Westerly Owners Association

My bilge keel Westerly merlin normally takes the ground twice a day, and the bottom of the rudder is now showing signs of wear and tear. I'm looking for suggestions to carry out repairs and to make it less susceptible to damage. In particular has anyone tried using something like Kevlar or aramid cl...

I had a similar problem on my Merlin a few years ago but my Rotostay 2 completely jammed. Thanks to another member at my boat club we were able to dismantle the lower end of the furler with the mast up (secured with halyards) and we found the bottom bearing had completely collapsed. The bearings are...

Thanks for the reassurance gents, I will have another attempt next weekend

I'm sure it's time I replaced the shaft seal and having started the job I am looking to clarify exactly what needs released at the back of the gearbox. The shaft goes into a flange similar to the attached Volvo diagram and I have successfully released the 6 bolts that secure the 2 sides of the flang...

My bilge keel Merlin is on a drying mooring and inevitably at the end of every season the bottom of the rudder has sustained damage which gets some epoxy repair over the winter. Has anyone tried a better and long-lasting solution such as some form of protective plate or shoe, if so using what materi...

Hi, I'm looking for some advice on choosing a battery for starting a VP 2002 on my Merlin. I suspect the existing battery which was fitted by a previous owner is now end of life. It is marked with a name I can't find any info on and rated at 105AH though I have no idea if it is a 'proper' engine sta...

I couldn't budge with an Allen key either but I acquired an 8mm hex driver for my socket set and they moved without to much effort - plenty releasing oil involved also .....

Thanks Philip - that's exactly the info I was looking for

regards
Alastair

Hi, its time I replaced the Volvo shaft seal on my VP2002. I've sourced the part with clear instructions for fitting the seal but having never done it before I'm looking for advice on disconnecting the prop shaft from the gearbox - any useful tips before I dive in (boat still out of the water) thank...

Thanks for the replies. The reason we removed the bolts was to investigate some cracking in the gelcoat around the chainplates. I'm not sure where I would find reinforcing plywood? The chainplates on my 89 Merlin are flush on the deck whereas a fellow club members' earlier Merlin has chainplates on ...

I've recently undone the 4 bolts securing the chainplates to the side decks of my Merlin and I was surprised to find that it took very little load on the nuts to undo. Given the fact they they are nyloc nuts I suspect they weren't that much more than hand tight. I'm looking for advice on how much to...

On my Merlin the mast base simply sits on the casting and there are no bolts of any sort involved. The rigging tension is more than enough to hold the mast in place. As mentioned by Aquaplane the 4 bolts you see are only securing the extrusion to the deck. At my boat club, masts are taken down every...

I don't know anything about the devices you mention but in general a router does a different job than what you are looking for. You definitely don't want or need Wireshark. This is a real tekkies tool for capturing and decoding packets of data to analyse problems.

I have a problem with my Merlin's main hatch which would not slide shut. An inspection shows a simple mechanism in 2 parts: a small rubber block at each side presumably acting as a stop; and just inside of that a small piece of metal with a piece of wood attached which appears to be there to ensure ...

2 or 3 seasons ago I got a full overhaul of the masthead unit done and they replaced the wind vane and cups. Unfortunately the vane is now badly distorted and I hoped to replace the original vane which is in better condition. Thought it would simply be a case of removing the grub screw and lifting o...