The Marlow-Hunter 18 is an American

sailing dinghy Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using five essential controls: * the sails * the foils (i.e. the daggerboard or centreboard and rudder and sometimes lifting foils as found on the Moth) * the trim (forward/rear angle o ...

that was designed by

Glenn Henderson Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement ...

as a

day sailer A daysailer, day sailer, or dayboat is a small sailboat with or without sleeping accommodations but which is larger than a dinghy. Dayboats can be monohull or multihull, and are typically trailer-able. Many dayboats have a small cabin or "cud ...

and first built in 2011. The Marlow-Hunter 18 replaced the similar

Hunter 170 The Hunter 170 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed the Hunter Design Team and first built in 1999. Production The design was built by Hunter Marine in the United States, starting in 1999 but is now out of production. The design wa ...

in production. The design was originally marketed by the manufacturer in 2011 as the Hunter 18, but, emerging from bankruptcy, the company became

Marlow-Hunter Hunter Marine is an American boat builder, now known as Marlow-Hunter, LLC, owned by David E. Marlow. The company also produces the Mainship powerboat brand. Marlow also owns and manufactures the Marlow Yachts brand consisting of long rang ...

in 2012 and the design was re-designated as the Marlow-Hunter 18.

Production

The design was built by Hunter Marine and later Marlow-Hunter in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, starting in 2011 and remained in production through 2019.

Design

The Marlow-Hunter 18 differs form the Hunter 170 in that it has more length and more waterline length, a higher length to beam ratio and more sail area. The Marlow-Hunter 18 is a small recreational

dinghy A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...

, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

, with a

balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...

-cored deck and hull. The hull has a hard

chine A chine () is a steep-sided coastal gorge where a river flows to the sea through, typically, soft eroding cliffs of sandstone or clays. The word is still in use in central Southern England—notably in East Devon, Dorset, Hampshire and the Is ...

and a bow hollow. It has a cuddy space covered with a snap-fastener canvas cover for stowage. It has a fractional sloop rig, a

plumb stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up t ...

, an open

reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transvers ...

, a transom-hung swing-up

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

controlled by a

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

with an extension and a folding centerboard

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

. It displaces empty and can carry four people to a maximum of . The boat has a draft of with the centerboard extended and with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. The boat has no provisions for mounting a motor. Factory standard equipment includes a

jib A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsail ...

and a loose-footed

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot i ...

. Factory options include a

gennaker A gennaker is a sail that was developed around 1990. Used when sailing downwind, it is a cross between a genoa and a spinnaker. It is not symmetric like a true spinnaker but is asymmetric like a genoa, but the gennaker is not attached to the f ...

Operational history

Writing for ''Sailing'' magazine in July 2011, famed yacht designer Robert Perry concluded at the 18, "I think this would be an ideal boat to use to teach kids how to sail. It has the look of a modern sport boat with its plumb stem and open transom. With the spinnaker option you should be able to get good performance out of the boat and kids can learn the full range of basic sailing skills in a boat that won't overpower them." In a review for ''Sail'' magazine also in July 2011, writer Charles Doane sailed the boat with Steve Pettengill, "who serves as Hunter’s unofficial Director of Destructive Testing". They sailed the boat in winds of over with full sail and even the gennaker. Doane noted, "Though over-canvassed, the boat handled very well. Steering was precise, and we had no trouble keeping upright by playing the main when sailing on the wind. The controls are simple, effective and easy to handle. The high boom makes it unnecessary to duck when tacking, and a substantial centerline toerail and comfortably curved cockpit coaming make it easy to push your body out quickly to windward when heeling. The only thing lacking is a centerline hiking strap to hook your feet under, but this would be easy to retrofit." After the sail he concluded, "I feel I can recommend this boat highly. Handled by sane people, it would be lots of fun to just knock around in. Obviously, it’s a blast to sail in the heavy stuff as well."

References

External links

* {{Hunter Marine Keelboats 2010s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by Glenn Henderson Sailboat types built by Hunter Marine

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References

External links