Anyone who races sailboats is aware of Merlin, Bill Lee’s legendary 66 foot speedster. It is the boat that inspired all subsequent Transpac racers. There has been quite a lot written about this boat’s outstanding record, but if you get a chance, check out Roy Disney’s and Leslie DeMeuse’s video on the Transpac race for some wonderful footage of Merlin, along with other classics such as Windward Passage and Ragtime. Over the years both ‘Passage and Rags have undergone refits and remain to this day outstandingly beautiful yachts. Merlin, on the other hand has soldiered on these last 25 years with little in the way of upgrades or maintenance and until just recently seemed to be well on it’s way to oblivion.

Merlin’s previous owner, Donn Campion had some wonderful voyages in her, but the time finally came to either put some real money into her or sell her, and he chose the latter. Texas cattleman/adventurer, Al Micallef saw through the wear and tear that showed on the surface and realized the potential of the boat. He bought her and immediately had her brought to my shop in Costa Mesa for a total refit.

I don’t generally do refits, but how could I pass up an opportunity to rebuild this classic lady? The first order of business was to survey the vessel and assess exactly what shape the primary structure of the boat was in. For a boat that had been rode hard and put away wet for so many years, the hull was in surprisingly good shape, but the internal structure, including bulkheads, furniture, electrical and mechanical systems were pretty well shot. In 1997 a rudimentary canting keel system had been installed so the keel itself was in good shape but the hydraulic canting system was rusting and ready to be replaced. The boat had also received a new mast in ’97 and was in pretty good shape.

One factor in the decision to accept or pass on a project of this magnitude is the owner. If he or she is for real, has the horsepower to see It through to completion, and shares my vision for what ought to be done, then we go with it. People who will make that kind of commitment to a boat are relatively rare, but Micallef made the commitment and stuck to it, so that the end product is a boat that we’ll both be proud of for years.

The deck was completely redesigned. The familiar old box shaped deck house was replaced with a longer, aerodynamically sculpted cabin trunk. The old “T” shape cockpit was removed and a long trench shape was installed. The transom was opened up and a bridgedeck was installed. To open up the interior and make the cockpit a bit dryer, low coamings were added to the cockpit as well. The winches were replaced with new Harkens, and a coffee grinder installed for the primaries. An Edson Ultra-Light carbon steering pedestal was also installed. Deck hardware was upgraded with Harken and Frederiksen blocks.

Down below, everything except for a couple of bulkheads was removed. All of the new bulkheads and furniture were custom made of foam cored panels with vacuum bagged carbon or e-glass skins. The aft end of the boat was reconfigured to incorporate pipe berths and eliminate the “aft cabin” that was hidden in the very stern of the boat. The head was located up in the very bow of the boat, ostensibly to gain an advantage under the old IOR rule, under which Merlin was first raced. It was relocated to a more sensible spot just forward of the main bulkhead. Merlin was known for submarining when going downwind in heavy air and we expect the redistribution of the weights in the boat to help keep the bow above the water.

The keel canting mechanism was originally designed to allow 18 degrees of movement from centerline. The new system will permit a cant of 36 degrees, which will make the boat quicker upwind. The main problem with the canting keel on this boat was that it could not go upwind because it had no foil to generate lift. We remedied that by installing a seven foot deep daggerboard just aft of the keel.

Merlin, now renamed “Merlin’s Reata” is finished with a dark blue hull, cream decks and outrageous graphics, painted by Newport Beach’s own yachting artist-in-residence, Gary Miltimore. Look for “Merlins Reata” in the 2001 Transpac race next month. In its new incarnation the old girl should be a contender once again.


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