Cape Cod Mercury 15

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.[1][2][3][4][5]

Cape Cod Mercury 15 FK
Development
DesignerSparkman & Stephens
LocationUnited States
Year1940
Builder(s)Cape Cod Shipbuilding
Boat
Boat weight730 lb (331 kg)
Draft2.42 ft (0.74 m)
Hull
TypeMonohull
ConstructionWood or Fiberglass
LOA15.00 ft (4.57 m)
LWL13.83 ft (4.22 m)
Beam5.42 ft (1.65 m)
Hull appendages
Keel/board typefin keel
Ballast200 lb (91 kg)
Rudder(s)transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig typeBermuda rig
Sails
SailplanFractional rigged sloop
Total sail area119 sq ft (11.1 m2)

The design is sometimes confused with the unrelated Ernest Nunes 1939 Mercury 18 design.[1][6]

Production

The design is built by Cape Cod Shipbuilding in the United States, and remained in production in 2020 after 80 years.[1][4][5][7]

Design

The Mercury 15 is a recreational keelboat or dinghy, depending on the model, originally built of wood, since 1948 it has been constructed of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig with aluminum spars. The hull has a spooned plumb stem, a plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel or a retractable centerboard.[1][4]

The design has accommodation for five people, but is normally sailing with a crew of two sailors.[5]

A optional teak motor mount is available to allow use of an outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.[1]

For sailing the design may be equipped with an optional genoa and spinnaker. Roller furling, a boom vang and boat trailers for both versions are also optional.[5]

Variants
Cape Cod Mercury 15 FK
This fixed keel model has a draft of 2.42 ft (0.74 m) with the standard keel. It has a displacement of 730 lb (330 kg) and carries 200 lb (91 kg) of iron ballast.[1][5]
Cape Cod Mercury 15 CB
This centerboard model has a draft of 3.25 ft (0.99 m) with the centerboard down and 6 in (15 cm) with the centerboard retracted. The boat displaces 470 lb (213 kg).[2][5]

See also

References
  1. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cape Cod Mercury 15 FK sailboat specifications and details". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  2. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cape Cod Mercury 15 CB sailboat specifications and details". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  3. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Sparkman & Stephens". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  4. Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, page 94. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN 0-395-65239-1
  5. Cape Cod Shipbuilding (2020). "Mercury Sloop". capecodshipbuilding.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  6. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Mercury 18 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  7. McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cape Cod Shipbuilding". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
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