Rhodes 18
Description
The Rhodes 18 is a timeless American one-design daysailer / racing dinghy designed by Philip L. Rhodes in 1938 (originally as a junior trainer for the Stamford Yacht Club in Connecticut). It first entered production in 1948 and has endured as a classic for family daysailing, club racing, and one-design fleets. Built primarily by Cape Cod Shipbuilding (who still offers new ones today), it's known for elegant simplicity, fair hull lines ("smooth as a beach stone"), responsive performance, and versatility—perfect for 2–5 people on a relaxed sail or a competitive crew of three in races. The design emphasizes ease of handling, stability, and fun: quick to rig, forgiving in puffs, dry cockpit, and excellent in moderate-to-heavy air while remaining manageable in light winds. It's trailerable (especially the centerboard version), with active class support through the Rhodes 18 Class Association (including nationals—e.g., the 2026 event is scheduled at Biddeford Pool Yacht Club in Maine from August 6–8, with socials like BBQs and pig roasts).
Construction Details
| Designer | Philip L. Rhodes |
|---|---|
| Builder | Cape Cod Shipbuilding |
| Length | 18.000 ft |
| LOA | 18.000 ft |
| LWL | 17.000 ft |
| Beam | 6.250 ft |
| Displacement | 1050 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.580 ft |
| Year Built | 1948 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | 22.33 ft |
| e | 9.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 22.33 ft | 9.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Rhodes 18 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 22 ft - (6706 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Leech | * 23.31 ft - (7105 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 86.98 ° |
| Diagonal | 23.5 ft - (7163 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 107.57 ft² |
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Rhodes 18 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 16 ft - (4877 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 7.25 ft - (2210 mm) |
| Leech | 14.33 ft - (4368 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.49 ft - (1978 mm) |
| Area | * 51.94 ft² |
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Rhodes 18 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 17 ft - (5182 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 6.292 ft - (1918 mm) |
| Leech | 15.875 ft - (4839 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.88 ft - (1792 mm) |
| Area | * 49.94 ft² |
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Rhodes 18 - GENOA
| Luff | 15.5 ft - (4724 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 10.33 ft - (3149 mm) |
| Leech | 15.083 ft - (4597 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 9.58 ft - (2920 mm) |
| Area | * 74.28 ft² |
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Rhodes 18 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | 18.5 ft - (5639 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
| Foot | 14 ft - (4267 mm) |
| 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.