Review of Speed Feet 18

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The boat has more than one rig.

One option is a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

The Speed Feet 18 has been built with different keel alternatives.

DaggerBoard aka Sword

The Speed Feet 18 is equipped with a daggerboard keel. A daggerboard is a lifting keel that can be lowered and raised, allowing the boat to enter shallow waters as well.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.40 - 0.50 meter (1.31 - 1.61 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

DaggerBoard aka Sword

The Speed Feet 18 is equipped with a daggerboard keel. A daggerboard is a lifting keel that can be lowered and raised, allowing the boat to enter shallow waters as well.

Speed Feet 18 can sail close to the beach as the draft is just 0.06 - 0.16 meter (0.20 - 0.50 ft) dependent of the load. See immersion rate below.

DaggerBoard aka Sword

The Speed Feet 18 is equipped with a daggerboard keel. A daggerboard is a lifting keel that can be lowered and raised, allowing the boat to enter shallow waters as well.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.40 - 0.50 meter (1.31 - 1.61 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Speed Feet 18 is 3.28, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 5.4 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Speed Feet 18 is about 83 kg/cm, alternatively 467 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 83 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 467 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Speed Feet 18 is 5.5.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Speed Feet 18 is 2.21.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Speed Feet 18 is 100 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)
Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind:
- Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15
- Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20
- Racers have ratios above 20
- High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24
Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 40.69

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 15m² (161 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Speed Feet 18 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.