Precision 18


The Precision 18 is an American trailerable sailboat that was first built in 1984 and designed by Jim Taylor as a cruiser

Production

The design was built by Precision Boat Works in Palmetto, Florida, United States from 1984 until 2018, with 500 boats completed.

Design

The Precision 18 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig, a raked stem, a plumb transom, a transom-hung, kick-up rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed stub keel, with a NACA airfoil fiberglass centerboard that retracts into the keel. It displaces and carries of lead ballast.
Early boats produced have a single non-opening port on each cabin side, whereas later production models have two opening ports per side.
The boat has a draft of with the centerboard extended and with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water or ground transportation on a trailer.
The boat is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.
The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. There are no galley provisions, nor a table provided, but there is a cooler. The head is located on the port side, amidships, under the settee. Cabin headroom is.
The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 275 and a hull speed of.

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "this is an attractive, well built modern trailer-sailer with a keel-housed centerboard—what used to be called a "wholesome" boat. Below is a 40-quart cooler, and a space for a porta-pottie, but no sink, stove, or table... Best features: Solid, neatly laid-up construction, good attention to detail... Worst features: The basic boat comes without boom vang, backstay tensioner, reefing lines led back to the cockpit for easy singlehanding, and other small conveniences. For example, the end-boom mainsheet tackle is attached to a fitting on the backstay, an awkward reach for a singlehander sitting forward in the cockpit to balance the boat, Some owners complain that the cockpit scuppers are too small for proper draining,"