Hurley 18 Buyer's Guide
The Hurley 18 is a British-designed pocket cruiser from the early 1960s, the work of Ian L. Anderson for Hurley Marine Ltd., and a boat that continued to be moulded by successive owners of the tooling well beyond the original yard's 1972 closure. For a shopper on the used market she represents a small, heavy coastal cruiser with a mahogany interior and an iron fin keel — but the short length and below-average headroom mean she suits single-handed or couple coastal use rather than family liveaboard plans.
What to Inspect
Production of the Hurley 18 ran through several mould owners after Hurley Marine closed, with the original 377 built by the Plymouth yard and the moulds later held by Russell Curnow of Penzance, then Varne Yachts of Nottingham, then Weston Boats until 1986. Because more than 900 were built altogether across these shops, a buyer should confirm which builder produced a specific hull and judge the mould condition accordingly, since tooling wear and backyard finishing varied once the design left the original yard. The iron fin keel is a known corrosion point: inspect the keel surface for rust staining or pitting where it meets the solid fibreglass hull, and check that the ballast-to-hull joint remains sound rather than allowing water track into the laminate. The mahogany interior should be examined for rot or delamination in the sole and joinery, as period-finished wood in a small boat sees constant condensation. With headroom already below average from new, any added sag or liner deflection will make the cabin feel smaller than the realistic three-berth layout intends.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for these boats is the United Kingdom. For a viewing, run through this short list:
- Confirm the builder from the hull's mould lineage and inspect for tooling-wear defects.
- Check the iron fin keel for rust and a sound hull joint.
- Probe the mahogany interior for rot or delamination.
- Verify the three-berth layout and headroom match the period specification.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Hurley 18. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26 | 1 | $1,692 | — |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $615 | -63.7% |
Where they're listed
Hurley 18 listings appear across 2 countries. Switzerland has the most listings with 1 (50.0%), followed by United Kingdom.
Country view
2 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | $615 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
| United Kingdom | $1,692 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |