Hobie 18

Description

The Hobie 18 is an 18 ft (5.49 m) high-performance beach catamaran introduced in 1977 and produced continuously (with evolutions) until 2006, with over 9,000 built – one of the most successful and longest-lived racing cats in history. Designed as the “big brother” to the Hobie 16, it features a 8 ft beam, asymmetric hulls for reduced drag, fully battened 240 sq ft mainsail plus roller-furling jib, double trapeze wires, and the classic Hobie kick-up rudders and righting line system. Weighing 400–420 lbs., it flies both hulls in 12–15 knots and routinely hits 25+ knots downwind with a skilled two-person crew, making it a perennial favorite for PHRF and one-design racing fleets worldwide. Early boats (1977–1983) had symmetrical hulls and wooden comp-tip masts; the 1984–1990 “Magnum” version added wings for crew hiking and stiffer aluminum masts; the final 1991–2006 “SX” models featured asymmetric hulls, taller 30 ft rig, and optional 75 sq ft spinnaker kit. Though production ended when Hobie shifted focus to the Getaway and Wave, the 18 remains fiercely competitive in beach-cat regattas (especially the famous “Wrecking Crew” events) and is still the benchmark for pure adrenaline multihull sailing.