Design
Chat 18
Designed by Richard Woods
A 5.6 m (18 ft 4 in) daysailing catamaran with a small cuddy by Richard Woods of Woods Designs, for sheltered water. At 2.5 m wide it trails fully assembled and launches in about 15 minutes. Flat panel plywood with glass and epoxy chine joints, about 320 kg empty, 17.6 sq m gunter rig with home-built wooden spars, low aspect ratio keels, 2 m cockpit seats under a boom tent, and an outboard nacelle that takes 2.5 to 20 hp.
Woods calls it an ideal first boat, with no bevelling, sized for a double garage. The first one launched six months after the plans were bought. He estimates 300 hours for its power sister the Skoota 18, so budget 300 to 500. 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.
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Builds of this boat
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