Mercury 18

Last updated

Mercury 18
Mercury 18 sail badge.png
Development
Designer Ernest Nunes
Location United States
Year1939
No. built1060 (1994)
Builder(s) Ernest Nunes
W. D. Schock Corp
Moore Sailboats
Role One-design racer
NameMercury 18
Crewtwo
Boat
Crewtwo
Boat weight 1,100 lb (499 kg)
Draft 3.08 ft (0.94 m)
Hull
Type Monohull
Construction Plywood or fiberglass
LOA 18.00 ft (5.49 m)
LWL 13.00 ft (3.96 m)
Beam 5.33 ft (1.62 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typefin keel
Ballast635 lb (288 kg)
Rudder(s)keel-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height18.40 ft (5.61 m)
J foretriangle base7.30 ft (2.23 m)
P mainsail luff21.92 ft (6.68 m)
E mainsail foot9.08 ft (2.77 m)
Sails
Sailplan Fractional rigged sloop
Mainsail area99.52 sq ft (9.246 m2)
Jib/genoa area67.16 sq ft (6.239 m2)
Total sail area166.68 sq ft (15.485 m2)
[ edit on Wikidata]

The Mercury 18, sometimes just referred to as a Mercury, is an American sailboat that was designed by Ernest Nunes as a one design racer and first built in 1939. The boat was one of the first one-design sailboat classes designed for plywood construction. [1] [2]

Contents

The design is sometimes confused with the unrelated Sparkman & Stephens 1940 Cape Cod Mercury design. [1] [3]

Production

The design was built in the United States by Ernest Nunes, W. D. Schock Corp originally in Corona, California and later in Santa Ana, California and Moore Sailboats in Watsonville, California. By 1994 a total of 1,060 boats had been completed, but it is now out of production. [1] [2] [4] [5]

W. D. Schock Corp records indicate that they built 21 boats between 1963 and 1967. [6]

At one point plans and also unfinished fiberglass hulls were available for amateur construction. [2]

Design

The Mercury 18 is a recreational keelboat, originally built predominantly of plywood and, starting in 1952, from fiberglass with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig with wooden or aluminum spars. The single chined hull has a spooned raked stem, a raised counter transom, a keel-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed long keel. It displaces 1,100 lb (499 kg) and carries 635 lb (288 kg) of lead ballast built into the keel. [1] [2]

The boat has a draft of 3.08 ft (0.94 m) with the standard keel. [1]

For sailing the design is equipped with two jumper stays, the topmost or which is angled forward, plus a backstay. Flotation is not required by the class rules, but Personal flotation devices, bilge pumps and additional safety equipment is required to be carried for racing. [2]

The design is normally raced with a crew of two sailors. [2]

Operational history

The design is supported by an active US west coast type club, the Mercury Class, that organizes racing. [7]

In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "this classic-design, full-keel sloop is usually found in the [United States] Northeast or on the West Coast." [2]

See also

Similar sailboats

Related Research Articles

Thistle (dinghy) Sailboat class

The Thistle is an American planing sailing dinghy that was designed by Sandy Douglass as a one-design racer and first built in 1945.

Shields (keelboat) Sailboat class

The Shields, also called the Shields 30 and the Shields One-Design, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens as a one design racer and first built in 1962.

International 110 Sailboat class

The International 110 is an American sailboat that was designed by C. Raymond Hunt as a one-design racer and first built in 1939.

Lido 14 Sailboat class

The Lido 14 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Barney Lehman and William D. Schock and first built in 1958.

The Rhodes 19 is an American trailerable day sailer or sailing dinghy, that was designed by Philip Rhodes as a one-design racer and first built in 1958.

Windmill (sailing dinghy) Sailboat class

The Windmill is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Clark Mills as a one-design racer and first built in 1953.

Santana 20 Sailboat class

The Santana 20 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by W. Shad Turner as a day sailer, one design racer and pocket cruiser. It was first built in 1976.

The West Wight Potter 15 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Stanley T. Smith and Herb Stewart as a cruiser and first built in 1979.

The Santana 27 is an American sailboat, that was designed by Gary Mull and first built in 1967. The design is out of production.

The Santana 39 is an American sailboat, that was designed by Gary Mull and W. Shad Turner and first built in 1972.

The Cape Cod Mercury 15, also called the Mercury Sloop and just the Mercury, is an American trailerable sailboat and sailing dinghy, that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens and first built in 1940.

The Raven is an American trailerable, planing sailboat that was designed by Roger McAleer and first built in 1949.

The Santana 25 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by W. Shad Turner as an International Offshore Rule Quarter Ton class racer and first built in 1973. The boat was Turner's first design.

The Capri 14 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Barney Lehman and W. D. Schock as a day sailer and first built in 1960.

The Endeavor 26 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Bill Lapworth as a racer and day sailer and first built in 1963.

The Harbor 14 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Barney Lehman and William D. Schock as a day sailer and first built in 2004.

The Santana 26 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by W. D. Schock Corp's in-house designer, Seymour Paul, as a cruiser and first built in 1971.

The Santana 525 is an American sailboat that was designed by W. Shad Turner as a one design and International Offshore Rule Quarter Ton class racer-cruiser and first built in 1977.

The Schock 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Wendell H. Calkins as a cruiser and first built in 1960.

The Schock 25 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by W. D. Schock Corp's in-house designer, Seymour Paul as a day sailer and first built in 1961.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Mercury 18 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 94-95. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN   0-395-65239-1
  3. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cape Cod Mercury 15 FK sailboat specifications and details". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  4. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Schock W.D." sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  5. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Moore Sailboats". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  6. ↑ W. D. Schock Corp. "Boats built by W.D. Schock". wdschock.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  7. ↑ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Mercury Class (US West Coast)". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.