Ideal 18
Description
The Ideal 18 is a Canadian-designed trailerable sailboat optimized as a one-design racer and fun daysailer, emphasizing simplicity, performance, and ease of handling for club racing or casual outings. Designed by renowned naval architect Bruce Kirby (creator of the Laser), it was first built in 1989 by Ontario Yachts in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, and later by Shumway Marine in Rochester, New York, USA, where production continues today. Over 300 units have been produced since inception, with active fleets across North America, particularly on the Great Lakes and East Coast. Constructed of fiberglass with a fixed lead keel for stability (no hiking allowed per class rules) and a fractional sloop rig, it's known for its self-tacking jib, roller furling, and deck sweeper design that keeps the cockpit dry and crew comfortable. The strict one-design rules (e.g., one sail set per year) ensure fair racing, while its compact size makes it ideal for beginners or short-handed crews.
Construction Details
| Designer | Bruce Kirby |
|---|---|
| Builder | Shumway Marine |
| Length | 17.850 ft |
| LOA | 36.090 ft |
| LWL | 30.000 ft |
| Beam | 11.650 ft |
| Displacement | 10585 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.250 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 19 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 7 ft |
| p | 23.42 ft |
| e | 9.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 ft | 7 ft | 23.42 ft | 9.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Ideal 18 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 20.8 ft - (6340 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 5.8 ft - (1768 mm) |
| Leech | 19.5 ft - (5944 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 77.43 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.42 ft - (1652 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 0.66 ° |
| Area | * 56.36 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Ideal 18 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | 20.5 ft - (6248 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | 12.6 ft - (3840 mm) |
| Foot | 12.6 ft - (3840 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 220 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.