precision 18 sailboat review

Specifications

LOA --17' 5"
LWL -- 15' 5"
BEAM -- 7' 5"
DRAFT, Board up -- 1' 6"
DRAFT, Board down -- 4' 3"
Displacement -- 1100 lbs.
Ballast -- 350 lbs
Sail area -- 145 sq. ft.
Mast height above DWL -- 27'
Designer: - Jim Taylor

People go sailing because it is fun, pure and simple. The problem for today's sailors is that a combination of high interest rates and increasingly scarce mooring and marina space have in many instances made boat ownership a lot less simple, and its fun a lot less pure!

This office shares with Precision Boat Works the firm belief that sailing should still be pure fun, and that the real key to the fun is in keeping it simple! Nowhere is it written that in order to enjoy a day on the water a sailor needs a boat that costs as much to buy as a house, even more to maintain, and that requires half a football team to sail properly; on the contrary, as the explosive growth in board sailing has shown, the purest sailing fun can often best be delivered in very small, simple packages! It is just this 'small and simple' concept that lies at the heart of the Precision 18 design requirements; a boat small enough to be easily trailered behind today's small cars, simple enough to be inexpensive, but big enough to sleep aboard (out of the weather) and stable enough to take along the family. And finally, a boat with the lively performance and good sea manners required to make sailing her fun!

In attempting to fulfill similar requirements, too many builders have simply taken a successful racing design and installed a 'cruising' interior. Unfortunately, while the long fine bow and broad flat transom of this type hull form can be devastatingly fast when in the hands of a hot racing crew, it can also be dangerously unstable for a family boat, and is therefore completely unsuited to cruising applications. This office has recently developed four different trailerable cruising designs, with over 500 built in just the past three years. Each was drawn for a different builder and market target, but all share distinctly full sections above the waterline forward and only moderately full sections aft. The Precision 18 is our latest design to be developed from this basic hullform which our experience has proven to provide a reassuring margin of reserve buoyancy forward, improved ultimate stability and especially forgiving handling characteristics, all essential elements of any good cruising design.

The long shallow keel, kick-up rudder, and non-corroding fiberglass centerboard of the Precision 18 are all high-lift NACA 'wing sections.' The keel allows the board to be housed completely below the cabin sole and gets the ballast down low for stability. The board itself weighs only 65 pounds so that it does not form a major portion of the total ballast, stability is not dangerously reduced when it is retracted, and it can be raised easily by a child with no need for a winch.

The simple fractional rig can be raised right on the trailer in minutes. The jib is of very high aspect ratio for maximum efficiency, but small enough to be readily trimmed by a young crew. The mainsail can be quickly 'depowered' in puffy conditions, and it is large enough to provide good performance without the jib when desired -- a big advantage when in a crowded anchorage or when shorthanded. The cockpit is full 6' 4" long with coamings high enough to keep the crew securely inside. Both seats and coamings are precisely angled for maximum comfort, reflecting our years of careful ergonomic design development. There is a generous anchor locker forward, a fuel tank storage bin to port, and a full cockpit locker to starboard.

The Precision 18 is designed to be a lively, well-mannered sailboat rather than a floating vacation home, but the features described are noteworthy nonetheless. There is ample sitting headroom for 4 and a filler cushion that drops to form a 6'6" v=berth that is NOT broken up by the usual awkward mast support post. There are 6' quarter berths port and starboard, not to mention a 48 quart cooler, provision for a portable head, and 12-volt battery. A forward hatch provides ventilation and an emergency exit, and the large companionway and 4 opening cabin windows contribute to the feeling of light and open space.

Carefully controlling construction weight is critical to both performance and to price, but it cannot be done at the expense of safety or structural integrity. Thus the hull liner of the Precision 18 is engineered as a structural grid, and tooled to mate precisely with the hand-laminated hull skin. The mast support beam and chain plate loads are carried by structural bulkheads and there are rugged hull stringers to distribute the stresses imposed by trailering. The external hull/deck joint is bonded both chemically and mechanically, and the flange is protected with a vinyl rub rail.

The Precision 18 has been kept small in size and price, but remains big in both features and performance. She promises to deliver the fun, pure and simple!

