Mercury is a 1946 47' Elco Deluxe Cruiser crafted in Bayonne NJ from African Mahogany in the post-war economy of the US.

Elco stands for "Electric Launch Company", and was the precursor to General Dynamics. The largest producer of PT boats for the war effort, Elco built even the famed PT-109 of John Kennedy fame. These advanced boatbuilding techniques have helped Mercury stand the test of time with a stout and high performing hull and topsides.

Commissioned for William O. McKay, a prominent Seattle businessman, Mercury (as originally christened) was put on a railcar and shipped overland to its new home on the Northwestern US coast, where she was primarily used for business entertaining and family use. A social force in the Seattle area, McKay would invite a variety of guests to venture out on the boat, including famous actors and actresses, local and international businessmen and their family and friends.

Mercury could often be found in the 50's and 60's cutting across Puget Sound at 20 knots, with the engines running full bore and a wild cocktail cruise being held. In the late 60's and early 70's, Merc hosted stars like John Wayne and Lana Turner, as celebrities took to the water to evade the media and let down their hair a bit.
Card games were a consistent pursuit amongst the men, with occasional raftups occurring with Wild Goose, Wayne's famous vessel. Captain Dennison reported to Mercury's subsequent owners that Seafair, Seattle's great water festival and city celebration (see http://www.seafair.com/), was first conceived on Mercury when McKay hosted a discussion with local businessmen striving to create a festival that would attract more business/tourists to the area. From 1946 through the early 70's, Merc was in its heyday.

When McKay passed away in the late 60's Mercury was put up on the blocks for sale. It is at this point that Mercury began his enduring relationship with owners and caretakers Bill and LaRay Green. A former Coast Guard engineer, Bill and LaRay sold their house and moved aboard Mercury in it's Port Angeles boathouse, which turned into their home for the next 30 years.

In 2002, Bill and LaRay decided to return to dry land and put Mercury up for sale, where it was purchased by its current owners, Kim and Cliff Farrah. "We'd always dreamed of owning a boat like this, and it seemed like the find of a lifetime". Kim had a vision of a charter business that involved Mercury.

Mercury was shipped to Maine for a total refit. We are pleased to report that although it has taken 7 years to get Mercury to its current condition, the work was well worth it. With new engines, generators, Air Conditioners, power systems, galley, canvas decking, Mercury looks as she did when new. Mercury is finally ready to fulfil the charter vision that drove its purchase.