{"id":82165,"date":"2025-06-16T15:58:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T19:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=82165"},"modified":"2025-06-16T16:24:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T20:24:20","slug":"the-all-purpose-storm-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/sailboats\/the-all-purpose-storm-18\/","title":{"rendered":"The All-Purpose Storm 18"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-1347-2-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Mike Ingham, on the helm, Erik Shampain on the jib trim and Dave Reed, to port\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-1347-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-1347-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-1347-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-1347-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-1347-2.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Mike Ingham, on the helm, Erik Shampain on the jib trim and Dave Reed, to port, guide the Storm 18 keelboat across Tampa Bay.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The Storm 18, which its creators categorized as a daysailer when entering this new US-built small craft into Sailing World\u2019s 2026 Boat of the Year competition, is so much more. The design brief is for a versatile craft for clubs and hyperactive \u00adsailing centers that need a boat for teaching first, racing second, and for the adults and the youth squads expanding into team and match racing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"x8aa2rgac1\" src=\"https:\/\/Sailingworld.dragonforms.com\/x8aa2rgac1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>The backstory on the Storm 18 is a long one, but it takes root in the Northeast, where a number of Long Island Sound-based yacht clubs have been pushing their vintage Ideal 18s well past expiration dates. Storm Marine, a new company formed to bring this boat to market, identified a demand for a lower-\u00adcost US-built boat for clubs and community sailing programs. A collective of industry veterans conceptualized the boat, produced a prototype, and for the better part of a year, put it into the hands of opinionated sailors and program directors. What was presented to the judges in St. Petersburg in February was close to final, but there was more tweaking to come. By early spring, they said, they would be into production with the real deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }<\/style><div class='embed-container'><iframe src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/\/w9lNl7OJULE' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1,300-pounder is expected to \u201cdeliver an exceptional sailing experience,\u201d Storm Marine\u2019s Bill Crane says, \u201ca stable and safe platform that is versatile enough to be used by learn-to-sail participants, junior sailors, family racing, interclub racing (fleet racing, team racing, and match racing) and \u00adinstitutional staff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s a lot of boxes to check, but after a few hours of sailing, both BOTY judges, Mike Ingham and Erik Shampain agree that they\u2019ve somehow managed to tick them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2221-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Storm 18 cockpit\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2221-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2221-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2221-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2221-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2221.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">With high freeboard, a deep cockpit, and a versatile platform for racing and instruction, the Storm 18 aims to please many masters.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey found their niche,\u201d Ingham says. \u201cIt\u2019s not flashy, but they got it right for what they want to do with it, which is a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the boat skews heavily to institutional usage, it is essentially overbuilt, Crane says. \u201cWhereas a lot of boats have stringers and bulkheads, this boat has two main pieces. With just two transverse frames, the vacuum-bagged hull and deck are flat-bonded along the rail, which is protected with a rub rail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One interesting approach used by the builder, Fulcrum Speedworks, is gluing all fittings to the laminate. No holes required: Every piece of hardware is mounted to glued G-Tech plates with stainless-steel threaded inserts. This approach has also allowed them to experiment with hardware locations and refine the boat\u2019s ergonomics during its development, and there is a lot of hardware to handle the asymmetric- and symmetric-\u00adspinnaker setups. For the asymmetric, there\u2019s a retractable pole in a foredeck trough, and the spinnaker pole is loosely stowed inside stainless-\u00adsteel brackets on the boom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2241-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"asymmetric and symmetric spinnakers\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2241-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2241-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2241-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2241-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2241.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Fundamental sail controls are there for learners, and for the racers, it comes with asymmetric and symmetric spinnakers, which share sheets and blocks.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The aluminum boom is a \u00adsubstantial rectangular section and quite a head-knocker (I can attest). According to Crane, the prototype\u2019s boom had already been raised 40 mm from its original location, and will be raised another 120 mm. The boom will also be lengthened 100 mm to offset the change. Another change to the final version includes ditching the heavy and expensive aluminum rudder head. They will instead slot the tiller directly into the top of the rudder. What was, for our test, a kick-up rudder will be fixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sailing it doublehanded in 10 knots and flat water, Ingham\u2019s assessment is that \u201cit\u2019s a \u00adpleasure to drive. It\u2019s very \u00adsensitive to body weight and sail trim.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shampain agrees, adding: \u201cIt does have a nice balance and a sportboat sort of feeling, but there\u2019s some weight to it that gets it through the chop. It\u2019s really responsive to crew weight and heel, but it did feel like a heavier boat at times when it got really light.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crane is OK with the boat being overbuilt. He likes the \u00adslogan: \u201cIt\u2019s a fast slow boat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inexperienced sailors should feel safe, he says, and experienced sailors will have fun with it. It is, indeed, stable at the dock and under sail, the judges note. They tried to force a capsize, but the fin keel and 245 kilograms of ballast weren\u2019t having it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having been left with a \u00adpositive \u00adlasting impression, both Ingham and Shampain return to shore pleased with the responsiveness of the spade rudder and the overall comfort of the boat. Four adults max would be about right, but it would be an easy singlehander too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2244-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Storm 18 rigging\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2244-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2244-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2244-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2244-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BOTY2025_Storm18-2244.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The Storm 18\u2019s all-up weight is around 1,300 pounds, and some parts of the boat had not yet been finalized (rudder head, boom height and length) when tested. Turnbuckles are anchored to robust outboard fittings.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a real pleasure to drive,\u201d Shampain says. \u201cAnd all the right systems and sail controls are there in the right place to teach everything\u2014vang, outhaul, cunningham and traveler. I like that they didn\u2019t oversimplify the boat; it\u2019s just techie enough, but with all the seating and the soft deck [SeaDek panels], it would be a great little boat for harbor sailing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The founders of Storm Marine and the Storm 18 keelboat have delivered a package they say will meet the demands of many.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":82167,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Reed","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[160],"tags":[3001,173,2992,164],"class_list":["post-82165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sailboats","tag-2026-boat-of-the-year","tag-boat-of-the-year","tag-print-spring-2025","tag-sailboats"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}