Design
Candlefish 18
Designed by Sam Devlin
An 18 ft 5 in open outboard skiff by Sam Devlin, the largest Candlefish, built on the hull of his Pelicano 18. She is tiller steered, takes 40 to 70 hp and displaces 2,275 lb, with a 1,325 lb dry hull. Large, flexible seating sits over a great deal of dry stowage, with more in the bow, and reserve buoyancy is arranged so she floats level if swamped. A CNC-cut hull kit is offered.
Stitch and glue like her smaller sisters, but a much heavier boat that needs more space, more epoxy and more hands when turning the hull. Some previous experience helps. Budget 350 to 600 hours as a rule of thumb. Measured medians from build logs appear below.
What building a Candlefish 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.
Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.
Builds of this boat
Nobody has logged a Candlefish 18 here yet.
If you are building one, yours becomes the reference: the page the next person building this boat finds when they search for it. One photo and one line is a valid first entry.
Start the first log of this boatBoats like this one
Same type, closest in length.
| Design | Plans from | LOA | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candlefish 18 | Chesapeake Light Craft | 18′ 5″ (5.61 m) | 0 |
| Harbor Master Displacement 19 | Bateau | 18′ 5″ (5.61 m) | 0 |
| Pelicano 18 Center Console | Devlin | 18′ 5″ (5.62 m) | 0 |
| Pelicano 18 Shrimper | Devlin | 18′ 5″ (5.62 m) | 0 |
| Pelicano 18 Bassboat | Devlin | 18′ 4″ (5.59 m) | 0 |
| Dragster | Glen-L Marine | 18′ 6″ (5.64 m) | 0 |