The Sanibel 18 is an American
trailerable sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminology ...
, that was designed by
Charles Ludwig, first built in 1982 and named for the Floridian
town and island.
[Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 58. International Marine/]McGraw-Hill
McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...
, 2010.
The boat was built by a series of different builders under several different model names in the United States, and all are now out of production.
Design

The series are all small recreational
keelboat
A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...
s, built predominantly of
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...
, with wood trim. They have
fractional sloop rigs, transom-hung
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
s and retractable
centerboard
A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised t ...
s. They are normally fitted with a small
outboard motor
An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...
for docking and maneuvering.
The design has sleeping accommodation for three people, with a double
"V"-berth
A sleeping berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths.
Beds in boats or ships
While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, ...
in the bow and a straight settee in the main cabin. Cabin headroom is .
Variants
;Skipper's Mate 17
:This model was introduced in 1982 and was built by
Southern Sails until 1984. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centerboard down and with it up. The boat has a
hull speed
Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to- ...
of .
;Commodore 17
:This model was introduced in 1984 and was built by the
Commodore Yacht Corporation until 1985. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centerboard down and with it up. The boat has a hull speed of .
;Sanibel 17 and 18
:The Sanibel 17 was introduced in 1985 and was built by
Captiva Yachts and later by International Marine. It was renamed the Sanibel 18 in 1986; the cockpit seat were raised to add knee room in the cabin berths and three raised pads were added to the cabin top for a single teak rail. The cabin top rail is the easiest way to identify a 17 versus 18. A total of 169 examples were completed between 1985 and 1988. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centerboard down and with it up. The boat has a hull speed of .
;Snug Harbor 18
:This model was introduced in 1990 and was built by
Leisure-Time Fiberglass Products, although very few were built. The molds were made by using an existing Sanibel 18 boat hull as a
fiberglass mold plug. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centerboard down and with it up. The boat has a hull speed of .
See also
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List of sailing boat types
The following is a partial list of sailboat types and sailing classes, including keelboats, dinghy, dinghies, and multihull (catamarans and trimarans).
Olympic classes
World Sailing Classes
Historically known as the IYRU (International Yacht ...
Similar sailboats
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Buccaneer 200
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Catalina 18
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COM-PAC 19
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Com-Pac Sunday Cat
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Cornish Shrimper 19
The Cornish Shrimper 19 is a British trailerable sailboat that was designed by Roger Dongray, inspired by traditional shrimp fishery boat designs and first built in 1979.
Production
The design has been built by Cornish Crabbers in Wadebridg ...
*
Drascombe Lugger
The Drascombe Lugger is a British Trailer sailer, trailerable sailboat that was designed by John L. Watkinson and first built in 1968.
The Drascombe Lugger design is the basis of a large range of similar Drascombe, Drascombe boats with differe ...
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Hunter 19-1
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Hunter 19 (Europa)
The Hunter 19 (Europa) is a British sailboat that was designed by Oliver Lee (naval architect), Oliver Lee and first built in 1972.
The design was originally marketed by the manufacturer as the Hunter 19, but is now usually referred to as the ...
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Mercury 18
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Naiad 18
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Nordica 16
The Nordica 16 is a Canadian Trailer sailer, trailerable sailboat, based on the Lynaes 14, a 1820 design by Sweden, Swede Ole Jensen.
Production
The boat was built by Exe Fibercraft in Canada starting in 1975, with 400 examples completed, but ...
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Sandpiper 565
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Santana 20
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Siren 17
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Typhoon 18
*
West Wight Potter 19
References
External links
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{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide
Keelboats
1980s sailboat type designs
Sailing yachts
Trailer sailers
Sailboat type designs by Charles Ludwig
Sailboat types built by Southern Sails
Sailboat types built by Commodore Yacht Corporation
Sailboat types built by International Marine
Sailboat types built by Captiva Yachts
Sailboat types built by Leisure-Time Fiberglass Products
Sailboat types built by Sovereign Yachts