West Wight Potter 19 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a West Wight Potter 19 means looking at a pocket cruiser with a long lineage: Herb Stewart's HMS 18 became the Potter 19 when later owner Joe Edwards measured in the outboard bracket, and International Marine has built the boats since the early 1990s. More than 1,600 have been launched across a 35-year run, so examples are out there, though what you find varies by era and owner taste.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every Potter 19 shares the same essential footprint: 18 feet 6 inches overall, a 16-foot 6-inch waterline, and a lifting keel that draws 8 inches up or 3 feet 7 inches down with its 300-pound blade anchor. The centerboard is a simple, dependable design with no moving parts, and closed-cell foam fore and aft makes the hull unsinkable. Below, the cabin gives five feet of headroom with a butane-stove galley between berths and lockers tucked under berths, sink, stove, and seat backs anchor. On deck, the cabintrunk carries handrails on both levels, and newer boats added a chain locker and a much improved nonskid pattern anchor.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
A bimini is commonly fitted for sun shelter, and a chartplotter is often seen at the helm for navigation. A short-handed setup shows up as an owner upgrade rather than standard gear. For buyer consequence, the headsail matters most: most used boats carry overlapping genoas instead of a working jib, many have CDI flexible furling on the headstay, and new boats standardize a 110 percent overlap — most owners suggest carrying as big a headsail as you can afford. Propulsion is typically a five- or six-horsepower long-shaft outboard on an adjustable bracket that lifts clear when sailing, with new boats specified on five-horsepower Tohatsu units anchor.
What to Inspect
The main documented concern is the centerboard trunk: some owners of older, mid-1980s boats have reported slight structural problems there, so check the trunk sides and surrounding glass for cracking or distortion anchor. Otherwise, confirm the keel lifts and trims smoothly and that the kick-up rudder pivots freely, since those are the boat's defining beachable features. Verify the mast-raising system works solo and that all lines led aft run clear.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats typically appear on the market in the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand. For a shopper, the checklist is short: confirm the build era and centerboard-trunk condition, look for a newer deck with balsa core and improved nonskid if you value grip, ensure the outboard bracket and furling gear suit your sailing, and pick the largest overlapping headsail you can. A Potter 19 in sound structural shape is a straightforward, trailerable pocket cruiser that one person can launch and sail.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the West Wight Potter 19. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 9 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $4,900 | — |
| Jun 25 | 3 | $6,000 | +22.4% |
| Aug 25 | 1 | $7,700 | +28.3% |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $11,000 | +42.9% |
| Feb 26 | 2 | $9,586 | -12.9% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $7,900 | -17.6% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $800 | -89.9% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $2,966 | +270.8% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $6,794 | +129.1% |
Where they're listed
West Wight Potter 19 listings appear across 3 countries. United States has the most listings with 4 (57.1%), followed by United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Country view
7 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $8,950 | 4 | 1 | 57.1% |
| United Kingdom | $7,983 | 2 | 1 | 28.6% |
| New Zealand | $2,966 | 1 | 1 | 14.3% |