BoatsStarwind 18

Starwind 18

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1982

A lightweight centerboard dinghy built by the Starwind division of Wellcraft, sharing the hull design of the Buccaneer 18

Designed by Rod Macalpine-Downie & Dick Gibbs, built by Wellcraft Marine Corp.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 1.83 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 227 kg of hull, so roughly 850 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 227 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draft shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draftDraws 0.18 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 4 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 4
CoastalBluewater

At 3.03 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.03
LightHeavy

48 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 48

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Heavier than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 269 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
Displacement / length
48.2
Comfort ratio
4.2
Capsize screening
3.03
Hull speed
5.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
357
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1982
Designer
Rod Macalpine-Downie, Dick Gibbs
Builder
Wellcraft Marine Corp, Starwind

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterAn Ian Proctor-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fiberglass
LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes
Ilca 7 (Laser-International)4.23 mSame hull family1.3 m shorterA Bruce Kirby-designed Olympic class dinghy featuring a simple unstayed cat rig and a lightweight, high-performance hull
Alcort Sunfish4.24 mSame hull family1.3 m shorterWith a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 47.02, this nimble 4.24-meter dinghy remains a benchmark for simple

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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