CS 36 Merlin Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Castro's Merlin reads as a deliberate break from the earlier CS 36 Traditional. The hull carries a plumb bow and a generous beam all the way back to the stern, which keeps the helm spacious and creates genuinely usable swim platforms on the optional transom. The flat bottom and low stem angle give the boat a long waterline for its length, though the same flat sections mean very little bilge space for excess water. Construction is vacuum-bag molded fiberglass or Kevlar with a balsa core above the waterline to shed weight and add stiffness. CS Yachts glassed the bulkheads to both hull and deck, and a structural grid system is laminated to the hull to carry rig and keel loads while incorporating the engine stringers. The joint where hull meets deck is bolted through and bedded in a butyl tape that never sets hard — a detail worth knowing, because the oozing of this butyl tape is normal and can continue for years without indicating a failure. Chainplates are forged stainless steel at right angles, bolted to the main bulkhead and deck.

Rig and Handling

The Merlin was one of the first production boats to clean up the foredeck: all winches are self-tailing and the lines lead aft through deck organizers and clutches. The rig itself pairs a low-aspect main with a high-aspect foretriangle, producing a long boom, a very tall mast, and a powerful overall rig. Most boats left the factory with genoa furling, and the reefing system lets the crew tack and clew down from the cockpit. With a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 43 percent or more, the boat is stiff, but when the wind builds you have to reef early to keep it upright. In light to medium air she moves quite well. The flat bottom does exact a price: in a choppy sea the bow throws water back and the hull slams through waves. A handful of late-1989 boats moved the mainsheet traveler to the coach house with the sheet fixing a third of the way aft from the gooseneck; that arrangement makes it very difficult to sheet the main properly and is not healthy for the boom.

Accommodations

Inside, the Merlin uses a three-cabin layout: forward cabin, main saloon, and aft quarter cabin, with large aft cabins and aft cockpit contributing real carrying capacity. The forward v-berth is slightly offset, the starboard side shortened where the head bulkhead intrudes, and storage includes opening cupboards, cave lockers, and space under the berth. The head is a good size, lacks teak for easy cleanup, and sits across from a full-sized cedar-lined hanging locker; both spaces have their own teak doors. The main saloon is bright thanks to Lexan in the hatch spray shield and slider. The starboard settee folds out to a large double, the port serves as a single, and a modest chart table closes the starboard end with storage beneath. Massive water tanks under the main berths hold up to 130 gallons. The galley sits far aft, with a double sink, a Force 10 three-burner propane stove and oven, kern cutting board and sink covers, a 7.5-cubic-foot main ice box, a smaller drained ice box, and usually a microwave built into the bulkhead.

Options and Variations

The Merlin's long options list means no two boats outside the charter fleets were built alike. Beyond the Kevlar-or-fiberglass hull choice, buyers could specify a swim platform or regular transom, a 28 hp diesel or 43 hp turbo (the standard Volvo Penta is 25 hp), a tall or regular rig, and by 1990 four keel configurations — shoal, wing, deep, and performance bulb. About 20 of the 100 built went to charter, and those tend to be more uniform. CS even built two high-performance examples with a deep-draft bulb keel and an extra-tall flexible rig for well-funded racers. Traveler location also shifted through the build: most pre-1990 boats had it on a short track ahead of the wheel, some later boats moved it to the bridge deck, and the late-1989 coach-house version is the one to scrutinize.

The Verdict

The CS 36 Merlin is a thoughtfully engineered Castro design that translated European volume and deck organization to a Canadian-built cruiser with lasting appeal. The structural grid, glassed bulkheads, and balsa-cored vacuum-bag construction are sound; the accommodations are roomy for the length and the deck is remarkably clean for its era. The flat-bottom slam and the late coach-house traveler are the main caveats, along with the reality that every boat is optioned differently and must be surveyed on its own terms.

Pros

Stiff, powerful rig with all lines led aft and self-tailing winches
Spacious three-cabin interior with large aft quarters and 130-gallon tank capacity
Vacuum-bag Kevlar or glass hull with glassed bulkheads and structural grid
Early reefing keeps the 43%-plus ballast boat manageable in stronger air

Cons