Russ- Thanks for the letter! My Merit has sail #4, hull 221. I believe it was the first of two boats modified. Doug (maybe I have his name wrong and it is Rob) was a high school shop teacher who figured out the weight problem and designed the bulb for the two boats. I think the letter is probably right about the weight being closer to 125 lb, but the next time it is out I'll measure the bulb dimensions and re-estimate weight of the bulb. The owner prior to me (Deirdre) received a PHRF of 222, better than Rob's 206 right? Maybe Rob had different sails....
Merit 22 owners
- Thread starter RussC
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222 would be the slowest PHRF I've ever seen for an M22. I generally see them in the 213-219 range for unmodified boats. It's not a precise science I guess
.Hello all brand new owner of a basket case merit 23 and am curious if anyone can post some good photos and possibly dimensions of the companionway sliding horizontal hatch. Mine didnt come with it. Any info would be greatly appreciated
Your PO and mine must have sailed together and shared ideas. this explains what this odd looking capped copper pipe along with the added wood blocks in the cabin are for
. I hope I never find myself beyond 90* heal to test it however .
Lost the mast on my 1984 Merit 22 racing. No injuries and the hull was not damaged. Mast had a "kink' at the spreaders from a prior owner catching it on a tree when pulling out of a boat launch. The port side inner stay was showing signs of wear and it was the stay that failed and the mast kinked where it had the prior damage. Now I'm looking for a new mast and any advice other Merit owners might have for replacing mine. I'm on the west coast, Central California. Especially interested in mast sources around the Bay area.
Rig Rite's website shows they carry the Kenyon 3350 MORC spar section that was on my boat. They are east coast though so shipping across the US would add substantial expense. Ballenger Spars in Watsonville, CA has a B5033 spar section that is same dimensions 5.0 x 3.3, but is heavier and stronger. It is 1.8lbs per foot compared to the Kenyon 3350 which is 1.65lbs per foot. That would equate to 4 lbs additional weight in the mast. The original mast section is larger than other boats of similar size. Which makes me wonder a mast section one size down would be adquate and provide for a lighter rig aloft? Thoughts on that?
When I bought the boat the mast base was fiberglass over wood. Some of the Merit 22s and 25s in our club have aluminum mast bases or the bottom of the mast is cut with a curve to allow stepping the mast. What does your boat have and can you post pictures?
The prior owner lowered and raised the mast to the front. The Merit manual has it raising from the stern. What direction to you raise/lower your mast? What are the pros/cons of either direction? The pro for going forward is we use the main sheet attached to the backstay for mechanical advantage. I manually lift/lower to about 45 degrees before the sheet can take effect as I'm not using a gin pole or A frame. I place an extendable ladder in my truck bed to act as a mast crutch.
Rig Rite's website shows they carry the Kenyon 3350 MORC spar section that was on my boat. They are east coast though so shipping across the US would add substantial expense. Ballenger Spars in Watsonville, CA has a B5033 spar section that is same dimensions 5.0 x 3.3, but is heavier and stronger. It is 1.8lbs per foot compared to the Kenyon 3350 which is 1.65lbs per foot. That would equate to 4 lbs additional weight in the mast. The original mast section is larger than other boats of similar size. Which makes me wonder a mast section one size down would be adquate and provide for a lighter rig aloft? Thoughts on that?
When I bought the boat the mast base was fiberglass over wood. Some of the Merit 22s and 25s in our club have aluminum mast bases or the bottom of the mast is cut with a curve to allow stepping the mast. What does your boat have and can you post pictures?
The prior owner lowered and raised the mast to the front. The Merit manual has it raising from the stern. What direction to you raise/lower your mast? What are the pros/cons of either direction? The pro for going forward is we use the main sheet attached to the backstay for mechanical advantage. I manually lift/lower to about 45 degrees before the sheet can take effect as I'm not using a gin pole or A frame. I place an extendable ladder in my truck bed to act as a mast crutch.
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I have a similar mast and Tabernacle on my McGregor 22 except it doesn't have the over engineered round base added to it as yours appears to have. The bottom of my extruded aluminum mast that has been rotated hundreds of times over it's lifetime has exhibited no deformity from resting on its edge when rotated to the vertical so I think that part would be unnecessary when you replace your mast. I pull my mast up from the bow because of the way it's rigged however I have to add two extra temporary side stays in order to keep it from flopping sideways. My mast is basically guyed in a triangular pattern with two stations to the aft on each side of the boat and the third station from the bow with a quick connect fitting. Because of that I leave the two aft stations unadjusted when lowering and raising the mast with the forestay that is connected to the bow using the quick fitting.
How many times a year do you step the mast? if you only raise it a couple times a year you have a lot wider choices. I strictly trailer sail so easy solo raising and lowering is essential to me. when I bought my most recent M22 the mast had been replaced with one that hinges from the rear edge of the base so leaving the stays attached was no longer possible. my solution was to add a temporary new attachment point for the lower shrouds that are in line with the masts hinge point. now I can attach the lower shrouds to them to stabilize the mast wile raising and lowering, using an a frame style jin pole, then attach the upper shrouds to the chainplates, and then move the lowers into normal position on the chainplates. I installed johnson levers to upper and lower shrouds for easy attachment and the subsequent tension adjustment is pre-set once locked down. sooooo. you can see why having the factory original style cam shaped mast base is a huge benefit if you frequently raise and lower the mast.
. I raise from the stern, as intended. doesn't your mast overbalance when raised over the bow?That makes sense that the cam allows the side stays to remain attached. If I understand you right, even if I went down to the stern with the cam bottom the side stays could stay attached, right?
Yes, the mast is over-center on the bow pulpit when you push it out front and the top of the mast is about over the front bumper of the Honda Ridgeline I tow it with. To make it easier I created a "mast crutch" using a Little Giant style folding extension ladder that is set in the bed of the pickup and secured from tipping with a ratchet strap. The top rung gets a shop rag taped around it so it isn't metal on metal when sliding the mast. That makes it way easier. The backstay is attached to the main sheet. I lift from the bow until 20 degrees or more and the wife pulls the mainsheet in and takes it up from there as I add some assistance. No gin pole or A frame.
We (wife and I) step the mast up 3 times and down 3 times per year. Put in at our local lake end of April. Pull it out to go to Huntington Lake for a week, then back to our home lake until end of September when it is pulled out until next season.
I am thinking of having the bottom of the new mast cut to the cam shape. I've seen at least one Merit 22 or 25 done that way. That's how I'll have it quoted.
I haven't personally seen one, but I have a hunch the very earliest Merit 22s had the mast base cut that way with no cast "plug" in the bottom at all. if you look at an original owners manual they have a crude drawing showing the bottom cut at an angle.