Some 700 boats have been launched in centerboard and keel configurations. Racing fleets continue to gather at Barnstable Yacht Club, Dennis Yacht Club, and Biddeford Pool Yacht Club, and roughly 25 boats contest the Rhodes 18 Nationals. The boat invites comparison with the Sparkman & Stephens Lightning Class, but it has a distinct personality on the water.
Design and Construction
The hull has a soft chine and graceful longitudinal rocker, which contribute directly to the boat’s maneuverability and turning characteristics. A 5-inch skeg runs forward three feet from the bottom of the transom, helping the boat track. At the other end, the bow has a soup-spoon-shaped curve that complements the overall hull form.
The transom is the only flat surface on the entire hull; from stem to stern, the boat is as fair as a beach stone. An outboard rudder hangs from a standard pintle-and-gudgeon arrangement on the slightly reverse-raked transom.
The original specification called for either a 5/8-inch galvanized steel centerboard or an iron ballast keel. It also specified a white oak or longleaf pine timber keel and continuous white oak frames, 7/8 by 7/8 inches on 8-inch centers, beneath 5/8-inch cedar carvel planking. Rhodes specified varnished mahogany trim, canvas-covered plywood decks, Sitka-spruce spars, stainless-steel rigging, and bronze fittings.
The fiberglass fleet adapted quickly in the postwar era. Wooden examples are now rare: only a handful survive, and two are known to be still sailing.
Rig and Handling
The Rhodes 18 is a fractional-rigged sloop. It races with any combination of mainsail, jib, genoa, and spinnaker. The class races fiberglass keel and centerboard versions together, adding weight to centerboard boats to meet minimums.
On the water, the Rhodes 18 is dynamic, lively, quick to accelerate, maneuverable, and sails magnificently. For a centerboarder, it’s forgiving and relatively stiff, with reassuring initial stability as the crew moves about. Under full sail in a moderate breeze, it remains well balanced and easy to rein in.
The key is to sail the boat flat. The adjustable centerboard can be raised or lowered to shift the center of resistance and correct any tendency to head up or fall off. Raised entirely downwind, it reduces drag for more speed. Under mainsail alone, the boat shows no noticeable weather helm.
Writing in Small Boats, one owner called the Rhodes 18 “a perfect little lady with no bad habits”.
Cockpit, Deck, and Everyday Use
The Rhodes 18 can serve as a daysailer for up to five or as a one-design racer sailed by a crew of three. Its spacious, practical cockpit has longitudinal benches to port and starboard, each seating three. The coaming lies flush with the deck, making it easier for the crew to hike out.
The cockpit is set back about 10 inches from each side. This allows significant deck-edge immersion, which helps stave off swamping. The foredeck runs from the stem to just aft of the mast, providing a stable platform for mooring or anchoring. The afterdeck is equally ample for boom-tent or tender duties, and there is storage beneath both decks.
The boat trails easily and can be left on a mooring under a boom tent.
Known Flotation Issue
The fiberglass centerboard version has a documented flotation shortcoming. The manufacturer didn’t redesign its buoyancy from the keel boat, leaving the centerboard model stable upside down after a capsize and prone to bow dive while being righted.
To address this, the class rule requires two cubic feet of positive flotation, placed as far forward beneath the bow as possible. Every boat must meet that requirement.
Plans, Class, and Ownership
The original construction plans comprise 21 separate sheets. They are available from Mystic Seaport, which holds the design as Catalog No. 80.132 under Rhodes’s design No. 448.
Wooden boats are scarce, but the fiberglass fleet has the support of an active class structure and a family-oriented culture. Peter Eastman, a six-time Nationals winner, calls it a family kind of class.
The Verdict
The Rhodes 18 is a small boat with a long class history and a thoroughly considered hull. It rewards an attentive helm with lively, balanced performance, while tolerating less-than-perfect crew work better than many centerboarders of its size.
The flotation caveat for fiberglass centerboard boats is real, but class rules address it. The surviving fleet and active racing prove the design’s durability.
Pros
- Lively, quick, and maneuverable, with excellent turning from its soft chine and rocker
- Forgiving and relatively stiff for a centerboarder, with reassuring initial stability
- Active one-design racing and class support for both keel and centerboard boats
- Practical cockpit and deck layout suited to daysailing and trailing
Cons
- The fiberglass centerboard version has inherent flotation behavior needing class-specified buoyancy
- Wooden originals are rare and largely beyond the reach of ordinary ownership
