Hunter 18.5

Hunter 18.5

Development
Designer	Hunter Design Team
Location	United States
Year	1987
Builder(s)	Hunter Marine
Name	Hunter 18.5
Boat
Boat weight	1,600 lb (726 kg)
Draft	2.00 ft (0.61 m)
Hull
Type	Monohull
Construction	Fiberglass
LOA	18.42 ft (5.61 m)
LWL	15.50 ft (4.72 m)
Beam	7.08 ft (2.16 m)
Engine type	Outboard motor
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	wing keel
Ballast	520 lb (236 kg)
Rudder(s)	transom-mounted rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	21.42 ft (6.53 m)
J foretriangle base	6.46 ft (1.97 m)
P mainsail luff	21.00 ft (6.40 m)
E mainsail foot	7.92 ft (2.41 m)
Sails
Sailplan	Fractional rigged sloop
Mainsail area	83.16 sq ft (7.726 m2)
Jib/genoa area	69.19 sq ft (6.428 m2)
Total sail area	152.35 sq ft (14.154 m2)
Racing
PHRF	288 (average)

The Hunter 18.5 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by the Hunter Design Team as a cruising sailboat and first built in 1987. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Production

The design was built by Hunter Marine in the United States between 1987 and 1993, but it is now out of production. ^{[1] [5]}

Design

The Hunter 18.5 is a small recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig with a fully battened mainsail, a raked stem, a reverse transom, a transom-hung kick-up rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed wing keel. It displaces 1,600 lb (726 kg) and carries 520 lb (236 kg) of ballast. ^{[1] [3]}

The boat has a draft of 2.00 ft (0.61 m) with the standard shoal-draft wing keel, allowing ground transportation on the factory standard trailer. ^{[1] [3]}

The boat is optionally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp (2 to 4 kW) outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. Other factory optional equipment included a portable head, galley alcohol stove, water pump tap, cooler and anchor. ^{[1] [3]}

The design has sleeping accommodation for three people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and a straight settee in the main cabin on the port side. Cabin headroom is 48 in (122 cm). ^{[1] [4]}

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 288. It has a hull speed of 5.28 kn (9.78 km/h). ^[6]

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "in the late 1980s, Hunter Marine expanded their cruising, boat line into smaller sizes. They also redesigned the line with a more 'modern' look. The Hunter 18.5 was one of the first of Hunter's minicruisers to be introduced. Unique features include a very shallow (two-foot draft) keel with both a bulb and 'winglets.' Best features: Headroom of four feet is exceptional for a boat of this size ... Ballast is also highest for the group ... Worst features: The keel is too shallow, and has too small a lateral area, to expect even so-so upwind sailing performance, with or without the winglets (which we suspect are too small to serve any real purpose). The full-length battens make it difficult to 'read' the trim of the mainsail, The flip-up rudder, being deeper than the keel, is thus unprotected and therefore subject to damage or loss if a sudden shoal water situation is encountered and the flip-up mechanism isn't ready for it." ^[4]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

Similar sailboats

• Alacrity 19
• Buccaneer 200
• Cal 20
• Catalina 18
• Drascombe Lugger
• Edel 540
• Mistral T-21
• Naiad 18
• Paceship 20
• Sandpiper 565
• Sanibel 18
• San Juan 21
• Siren 17
• Typhoon 18

References

1. Browning, Randy (2018). "Hunter 18.5 sailboat specifications and details". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
2. Browning, Randy (2018). "Hunter Marine". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
3. Hunter Marine (1987). "Introducing the Hunter 18.5" (PDF). www.marlow-hunter.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
4. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 37. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN   978-0-07-163652-0
5. Hunter Marine. "Previous models". www.marlow-hunter.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
6. InterVisionSoft LLC (2018). "Sailboat Specifications for Hunter 18.5". Sailing Joy. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.

External links

• Official brochure