Reader Boat: Mercury 15 "Ms. Zen"

Article by Burton Blais

Thought my fellow boatnerds might be interested in my most recent boat makeover project. She’s an old Mercury 15 sloop named Ms. Zen, which I acquired last summer from my very good friend Robert to keep on a mooring on the Rideau River in front of my house.  

Robert understands my love of small classic boats and I was very touched when he entrusted her care to me. The Mercury is a well known racing class south of the border, and while my particular iteration is probably more than 40 years old, Mercury 15s are still being built by the Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company (how salty is that!). These boats come as either keel or centreboard versions. Mine is the latter. My experience so far has been that even with her bagged out main she is a swift boat, and with her deep cockpit and side decks she is a dry boat that can stand up to the gusts, albeit under the attentive auspices of the onboard human ballast.