January, 2013

Obtaining the Hazardous Zero-9 Merlin Rocket Plans

The Hazardous Zero-9 Merlin Rocket plans and the required license to build one or more sailboats can be purchased directly from designer Keith Callaghan's website.

Complete sets of plans for any of the Hazardous series Merlin Rocket dinghies are available in electronic and paper formats. Electronic formats are available in AutoCad and/or PDF files. Full size drawings are available to make patterns and cut the parts. Additionally, CNC files are available for the hull and the building frames.

Buying Marine Plywood and CNC Services

I purchased the electronic plans and license from Keith Callaghan. Miller Blueprint printed the full size paper drawings. I hired the CNC services of Fine Lumber & Plywood to cut out the parts from 4mm and 6mm Okoume and 12mm Meranti marine plywood, which they supplied. They also cut the building frames from 1/2" HDF. Brian Tinnerman is the CNC Operations Manager at FL&P and I am very pleased with the accuracy and overall quality of their work. While I could cut the pieces using the templates in the full size drawings, there is an element of time savings and precision that CNC services provide. It was worth it.

There is an option to fully cut the parts or leaving them with a few small tabs on the 4 x 8 sheet of plywood. I selected the former since I picked up my order locally. I also took home all of the usable leftover plywood, which has proven to be very useful for cutting several small parts. 

Once at my shop, I was able to store the parts in a safe place and stage the parts later for inspection against the full size drawings.

Getting the Merlin Rocket Construction Underway

Given my limited space, I figured out quickly that setting up the building frames at this point would take away valuable space to build the centerboard case, scarfing the planks, rounding up edges and applying epoxy resin to the parts before planking begins. So after careful consideration, I decided to start with the centerboard case.

About Me

About me... 

My name is Julio and I live in Austin, Texas, USA. About ten years ago, during a family vacation in the Bahamas, I became really interested in sailing.  Ever since, I seek opportunities to go sailing whenever I can. I hold a Coastal Cruising Sailing License from US Sailing and ASA.

Two years ago, I started researching sailboat history, design styles and boat construction methods. Towards the end of last year, I decided to build a sailboat. After careful consideration to my requirements, I selected the Merlin Rocket. I feel confident that I can take this new endeavor from vision to completion.

Why a Merlin Rocket?

Because it is a high performance 14 ft. long sailing dinghy. The Hazardous Zero-9 Merlin Rocket can be built from marine plywood and full size drawings are available from designer Keith Callaghan in the UK. I can build it and store it in my garage. 

The Merlin Rocket Class was formed in 1951. Its roots date back to 1946. For a brief history of this class, visit the Merlin Rocket Owners Association website. A feature of the Class has been the high standard of craftsmanship and finish that the various builders have maintained over the years. Tradition, pride, craftsmanship, speed and a really sexy design! I love it!