A Mermaid 24 is a Dolphin 24 built in wood, not fiberglass. Below is Kerry Lange's Mermaid 24 Kaloke, (Click here to go to her) in a 1973 photo pulled up at Mattituck Inlet on the north side of Long Island Sound. It is built to S&S master design #1497, the same as the fiberglass Dolphin, but wood.

The following is from a S&S job list I found in the S&S technical files. The copy was poor so I restated the information. The word in parenthesis after Dolphin Class in the Name/Class column is FRP - fiber reinforced plastic. The second item is1497.1 Mermaid Class (wood). The third item is the Yankee Dolphin and the 4th for a New Zealand client, Douglas Bremmer, is a 'keel version" which was sold in New Zealand as the S&S 24. (Click here to go to “fin keel dolphin”)

Sparkman & Stephens Designs

Design   Date Client                     Name/Class                          Job Description
1497      1960  Various                  DOLPHIN CLASS (FRP)        Aux. C/BD Sloop
1497.1   1960  Various                  MERMAID CLASS (wood)     Aux. C/BD Sloop
1497.2   1966  Yankee Yachts      DOLPHIN CLASS                   Aux. C/B Sloop 
1497.3   1969  Douglas Bremner DOLPHIN CLASS                   Keel Version

The following specification is for a 1497-S design for the Midget Ocean Racing Class was issued on December 10, 1959. The dimensions given are the same as a Dolphin. Toward the end of the 4th paragraph you will see "Structural members are white oak; recommended planking and trim, mahogany..."

Interestingly, the Mermaid 24 drawings were used by some Dolphin 24 buyers who bought their fiberglass boats as unfinished boats, or by builders who bought "Kits" from O'Day and finished the interiors using the Mermaid 24 plans. The following letter (poor copy, sorry) dated 14 February 1964 from Rod Stephens to Lyman Bullard, President of O'Day is interesting from several perspectives. The "Mr Shumaker" referenced was S&S's first Mermaid 24 client on the west coast He eventually purchased at least 4 Dolphin Kits from O'Day, and later became the founder of Yankee Yachts in 1966/1967! The referenced Shumaker letter was lost.

We need more information on the Mermaid 24 - ie., we have no idea how many were built. Also, how did design 1497-1 become 1497-S? .