Rhodes 18

The Rhodes 18 is an American trailerable day sailer or sailing dinghy that was designed by Philip Rhodes in 1938 and first built in 1948. It is Rhodes' design #448.

Production
The design has been built by Cape Cod Shipbuilding in the United States since 1948 and remains in production.

Design
The boat was designed as a junior trainer for the Stamford Yacht Club in Connecticut.

The Rhodes 18 is a recreational sailboat, initially built from wood, since 1965 it has been constructed from fiberglass, with wood trim. The hull has decks all around the cockpit. It has a fractional sloop rig, a plumb stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable centerboard or an optional fixed fin keel. The centerboard version displaces 800 lb, while the keelboat model displaces 920 lb. With no centerboard truck, the keel-equipped version provides more unobstructed cockpit space.

The boat will hold five adults, but is normally sailed with a crew of two.

The keel-equipped version of the boat has a draft of 2.67 ft, while the centerboard-equipped version has a draft of 4.00 ft with the centerboard extended and 7 in with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.

For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with a symmetrical spinnaker of 197 sqft. The design has a hull speed of 5.52 kn.

As sold new, the boat does not come with sails, which are extra-cost options. Other options include a roller furling jib, boom vang, cockpit cover and a boat trailer for the centerboard version.