This compact monohull was intended to be launched, sailed, and retrieved by a small crew. It measures just over 18 feet in waterline-derived length, with a beam of nearly seven feet, and combines a wing keel with a tiller-steered, transom-hung kick-up rudder.
Design and Construction
The Hunter 18.5 is built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim. It has a raked stem, a reverse transom, and a solid fiberglass hull and deck.
The fixed wing keel draws a very shallow two feet and combines a bulb with “winglets”, a configuration Steve Henkel singled out as a unique feature of the design. Its 520 pounds of lead ballast gives the 1,600-pound boat a ballast-to-displacement ratio of about 32.5 percent. Henkel noted that its ballast was the highest in its comparison group.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The boat carries a Bermuda fractional sloop rig, with a fully battened mainsail and 176 square feet of sail area. Its theoretical hull speed is roughly 5.3 knots, while its average PHRF handicap of 288 places it among modest club-racing entries.
Henkel found the full-length battens made it difficult to “read” the trim of the mainsail. This quirk of the roach trades visual feedback for easier handling and reflects the mainsail's full-length battens.
Upwind performance is a weakness. Henkel judged the shallow keel and its small lateral area inadequate for even so-so windward work, with or without the winglets. The transom-hung kick-up rudder extends deeper than the keel, leaving the steering blade exposed in shoal water if the flip-up mechanism isn't prepared.
Accommodations and Equipment
Below, the Hunter 18.5 sleeps three. There is a double V-berth in the bow and a straight settee to port in the main cabin. Henkel considered its four feet of headroom exceptional for a boat of this size.
Factory options included a portable head, a galley alcohol stove, a water-pump tap, a cooler, and an anchor. Together, they amount to a minimal cruising outfit rather than a fully furnished interior.
Known Issues
The principal vulnerability is the flip-up rudder. Because it extends deeper than the fixed wing keel, it is unprotected and subject to damage or loss if the boat suddenly encounters shoal water when the kick-up action hasn't been prepared.
The Verdict
The Hunter 18.5 is a pragmatic pocket cruiser: light enough to trailer, shallow enough for backyard lakes, and endowed with more headroom and ballast than its length might suggest. It isn't a windward racer, and its rudder demands respect in thin water. As a first trailerable keelboat, however, it remains a sensible, well-trimmed package.
Pros
- Four feet of headroom, exceptional for the boat's size
- Highest ballast ratio in its comparison group
- Shallow wing keel with bulb and winglets, easing launching
- Berths for three in a practical V-berth-and-settee layout
Cons
- Upwind performance limited by the shallow keel and its small lateral area
- Fully battened mainsail is difficult to trim by sight
- Kick-up rudder extends below the keel and is exposed to shoal-water damage
