Super Pelican
Description
The Super Pelican 18 is an American sailboat designed by William H. Short (Bill Short) as a stretched evolution of his iconic San Francisco Pelican pram dinghy, intended for recreational day sailing, youth training, or light tender use on small lakes, ponds, or sheltered coastal waters. Introduced in the 1970s through Short's plans (distributed via San Francisco Pelican Boats and later Duckworks), it emerged during the plywood boat revival as a simple, affordable upgrade for amateur builders seeking more space without complexity. Short, a self-taught designer and San Francisco Bay tugboat captain, created it by extending the original 12 ft Pelican hull by 6 ft, adding cabin options or a boom tent for versatility. Production was plans-based only (no factory boats), with dozens built by amateurs using plywood, emphasizing a balanced lug rig for light-air performance and a centerboard for shallow drafts. The design features a wooden or fiberglass pram hull with a centerboard for stable handling, a moderate beam for stability, and a standing lug rig for straightforward sail trim, with a low displacement/length ratio for quick acceleration and minimal ballast for lightweight responsiveness, though its low freeboard limits it to calm conditions.
Construction Details
| Designer | William H. Short |
|---|---|
| Length | 18.000 ft |
| LOA | 18.000 ft |
| Beam | 6.500 ft |
| Displacement | 450 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.330 ft |
| Year Built | 1971 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 16 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 5.50 ft |
| p | 14 ft |
| e | 7 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 ft | 5.50 ft | 14 ft | 7 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Super Pelican - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 28.67 ft - (8739 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10.5 ft - (3200 mm) |
| Leech | * 29.98 ft - (9138 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 30.19 ft - (9202 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 155.1 ft² |
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Super Pelican - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 29.09 ft - (8867 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 15.33 ft - (4673 mm) |
| Leech | * 25.09 ft - (7647 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 114.96 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.22 ft - (4029 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.99 ° |
| Area | * 192.26 ft² |
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Super Pelican - GENOA
| Luff | * 34.55 ft - (10531 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 18.66 ft - (5688 mm) |
| Leech | * 32.41 ft - (9879 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.25 ft - (5258 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.97 ° |
| Area | * 298.01 ft² |
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Super Pelican - DRIFTER
| Luff | * 34.55 ft - (10531 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 19.44 ft - (5925 mm) |
| Leech | * 30.86 ft - (9406 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perp | * 17.25 ft - (5258 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 9.02 ° |
| Area | * 298.01 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Super Pelican - MAIN (LG ROACH)
| Luff | * 28.67 ft - (8739 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10.5 ft - (3200 mm) |
| Leech | * 29.98 ft - (9138 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | * 30.19 ft - (9202 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 155.1 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.