Design and Construction
The 18.5 is built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, carrying a raked stem and a reverse transom. Its fixed wing keel draws a very shallow two feet and pairs a bulb with winglets, a configuration Steve Henkel singled out as a unique feature of the design a very shallow (two-foot draft) keel with both a bulb and 'winglets.'. The ballast of 520 pounds in lead gives a ballast-to-displacement ratio of about 32.5 percent, which Henkel noted as the highest in its comparison group ballast being highest for the group. The hull is solid fiberglass below and the deck solid as well, consistent with the builder's general method of solid glass under the waterline.
Rig and Handling
The boat carries a Bermuda fractional sloop rig with a fully battened mainsail and a fractional sailplan, the 176 square feet of canvas driving a 1,600-pound hull to a theoretical hull speed of roughly 5.3 knots. The PHRF average handicap of 288 places her among modest club-racing entries. Henkel found the full-length battens made it difficult to read mainsail trim difficult to 'read' the trim of the mainsail, a quirk of the roach that trades visual feedback for easier handling. On the wind, he judged the shallow keel and small lateral area inadequate for even so-so upwind work, with or without the winglets too shallow, and has too small a lateral area, to expect even so-so upwind sailing performance. The transom-hung kick-up rudder, deeper than the keel, leaves the steering blade exposed in shoal encounters if the flip gear is not armed.
Accommodations
Below, the 18.5 provides berths for three: a bow double in the V-berth and a port-side straight settee in the main cabin. Henkel praised the four-foot headroom as exceptional for a boat this size headroom of four feet is exceptional for a boat of this size. Factory optional equipment ran to a portable head, a galley alcohol stove, a water pump tap, a cooler, and an anchor, outlining a minimal cruising outfit rather than a furnished interior.
Known Issues
The principal vulnerability is the flip-up rudder. Because it hangs deeper than the fixed wing keel, it is unprotected and can be damaged or lost in a sudden shoal-water event if the kick-up action is not prepared subject to damage or loss if a sudden shoal water situation is encountered.
The Verdict
The Hunter 18.5 is a pragmatic pocket cruiser: light enough to trailer, shallow enough for backyard lakes, and blessed with more headroom and ballast than her length suggests. She is not a windward racer, and her rudder demands respect in thin water, but as a first trailerable keelboat she remains a sensible, well-trimmed package.
Pros
- Four-foot headroom exceptional for the size
- Highest ballast ratio in its comparison group
- Shallow wing keel with bulb and winglets eases launching
- Sleeps three with practical V-berth and settee
Cons
- Upwind performance limited by shallow, low-lateral-area keel
- Full-batten main hard to trim by sight
- Kick-up rudder deeper than keel, exposed to shoal damage
