Seascape 18 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

What separates the Seascape 18 from the humble trailer-sailer lineage is its hull philosophy. The form is reminiscent of a 49er skiff, with large planing areas aft and a minimum-resistance bow, and the wide stern gives ample form stability so the boat carries a sporty sail plan without dragging. Instead of a daggerboard, it carries a high-aspect, long swing keel with 125 kg of ballast — about 26 percent of the boat's weight — that removes the need for trapeze athletics yet still swings up to a 15 cm draught for shallow work. Buoyancy is built in, and the boat is positively buoyant, self-draining, and self-righting, so it should remain afloat if flooded. The whole reefing bowsprit system sits on deck, preventing water intruding into the cabin, and the rudder blades lift vertically in their stocks to make launching and recovery a doddle.

Rig and Handling

The rig is uncomplicated but thoroughly modern. A 14 kg carbon-fibre mast with no spreaders is supported by nothing more than a forestay and single shrouds, and its light weight makes it easy to step. The square-top mainsail and carbon rig give the boat its sporty image, while Ronstan roller-bearing blocks keep the hardware simple and well-positioned. On the water, test sailors found her an easily driven craft in light wind, with perceptible acceleration in three-to-six-knot gusts where a typical trailer sailer would barely move. Under asymmetric spinnaker in 17–22 knots she hopped onto a plane and held a steady 11–12 knots downwind, peaking at 15, and the maximum recorded speed to date is 24.3 knots in around 30 knots of wind. Upwind she hovered around 5 knots while pointing well, and the twin rudders provided grip in abundance. With a boat this light, two people can easily control the trailer on a modest slipway, and the keel hitting bottom brings no sudden stop.

Accommodations

This is a boat you sleep on rather than cruise in. The fore cabin has a pair of full-length bunks suited to tall people, and the cabin can be closed off under sail with a neoprene cover instead of the fibreglass hatch. For camping-style overnights, the cockpit foot-chocks remove to make a wide flat sleeping area beneath a cockpit tent, and the setup is good enough for the occasional night pulled up on a beach. There are no other traces of luxury: the outboard, on its optional bracket, has to be lashed around the compression post in the cabin. For sailing, five can fit in the cockpit for a leisurely sail, while racing calls for a crew of three and two is ample for everyday handling.

Equipment

Sails supplied with the boat are a heavyish Pentex laminate, with pentex working sails and a standard 32 sq m gennaker; a furling headsail is fitted for cruising comfort. The bowsprit's forward fitting carries a hoop for the mouth of a fabric launching chute, and most hardware is from Ronstan. The cockpit comprises most of the boat, with few obstructions, the natural seating position on the coaming, and hiking straps fitted for crew purchase.

The Verdict

Writing in Practical Boat Owner, reviewers called her the light fantastic trailer-sailer, and the description fits: a European Yacht of the Year in 2010 that distils sports-boat behaviour into a 1,036 lb package you can launch by hand. She is not a cruiser, but as a racer-camper she is coherent and well resolved.

Pros