Mer-Na History 36-foot raised-deck cruiser built in 1930 by N.J. Blanchard Boat Company.

Mer-Na, last in the series of raised-deck cruisers produced between 1924 and 1930, was sold at the first Seattle Boat Show. The buyers were Mervin and Naomi Troyer (“Mer-Na”), and Pacific Motor Boat magazine, reviewing the event, called the Blanchard cruiser “the outstanding exhibit at the show.”

Of the Dreamboats that exist, Mer-Na is certainly one of the most original, and most celebrated, with her crystal light fixtures, original cast-iron stove, brass faucets, burgundy mohair upholstery and bronze deck hardware.

She has won many awards including:

• “Best Overall Power” at the 1983 Victoria Classic Boat Festival,
• “Best Classic Yacht” in Seattle’s Opening Day Parade,
• “Best Classic” in the Tacoma Daffodil Festival,
• “Best Antique Cruiser” at 2004 Lake Minnetonka Boat Show
• “Best Preserved / Most Original Boat” at the 2004 Antique and Classic Boat Society, Lake Minnetonka Rendezvous
• “Peoples’ Choice” (the top award) at the 2005 ACBS, Lake Minnetonka Rendezvous.
• “Peoples’ Choice” (the top award) at the 2008 ACBS, Lake Minnetonka Rendezvous.
• “Best Antique Cruiser” at the 2010 ACBS, Lake Minnetonka Rendezvous.

For more than six decades, beginning in 1907, the N.J. Blanchard Boat Company produced some of the finest motor yachts, sailboats and small tenders to emerge from the Pacific Northwest—more than 2,000 boats, including two dozen "Lake Union Dreamboat"-style cruisers, known as the Blanchard Standardized Raised-Deck Cruiser that have become a trademark of the company. Mer-Na, last in the series of raised-deck cruisers produced between 1924 and 1930, was sold at the first Seattle Boat Show. The buyers were Mervin and Naomi Troyer ("Mer-Na"), and Pacific Motor Boat magazine, reviewing the event, called the Blanchard cruiser "the outstanding exhibit at the show." Of the Blanchard Cruisers that exist, Mer-Na is certainly the most original, and most celebrated, with her crystal light fixtures, original cast-iron stove, brass faucets, burgundy mohair upholstery and bronze deck hardware. A U.S. Coast Guard Documented Vessel and member of Washington State’s Historic Fleet, she has won many awards and appeared in a number of photographic books, magazine articles and calendars, including:

• WoodenBoat Magazine, June 1990, Page 54, "The Blanchard Boat Company, Legendary in the Northwest."
• WoodenBoat Magazine, June 1990, Page 62, "Mer-Na—Last of the Blanchard Dreamboats."
• The Guide to Wooden Power Boats, Photographs by Benjamin Mendlowitz, Text by Maynard Bray, W.W. Norton & Company, 1998, Page 72.
• Classic Wooden Yachts of the Northwest, by Ron McClure, Sasquatch Books, 2000, Frontispiece and Pages 46-51
• Wooden Boats—From Sculls to Yachts, Joseph Gribbins, The Friedman Group, Copyright 1991, Page 116.
• Dreamboats from the Northwest—Elegance for Everybody in the 1920’s, Rudder Magazine, The Antique & Classic Boat Society, Summer 1999, Pages 17-21.
• The Book of Wooden Boats, Photographs by Benjamin Mendlowitz, Text by Maynard Bray, W.W. Norton Company, 1992, Pages 64, 65.
• Brightwork—The Art of Finishing Wood, Rebecca J. Wittman, International Marine Publishing Co., 1990, Page 38.
• Beautiful Boats—A Twentieth Anniversary Celebration of WoodenBoat Magazine, 1994, Pages 44-45.
• Knee-Deep in Shavings—Memories of Early Yachting and Boatbuilding on the West Coast, Norman C. Blanchard and Stephen Wilen, Horsdal & Schubart, Copyright 1999, Back Cover.
• The Calendar of Wooden Boats, Benjamin Mendlowitz, WoodenBoat Publications, 1991.
• Classic Wooden Boats, Annual Photographic Calendar, Landmark General Corp., featured in 1988, 1989, 1991.
• Aqua Magazine (Italy), March, 1987, "The Ultimate American Dream," Pages 68-83.
• The Register of Wooden Boats, 1999-2000, WoodenBoat Publications, 1999.

