Malbec 18

A FUN, AFFORDABLE POCKET CRUISER

If you love pocket cruiser racers style sailboats like the West Wright Potters or the Montgomery 17 or Sage 17 or the much heavier Catalina 22 then the Mablec18 is the next step up in a modern design that has great performance and is easy to rig.

The Malbec18 has been hailed as a modern classic by the sailing press and small boat aficionados alike. Originally designed for near coastal ocean sailing by Argentine designer Heraldo Norbert Ruesch with West Wright Potter features in mind. Nominated as a Best Boat for 2018 by SAIL Magazine and praised as “charming…fun and responsive” by Cruising World, the Malbec 18 blends performance with comfort, stability, and versatility. 

This lightweight, beach-able cruiser offers a huge cockpit with seating for six adults with a spacious cockpit, airy cabin that sleeps a family of four. That makes the Malbec 18 the perfect boat for experienced sailors looking to right-size from larger or smaller boats, and its safe, forgiving sailing characteristics make it ideal for newbies, too.As a spritely performer, the Malbec 18 would make a superb one-design club racer. As a first family boat, it’s easy to handle for the youngest hands. Makes a great camping boat for some fun excursions.Created by a leading marine architect from Argentina and then improved upon by the former manufacturer of the wildly popular West Wight Potters and updated by FunToSAIL, the Malbec 18 hull design features hard chines for great aquadynamic at heel, and semi-planning at higher speeds. The most experienced sailors will appreciate its excellent pointing ability, and zippy off-the-wind performance.Stability, control, and modern ergonomics are crucial to a good pocket cruising experience. The ballasted swing centerboard can be controlled from the cockpit for simple single-handing, beaching, and trailering. An adjustable backstay enables performance tuning, and because most of the ballast is not in the centerboard, the boat offers high a stability ratio under all circumstances. Note having all the ballast in the centerboard mean easier pulling it up.You can confidently take the Malbec 18 on any lake, wide river, or bay—then out onto the ocean for adventure or an extend coastal cruise.