Gulf Coast 18
Description
The Gulf Coast 18, designed by naval architect Martin Bludworth and produced by Gulf Coast Sailboats in Texas from 1970 to 1978 with approximately 100–200 hulls completed before the company's closure, is a compact fiberglass daysailer and modest cruiser tailored for shallow Gulf Coast waters, blending responsive performance with trailerable ease for solo or family adventures on bays and lakes. Measuring 18 feet LOA with a 6-foot-2-inch beam, 900-pound displacement, and 320 pounds of internal ballast yielding a low .36 ballast/displacement ratio for tender but lively handling, it features a swing keel drawing 9 inches up or 3 feet 6 inches down for beaching access and a fractional sloop rig with around 175 square feet of sail area—delivering a SA/D ratio of 20.1 for spirited planning up to 5.8 knots in 10–15 knot breezes (PHRF around 240), though its D/L ratio of 140 classifies it as a lightweight racer-daysailer rather than a stable offshore vessel.
Construction Details
| Designer | Martin Bludworth |
|---|---|
| Builder | Gulf Coast Sailboats |
| Length | 18.000 ft |
| LOA | 18.000 ft |
| LWL | 15.200 ft |
| Beam | 6.170 ft |
| Displacement | 900 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.830 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.750 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 18 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 6.50 ft |
| p | 20.67 ft |
| e | 8.83 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 ft | 6.50 ft | 20.67 ft | 8.83 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 20.67 ft - (6300 mm) |
| Foot | * 8.83 ft - (2691 mm) |
| Leech | * 22 ft - (6706 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 22.19 ft - (6764 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 94.23 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 16.75 ft - (5105 mm) |
| Foot | 7.5 ft - (2286 mm) |
| Leech | 14.75 ft - (4496 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 101.54 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.6 ft - (2012 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 8.48 ° |
| Area | * 55.29 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 17 ft - (5182 mm) |
| Foot | 8.5 ft - (2591 mm) |
| Leech | 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115.38 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 7.5 ft - (2286 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 8.27 ° |
| Area | * 63.72 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 18 ft - (5486 mm) |
| Foot | 10.5 ft - (3200 mm) |
| Leech | 16.79 ft - (5118 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 147.85 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 9.61 ft - (2929 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.91 ° |
| Area | * 86.49 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 19 ft - (5791 mm) |
| Foot | 11 ft - (3353 mm) |
| Leech | 17 ft - (5182 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 157 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.