Specifications:

• Classification Documented Motor Vessel, #230-292
• Year 1930
• Builder N.J. Blanchard Boat Works, Seattle
• Model Standardized Cruiser ("Lake Union Dreamboat" style.)
• Hull Number 25 in series (last one built)
• Length Overall 36’-0" (Waterline length also 36’-0") Maximum Beam 9’-6"  Draft 3’-3"
• Height 17’ 2" from waterline to mast light (bridge clearance)
• Power Yanmar 4-cylinder diesel, 51 horsepower, 850 hours
• Cruising Speed 8 knots, maximum 10 knots
• Cruising RPM 2,100-2,600
• Batteries Two 12-volt starting, three 12-volt house (360Ah). Xantrax RV2012 charger / 1500W inverter
• Fuel Consumption One gallon per hour at cruising speed; maximum 1.5 gph.
• Fuel Tanks New aluminum tank (August, 2001) – 45 gallons, new fiber 23-gallon (Jan 2004). Total capacity 68 gal.
• Water Tank Stainless steel, 75 gallons, under forward berth
• Pumps Brass water pumps in galley and head
• Heat Red Dot R-290, forced-air heater in pilothouse and main cabin (2000 BTU, works off engine heat exchanger).
• Stove Restored Sound-brand cast-iron galley stove, stainless oven, burns kerosene, 1qt./hr., 15 gal. tank in bow.
• Hot water 10-gallon stainless tank heated by galley stove
• Lighting 12-volt original crystal fixtures; new wiring throughout
• Water closet SeaEra, 12v. macerating with 24 gal. waste water tank.
• Fathometer Ross 240’
• GPS Garmin, 2006C, color moving-map, chartplotter
• VHF ICOM, IC-M59 (new 2001)
• Stereo XM Satellite AM/FM radio with tape deck and 6-CD changer
• Horns Air and electric
• Planking Western Red Cedar
• Framing White Oak, 1-3/8" x 1-1/4" bent frames
• Deck beams 1-1/8" x 2-1/4," Douglas Fir
• Decking Tongue-and-groove cedar, covered with painted canvas
• Bilge pumps Rule automatic, 1" discharge; Par automatic, 1" discharge.
• Steering Cable
• Anchors Bruce anchor, 50’ chain, 250’ line
• Storm anchor (larger Danforth type), 50’ chain, 250’ line
• Safety Four dry-chemical fire extinguishers, 2-1/2-5 lb.
• Dinghy Original, 7’-6" lapstrake, Western Red Cedar with White Oak frames, on pilothouse roof (mast and boom are used to lower and retrieve skiff).
• Searchlights: one 12v, pilothouse roof, and one 12v remote control on bow sprit (removable)
• Life jackets Eight life jackets, one ring buoy
• Clock, Barometer One each, in main cabin
• Windshield wipers Two wipers and one windshield fan
• Refrigeration Large stainless-steel icebox w/three access doors in pilothouse. Alder-Barbour compressor/evaporator provides refrigeration drawing only 5 amps.
• Miscellaneous Original crystal "Mer-Na" glassware, Burgundy mohair upholstery throughout
• Hull completely stripped, refastened, wadded, calked & repainted (2004)
• All new through-hulls (2004)
• Electrical system completely rewired and re-fused (2004)
• galvanic isolator
• All work performed by Mark Sauer, St. Paul Shipwrights