Jim Taylor

Standard Equipment

Hand laid fiberglass hull and deck
Shoal draft keep w/fiberglass center board
Structural molded fiberglass liner
Lead ballasted, self-righting design
Kick-up fiberglass and aluminum rudder
Laminated mahogany and ash tiller
Molded in non-skid deck surface
6'4" self bailing cockpit
Fuel tank locker
Cockpit seat locker
Sliding companionway hatch
Molded in toerail
4-6" mooring cleats
Shear stripe
Waterline stripe
Stainless steel bow rail, stern rail, stanchions
and boarding ladder
Stainless steel, kick up motor mount
Stainless steel bow eye
Teak wood trim
4-opening cabin windows
Aluminum opening forward hatch
Hinged mast step
Anodized mast and boom
Stainless steel standing rigging
Split back stay
Cockpit lead halyards
Open body turnbuckles w/toggles
Dacron running rigging
"Harken" ball bearing blocks
Berths for 4 adults
Deluxe 3" fabric cushions
Backrest cushions
Upholstered cabin headliner
Molded storage lockers
Cabin storage shelves
48 quart ice chest w/teak step
Electrical system W/ navigation and cabin lights
Battery box
Space for Porta Potti
Dacron main and jib sails
Limited 5 year warranty

[PDF 4.9MB 106 pages]

Notice: All pricing subject to change without notice, FOB Palmetto, Florida. Prices do not include transportation to the dealer, state & local taxes, dealer preparation (commissioning) bottom paint, ground tackle or safety gear. Please consult with your authorized Precision dealer to select and budget for these additional items.

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1980's Precision 18 total cost to own

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I am looking to buy a Precison 18 under $5000 with a trailer. My question is how much should I expect to spend on it anually with all things considered maintenenace, repairs, replacements, insurance, towing costs and everthing else i missed? It will be on a trailer and kept in my yard and i would do everthing i can myself. Thanks everyone for your help! Steve

$250-300 000. This is a worst case budget, assuming you plan to tow your boat coast to coast weekly behind a new Lamborghini. Realistically we need more info. How far do you plan to tow it? how often? What kind of tow vehicle? What kind of shape is the running rigging, standing rigging, and sails in? What kind of shape is the trailer in?

Funny answer... but almost as accurate as the one I was going to suggest, which is "however much you have"... boats seem to find a way.

Definitely one of those "How long is a piece of string?" type questions. Jeff

I think on an 18 footer the whole however much you have probably doesnt apply. If its in decent shape it should just cost you whatever your gas money and issurance cost will be. And the insurance shouldnt be much. If the motor is a lemon that could be another issue.

I did not wish to start a new thread, so hoping someone with experience with the Precision 18 can help out. Can someone tell me how much storage there is on this boat? Is there cockpit bench storage or is it all used up by the quarter berth? How about storage in the cabin? I suppose the quarter berths could be used as storage, as I really can't see anyone sleeping 4 in this boat, even though it is "designed" to do so...

These guys would know. Precision Sailboats Forum - Message Index

Thanks, was going to but had trouble registering. Figured it out now. Cheers!

Make sure to read "Tom Scott's" handbook on said boat. Far be it to recommend another board, but Tom Scott frequents THIS board and another trailerable sailboat board. He doesn't own just 1 boat either! Wealth of knowlege on both these boards. The P18 was a definite consideration for me before I bought my capri 22. If I hadn't already had a big tow vehicle the P18 would have been the boat for me, mostly after Reading Tom's writeup on that aforementioned precisionowners board.

Have an 18 and like it a lot

Cost? Well, my wife and I ventured into daysailing a few years ago with a 1990 Catalina Capri 22. The costs are hard to predict, as others have intimated. There are costs directly and not directly related to the sailboat. For example, here in CO we have to yearly renew our trailer tags, $42. And we have to yearly renew an annual registration with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to have the boat in the water @$65. And we have to purchase a parks pass (X2) for vehicles to enter the state park where we sail @$140. We rent a slip, (I know that is not in your plans now), so that's $285/month. We bought two trailer tires which were about $300, I think. We changed out the boat motor, @$1400. New lower shrouds, forestay and backstay, I think around $300 from Catalina. A new coat of Pettit SR-21 for the bottom was ~$75, and we do that yearly.It's $30 a month to store our trailer at the marina. We haven't rotated out the sails yet, but that is coming, and that will be nearly $2000, ballpark. And 99% of labor is our sweat. Of course there will be sheets, docklines, bumpers, etc., as well. Oh, bought a new bumper hitch and four-prong adapter for the PU. So those are the incidentals that we've run across in three years. Hope this helps! Ray