Swift 18
Encyclopedia
The Swift 18 is an 18-foot trailer sailer yacht which was designed by Colin Sylvester and was in production in the UK between 1982 and 1990. Some 200–300 hundred boats were made, most of which remain in the UK. The Swift 18 has four full-length berths, a sink, a cooker and room for a porta loo. With sitting headroom it is a comfortable weekend cruiser for a small family.
I = 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m)
J = 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m)
P = 23 ft 9 in (7.25 m)
E = 7 ft 1 in (2.12 m)
However it is not an all out racing boat and is rather a comfortable trailer sailor, capable of coastal cruising for small families. The boat is virtually unsinkable with foam buoyancy built in. It was met with enthusiastic reviews from the press and went on to sell some 200-300 boats.
The original manufacturer, JCA, built about 220 boats from 1982 to 1985. The company changed name to Swiftcraft and relocated to Shamrock Quay in Southampton during this period.
In 1985 the business was sold and ended up in the hands of Honnor Marine at Totnes Devon. They built a modified boat, marketed as the 300 series. These featured a number of modifications from the original boats, reputedly for cost reduction reasons. Notably these changes include different toerails and non-tapered masts. Honnor Marine built about 35 to 40 boats.
Then around 1988 Marlin International bought the rights, moulds and materials from Honnor Marine. Some of the cost reductions that Honnor Marine had made were reversed and the new boats were marketed as the 400 series, with manufacturing returning to Southampton. Only about 10 of the 400 series boats were built before production ceased in around 1990.
The "new" Swift 18 will be similar in layout to those previously built by Swiftcraft and Honnor Marine but the boat will be built with cruising in mind rather than its original target audience of Micro Cup racers.
Where possible all materials and components will be sourced from UK manufacturers.
Specifications
| LOA Length | 18 ft 0 in (5.49 m) | |
|---|---|---|
| Length waterline LWL LWL is a three-letter acronym which can mean:* Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe* Life-wide Learning* Waterline length* Left Wing Liberal* Life with Louie* Launceston Workplace Learning* laughing with lust* Little White Lies * Lead With Love... | 16 ft 4 in (5 m) | |
| Beam Beam (nautical) The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position... Width | 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) | |
| Draft Draft (hull) The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained... Keel down | 3 ft 6 in (1.7 m) | |
| Draft Draft (hull) The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained... Keel up | 0 ft 9 in (0.22 m) | |
| Displacement Displacement (fluid) In fluid mechanics, displacement occurs when an object is immersed in a fluid, pushing it out of the way and taking its place. The volume of the fluid displaced can then be measured, as in the illustration, and from this the volume of the immersed object can be deduced .An object that sinks... | 1520 lb (690 kg) | |
| Ballast Sailing ballast Ballast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of... | 375 lb (170 kg) | |
| Rigging Rigging Rigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage.-Terms and classifications:... | Fractional sloop Sloop A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter.... | |
| Sail Sail A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:... s | Main Mainsail A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel.On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast.... | 94 ft² (8.7 m²) |
| Working Jib | 60 ft² (5.6 m²) | |
| Genoa Genoa (sail) The genoa or jenny was originally referred to as the 'overlapping jib' or the Genoa jib, being named after the city of Genoa as explained below. It is a type of large jib or staysail used on bermuda rigged craft that overlaps the main sail, sometimes eliminating it. It is used on single-masted... | 105 ft² (9.8 m²) | |
| Storm Jib | 25 ft² (2.3 m²) | |
| Total sail area | 199 ft² (18.5 m²) | |
| Spinnaker Spinnaker A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180° off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is deployed, called flying. It is constructed of... | 199 ft² (18.5 m²) |
I = 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m)
J = 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m)
P = 23 ft 9 in (7.25 m)
E = 7 ft 1 in (2.12 m)
History
The Swift 18 was unveiled at the 1981 Southampton Boat show. It was originally intended to be made from aluminium but went into production in GRP. The boat was designed to comply with the French micro cupper rules with a maximum sail area of 199 ft2.However it is not an all out racing boat and is rather a comfortable trailer sailor, capable of coastal cruising for small families. The boat is virtually unsinkable with foam buoyancy built in. It was met with enthusiastic reviews from the press and went on to sell some 200-300 boats.
The original manufacturer, JCA, built about 220 boats from 1982 to 1985. The company changed name to Swiftcraft and relocated to Shamrock Quay in Southampton during this period.
In 1985 the business was sold and ended up in the hands of Honnor Marine at Totnes Devon. They built a modified boat, marketed as the 300 series. These featured a number of modifications from the original boats, reputedly for cost reduction reasons. Notably these changes include different toerails and non-tapered masts. Honnor Marine built about 35 to 40 boats.
Then around 1988 Marlin International bought the rights, moulds and materials from Honnor Marine. Some of the cost reductions that Honnor Marine had made were reversed and the new boats were marketed as the 400 series, with manufacturing returning to Southampton. Only about 10 of the 400 series boats were built before production ceased in around 1990.
Future production
The moulds for the Swift 18 have recently been acquired by Boats4fun, a family run Boatbuilders in East Sussex, the moulds are currently being re-furbished ready for building the first boat for RCD certification.The "new" Swift 18 will be similar in layout to those previously built by Swiftcraft and Honnor Marine but the boat will be built with cruising in mind rather than its original target audience of Micro Cup racers.
Where possible all materials and components will be sourced from UK manufacturers.