| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Mark Leonard |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1982 |
| Builder(s) | Freedom Yachts Preston Yachts |
| Role | Cruiser |
| Name | Pierce Arrow 18 |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 1,100 lb (499 kg) |
| Draft | 4.00 ft (1.22 m) withdaggerboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohull |
| Construction | fiberglass |
| LOA | 18.58 ft (5.66 m) |
| LWL | 16.67 ft (5.08 m) |
| Beam | 8.00 ft (2.44 m) |
| Engine type | outboard motor |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | daggerboard |
| Ballast | 400 lb (181 kg) |
| Rudder | transom-mountedrudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | fractional riggedsloop |
| Total sail area | 185.00 sq ft (17.187 m2) |
ThePierce Arrow 18, also called thePreston 19, is an Americantrailerablesailboat that was designed byMark Leonard as apocket cruiser and first built in 1982.[1][2][3]
The design was initially built by Freedom Yachts, ofRockford, Illinois, United States from 1982 until about 1984. This is not the same company asFreedom Yachts ofRhode Island.[1]
The boat's designer, Mark Leonard, and his brother, Matthew Leonard, built the molds and tooling for the design inMachesney Park, Illinois. Matthew Leonard later purchased a set of parts from Mark Leonard and then built new molds for the design. He established a company,Preston Yachts, inOak Creek, Wisconsin and built these boats under the name Preston 19, from 1987 until 1990.[1]
The Pierce Arrow 18 is a recreationalkeelboat, built predominantly offiberglass. It has afractionalsloop rig, a slightlyraked stem, a plumbtransom, a transom-hungrudder controlled by atiller and a retractabledaggerboard lifted by a winch. It displaces 1,100 lb (499 kg) and carries 400 lb (181 kg) of ballast.[1][2]
The boat has a draft of 4.00 ft (1.22 m) with the daggerboard extended and 0.75 ft (0.23 m) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water,beaching or ground transportation on atrailer.[1][2]
The boat is normally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp (2 to 4 kW)outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.[1][2]
The design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double"V"-berth in the bow cabin, a child-sized setteequarter berth in the main cabin and an aft cabin with a double berth on the starboard side. Nogalley provisions are fitted. Thehead is located on the port side of thecompanionway ladder. Cabin headroom is 58 in (147 cm).[1][2]
The design has ahull speed of 5.5 kn (10.2 km/h).[2]
In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the PA18 is unusual in several ways. For one thing, she weighs only 1,100 pounds, ready to sail. Also, with her wide beam, she has a bigger Space Index than any of her comp[etitor]s. For still another thing, she has a heavy (400pound) daggerboard, which must be mechanically lifted by a winch into a trunk just aft of the mast. Best features: With an SA/D over 25 and thus in the "very high" range, and a D/L nearly in the ultralight category, this should be quite fast in light air. The only other boats in this size range with comparable SA/D and D/L ratios are thePicnic 17 and theNewport 17, but neither of these boats have anywhere near the PA18's 400 pounds of ballast. Worst features: Cranking that heavy daggerboard up and down must be a nuisance, and hitting a rock with the board down is likely to be a cause for alarm, if not of damage to the trunk and hull. We searched the Internet for any trace of information on this boat, or her designer or owners, and found none, R.I.P."[2]