Design and Lineage
Proctor designed the Nimrod as the firm’s new model for 1968, and Westerly produced 186 of them between that year and 1971 before production ceased anchor. The moulds then left the builder: Nimrod Marine in Shropshire took them and completed another 54 boats, while it is understood JL Gmach also held the moulds, and in the late 1980s Anglo Marine bought them and built about another half dozen. Those later boats from the same plugs are not Westerlys, even when the hull shape is identical anchor. At 17 feet 9 inches overall with a 15 foot 6 inch waterline, a 6 foot 6 inch beam, and a trailable 1,050 pound displacement, the design sits firmly in the pocket-cruiser class rather than as a scaled-down coastal yacht.
Construction and Keel
Most Nimrods carried a 120 kg ‘L’ shaped centre plate that retracted completely into the hull for easy launching and shallow draft anchor. The wing-keel type listed in the build data, paired with 260 pounds of iron ballast, gives a solid low-end grip. Solid fiberglass hull and deck were the standard, and the 431 kg weight recorded in period spec sheets matches the builder’s displacement figure closely enough to confirm a lightly built but conventionally molded small cruiser.
Rig and Handling
The Nimrod is a fractional sloop carrying 140 square feet of sail area, and with the genoa deployed the period review cites a generous 16.7 square meters of canvas. Rolled side decks and toe straps for sitting out mark her as a boat meant to be sailed actively, heels encouraged, crew on the rail rather than below anchor. The published assessment is blunt: the Nimrod yacht is a very fast boat, and the manufacturer’s own note agrees she was quick despite the cruising pretensions. A hull speed near 5.3 knots from that waterline is respectable for the length, and the 21.68 sail-area-to-displacement ratio explains the lively turn of speed.
Accommodations
Below, the Nimrod offered two reasonable berths, and a cockpit tent could add two deck berths for children. The period review is candid that her cabin falls short of what the marque normally provided anchor, and the same source suggests the low numbers sold may be explained by that lack of interior space. For a boat aimed at dinghy converts, the compromise was deliberate: cabin volume yielded to performance and trailability.
Known Issues
The only documented shortfall is the accommodation itself, which period reviewers tied directly to weak sales. No structural, rigging, or systems defects appear in the published surveys, and the retracting centre plate and solid molding are described without caveat.
The Verdict
The Nimrod 18 is a focused machine: a Proctor-designed trailer-sailer that trades cabin comfort for speed and launch simplicity. She rewards the sailor who wants dinghy-like fun with two nights aboard, not the cruiser who expects a miniature Westerly cabin. The 186 Westerly hulls plus later same-mould boats make her uncommon but not rare, and the shallow-draft retracting plate remains her defining practical virtue.
Pros
- Very fast for her length, with a generous genoa rig and sitting-out decks
- Retracting centre plate enables easy trailer launching and shallow-water access
- Light, trailable, and simple solid-fiberglass construction
Cons
- Minimal accommodation by Westerly standards, limiting cruising appeal
- Short production run as a true Westerly may limit marque support
- Later same-mould boats are not Westerlys and can confuse ownership history
