CVRDA

Problem with the thinners trick and Blakes one pack polyurethane is that it doesn't "dry" as such, it cures and this is driven by moisture content from what I understand. So if the damp gets in the cure is relentless - In fact I had a thinned mix of one pack form a very wobbly jelly in the...

Anybody out there got an old Merlin mainsail. The Merlin is a Proctor IX No 1729 with an alloy Proctor mast and a tracked boom. Don't want to spend a fortune (naturally) as have just restored her and budget a bit squeezed. gjr@rowett.ac.uk will get me.

There was a thread about making name transfers/decals on the old forum -but with little conclusion. I came across this for anyone interested and the prices did not seem ridiculous. They do the traditional gold with black outline or shadowing. http://uk.myboatsign.com/main.asp It appears that you don...

At present £90 reserve not met!!!

Merlin No 489 is for sale (again!!) on ebay. This is solid mahogany traditional rib, clinker, rivets construction. It is rumoured that this is the second sale for this lady on ebay this year and the hope is that someone will buy her for sailing rather than selling.

Thanks for your efforts in contacting Blakes and getting the information. I am now the proud owner of 3 tins of Blakes No 1 from Wet and Windy and can get the boat deck perfect over the autumn or spring. Now I just have to store them properly to stop them going solid in the tins!! I believe it is al...

I can vouch for the slippery nature of Blakes No 1 - a capsize last weekend had me slipping all over the place trying to get a grip of the gunwhales/rubbing strip to get her upright. The jibsheet came to the rescue as per RYA training but even the polyurethaned centreboard was tricky to get aboard. ...

Perhaps we are all totally cracked!!!

I am insured with Bishop Skinner for my Merlin. Trouble free online quote - in fact it doesnt take long to shop around on the web to get a few quotes. Covered for the usual £2,000,000 third party insurance (a lot of rather expensive oil rigs round here!!!!) but a £700 value on the boat for damage,...

There is a Merlin Rocket for sale on ebay starting today. Is about 50years old apparently but no picture of actual boat. Have asked a few questions - boat number, age, sail condition, all varnished etc and might get a reply. Currently £50 reserve not met.

Yep - Wet and Windy have about 100 tins of the single pack poly by Blakes - however if you are ordering online note that there are NO 750ml tins so it will be expensive. Blakes new varnish is called Favourite (a bit strange to call it something like that when no one has had a chance to evaluate it -...

On my Merlin restoration I used Blakes single pack polyurethane varnish but halfway through they stopped making it. I completed the job with the last few tins they could let me have but I will want to put another couple of coats onto the new decks come winter to really get that shine that the older ...

Remember Ed - the amount of glue stuck on the end of your fingers is directly proportional to the amount of sanding that you are going to do thus a good layer can help avoid lost skin at the later stages of the project!!!!

I used epoxy West System with microballoons on my all varnished Merlin. It has great space/gap-filling and sanding properties, it flows well into cracks and gaps and as a bonus it is a brown colour and then takes up stain pretty well - a good all-rounder I feel. It takes about 10hours to set here in...