SKU ST18-C Category

Stornaway 18

The Stornaway 18 will look after you. The long ballasted keel provides exceptional directional stability, especially when combined with the flexible yawl rig. The boomless main is equipped with brailing lines to allow almost instant de-powering. All sail and power controls are within reach from the helm, but if you need to leave the tiller, she’ll just keep on tracking. The Stornaway easily copes with 30 knots of wind (force 7) and 2 meter seas, and with 96Kg (212lbs) of ballast, she has excellent self-righting ability if it all goes wrong. The anchor is in its own self-draining well, ready for instant use. Even if completely swamped, her built in buoyancy in many separate compartments will support 7 adults (Dayboat). Low hull windage and easy access come from low topsides – you don’t need lots of freeboard to be, or feel, safe. Controllability gives you the confidence necessary to make voyages longer than you thought possible, and 17.85sqm (190sf) of sail driving 400kg (882lbs) will get you there earlier than you thought. You have to remind yourself that this boat is only 18ft. With no centreboard case, the Weekender has room for two berths, cooler, porta-potti, stove, and sink, and still has loads of stowage compartments. The Dayboat will seat 8 in the big, clear, partly self-draining cockpit. Even fully equipped and provisioned at half a tonne, the Stornaway is easy to trailer (all spars stow in the length of the boat) and is rigged and ready for launching within half an hour of arrival. An electric auxiliary (not included) is always ready at the flick of a switch and the batteries add to the useful ballast.

 

COMING SOON!

For pricing, to join the waitlist, or place a preorder, please email us using the form below.

  • Length Overall (LOA) including bowsprit: 6.4m (21ft)
  • Length on Deck (LOD): 5.5m (18ft)
  • Beam: 2m (6ft 6in)
  • Weight: Dayboat – 300kg (661lbs); Weekender – 400kg (882lbs)
  • Draft: 0.45m (1ft 6in)
  • Sail Area: 17.85sqm (190sf)

In designing the Stornaway Weekender, I had one simple aim in mind: to build the perfect small cruising yacht, the best in the world. To this end, I wrote a set of criteria. The boat should be:

  • Safe, seaworthy, and a joy to sail.
  • Able to comfortably withstand winds in excess of 30 knots and seas in excess of 2 meters.
  • Able to support 4 adults and their gear when fully swamped (7 adults in the open version.)
  • Very good self-righting properties and excellent stability.
  • Sail herself unaided in most conditions with good directional stability and a steady, near-neutral helm.
  • Use the mizzen to heave-to and reverse the vessel.
  • Flat-packed and shipped anywhere on the planet with ease.
  • Capable of being built with minimum tools and facilities.
  • Able to be rowed or motored efficiently with minimum effort.
  • Able to rig, launch, retrieve, and sail single-handedly; and able to operate all sail
    or power controls without leaving the tiller.
  • Able to easily raise and lower the mast, reef, and anchor from the center of the
    boat.
  • Able to brail-up the mainsail instantly or completely drop the mainsail in under
    30 seconds.
  • A boomless main for safety and roller furling genoa plus storm jib.
  • A comfortable cockpit and cabin with room to sleep 4 – 2 under canvas.
  • Space for a cooler, port-a-potti, stove, and sink with ample water.
  • A large hatch on the cabin versions with ample room for storage.
  • Low topsides for easy access and a part self-draining cockpit.
  • Able to be built by an amateur in under 6 months part-time.
  • Have a draught of less than 2 feet (600mm).
  • Easily trailerable with a 2 liter car and able to be rigged and launched in under 20 minutes – the quick owners do it in 10.
  • Main yard long enough to use as a ridgepole for a tent or awning and able to stow all spars in the length of the boat.
  • Elegant, timeless traditional lines which will look good for generations.
  • Will hit 6 knots, ghost effortlessly in light airs, take the roughest conditions in her stride and never, ever let you down.

And did we fulfill the brief? Undoubtedly, the boat is a great success and, over the years, the Stornaway has been subtly improved and updated. The new Cuddy Cabin version allows more room in the cockpit, but leaves the forward bunks intact. The Camper shares the same layout. New keel and rudder profiles, introduced in 2000, have further enhanced windward ability and new fuller aft sections since 2004 have enhanced stability and balance. Lightweight versions with extra ballast are both quicker and stiffer. The Stornaway has become very popular with schools and outward bound operators. An excellent little ship is now better than ever.

Derek Ellard
Designer

COMING SOON!

May/June 2009 – Australian Yachting Magazine

Small Craft Advisor Magazine

COMING SOON!

Additional information

Type

Dayboat, Camper, Cuddy Cabin, Full Cabin
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