Design and Construction
The Sailart 18 follows contemporary fast-boat styling with pronounced chines and a negatively inclined wave-piercer bow that gives the small cruiser an aggressive, modern profile anchor. The upward-sloping chine from that bow reads as almost striking at first glance anchor. Structurally the hull and deck are a GRP sandwich using polyester resin with a Divinycell foam core. Buoyancy is built in rather than added: the volume under the forward cockpit section up to the small cabin is filled with epoxy foam, as is the bow section under the berth cushions, so the boat remains on the surface even if it fills with water during a botched gennaker set anchor. Two buoyancy chambers arrange the flooded hull to lie horizontally, allowing it to be bailed out. The rudder is a single blade in a cassette that can be caught up and pulled upward in one motion, and the open stern carries stainless plates for a swim ladder or motor bracket.
Rig and Handling
The fractional sloop carries 20 m² upwind — 14 in the main, 6 in the furling jib stowed below deck in the anchor locker. Strongly aft-sweeping spreaders guide the upper shrouds so no backstay is needed, while a lower shroud each side and the forestay complete the standing rigging; the main is flared at the head to clear that area. The builder fitted the deck hardware for single-handed operation, with downhaul, cunningham and outhaul clustered around the companionway alongside the fore sheets anchor. A 3D centreboard on the superstructure tightens sheet angles. Offwind, a 25 m² gennaker or 20 m² Code Zero flies from a fixed nose, handled by top-down furler or retrieval sock, with no retractable pole. In YACHT's test in 12 to 15 knot wind with gusts over 20, three crew on the rail were needed to keep her controllable under gennaker, yet the 130 kg of ballast gave enough security to fly it without hesitation anchor. She logged just over 5 knots upwind, 7 and more under gennaker, briefly glided on main and jib in a gust, and showed just under 9 knots over ground.
Accommodations
For a 18-foot hull the cockpit is surprisingly roomy, with outhaul straps letting crew shift weight well to windward, and a very large stern locker reached through two watertight hatches in the cockpit floor. Below, a comfortable cabin sleeps two on a berth measuring 200 centimetres by 161 at shoulder level, leaving 79 centimetres of clearance above the mattress, and 126 cm under the forward hatch. Opening superstructure windows vent the space, and a piping rail along both deck-hull joints takes stowage bags positioned as wanted.
Equipment and Power
The optional drive is a 3 HP electric motor weighing 9 kg, autonomously charged by solar panels integrated in the boat anchor. A carbon-fibre boom is offered without unnecessary fittings, and the gennaker stows quickly into its optional recovery trumpet.
The Verdict
The Sailart 18 is a light, genuinely unsinkable daysailer whose low weight and large sail area deliver real speed without demanding a racing programme. Its foam-filled construction and wing keel make it a practical trailer boat for inland and coastal waters, while the cockpit and cabin use the 5.30 m length with unusual efficiency.
Pros
- Unsinkable foam-filled hull lies horizontal when flooded
- Trailerable at 480 kg with 0.20 m minimum draft
- Single-handed deck layout with secure cockpit ballast handling
- Strong offwind performance (7+ knots under gennaker)
Cons
- Needs three crew on the rail to control gennaker in strong gusts
- Builder positions it as leisure craft, not a true racer
