. Only buy these if you are a keen racer, its a very powerful rig, see the wake - the boat was doing about 8 knots in hardly any wind

A Canadian Merlin with cuddy fitted, beow