Mercury 18

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Mercury 18
Mercury 18 sail badge.png
Development
Designer
LocationUnited States
Year1939
No. built1060 (1994)
Builder(s)
W. D. Schock Corp
NameMercury 18
Crewtwo
Boat
Crewtwo
Boat weight1,100 lb (499 kg)
Draft3.08 ft (0.94 m)
Hull
TypeMonohull
ConstructionPlywood or fiberglass
LOA18.00 ft (5.49 m)
LWL13.00 ft (3.96 m)
Beam5.33 ft (1.62 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typefin keel
Ballast635 lb (288 kg)
Rudder(s)keel-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig typeBermuda 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
SailplanFractional 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 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]

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 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]

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.[6]

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

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Mercury 18 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Mercury Class (US West Coast)". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
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