boatbuildlog

Design

Chat 18

Designed by Jacques Mertens

An 18 ft 4 in (5.6 m) daysailing catamaran with a small cuddy by British designer Richard Woods, sold through Bateau. It is meant for relaxed sailing on sheltered water, with 6 ft 6 in cockpit seats and an 8 ft 2 in beam that trails without folding. Empty weight is about 700 lb, the gunter rig sets 195 sq ft, and the outboard sits in a nacelle.

All flat plywood panels with glass and epoxy chine joints, so there is no bevelling, and low fixed keels in place of daggerboards. Woods calls it an ideal first boat project for a double garage; the first one launched six months after plans were bought. Budget 400 to 700 hours. Measured medians from build logs appear below.

What building a Chat 18 actually takes

Medians from the build logs kept on this site, not the designer’s estimate. Nobody has logged this boat here yet, so they are empty until the first builder does.

0
Build logs
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Launched
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Median hours
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Median months

Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.

Builds of this boat

Nobody has logged a Chat 18 here yet.

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Boats like this one

Same type, closest in length.

Design Plans from LOA Logs
Chat 18 Woods Designs 5.6 m (18′ 4″) 0
Skoota 18 Bateau 18′ 4″ (5.6 m) 0
Skoota 18 Woods Designs 5.6 m (18′ 4″) 0
Mini Trimaran B&B Yacht Designs 18′ 6″ (5.64 m) 0
Strike 18 Woods Designs 5.5 m (18′ 1″) 0
Strike 18 Bateau 18′ 1″ (5.5 m) 0