Of these four Hobie 18's (18 standard, 18SE, 18SX and the 18 Magnum) which one is thought to be the "Hot Rod" of the bunch with all other factors being equal. (I am not including the Tiger because I assume it's the given winner.)

Probably depends on wind conditions, but with the added mast height and sail area probably the 18SX if you have enough wind. It has a weight penalty for the wings and mast length, but with enough wind you overcome that.

H18M can handle more wind then a H18 due to the added leverage of the wings and your trapezing location. I have found the wings also make the boat feel more stable in gusty conditions, since you can have weight off the side of the boat without going in and out on the trap line.

--
Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
--

I BET...

have 3 good sailors.. and 1 great sailor and the great one could beat the other 3 with any of the boats listed ...

my point is small design changes (and even large changes) can be overcome by better sailing skills...

I agree boat setup and sailor skill can overcame any difference in the minor design differences. But I would think the taller mast and larger sail of the 18SX would be an advantage that might be noticable. The other 3 are basically the same.

The question becomes why was the question asked in the first place. Are you looking for a boat? If so there are other issues to address like availability and what others are sailing locally. It is hard enough to find a H18 class to race in, good luck finding a H18SX class. And in an open class or F18 class you will likely be at a big boat design disadvantage.

--
Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
--

I'm new around here so clue me in. From what I have found on the different specs on the boats the 18 mag is just a 18 SE with wings. It appears that both have a 28'-1" mast with 240 sq ft of sail. The 18 SX has a 29'-7" mast with "only" 220 sq ft of sail but yet it's a faster boat?
Coming from a car and motorcycle racing background I equate sail sq footage to motor cubic inch displacement. The bigger the sail= the more power. Now if the boat and crew under the sail are the same, the bigger sail wins right? But that does not appear to be the case, or are my figures on the sail size of the boats wrong.

The first two (Hobie 18 and Hobie 18 SE) are the same boat.

Hobie 18 Magnum is that same boat with the addition of the "old style" Magnum wings, these wings are welded aluminum tubes and the wing seats only extend from forward and rear to the beams.

So the speed of the first three would be determined by who is on board, if all the crews have the same skill then the lightest crew will win.

The wings are considered a wash in the equation, but in reality they are simply more weight to carry (weight is bad), unless conditions mean that you can use the wings when others could not trap out. I've soloed in high wind rough conditions are was able to keep up because of that.

The Hobie 18 SX has the longer (riveted) wings, this lets you get your weight farther forward and back, both can be important depending on wind strength and point of sail. It is rated very slight faster than the others, but such a small amount that the fastest sailor will still be first to finish among the four. BUT, it has the huge advantage of a legal spinnaker included in it's rating.

So the Hobie 18SX is kind of rating beater because if you add a spin to a regular 18 it ends up with a lower (faster) rating than 18SX which has a taller mast.

The real answer to the question about hotrod 18's is that the newer the better. Hobie went through ownership changes and things over the production of the 18, but by the 1989 model year the H18 was as good as it can be. Unfortunately there are very few 1990+ Hobie 18's out there.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
--

I had not paid attention to the fact the SX actually has a smaller sail area with the longer mast. Must have something to do with the Mylar sail and veritical cut. Sounds like there really isn't a performance difference between the models.

Yes your analogy from sail area to engine displacement is probably fairly good. Then there is always how well that engine is modified and what kind of car it is put in. You can get very different levels of performance from a Chevy 350, depending on application and modifications.

I personally am a huge fan of the wings on a H18. I was just out this weekend solo in 15+ mph winds and 2+ foot waves and it was great conditions to be solo. Not sure it would have been as much fun without the wings. A very dry sail too when you are trapped off the wing.

--
Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
--