The 18m mid-pilothouse hull form has a fine entry developing into shallow deadrise aft, commonly known as a warped planning hull.
We have found this hull form to be best suited to the mid-pilothouse style as it offers good support for the somewhat frd mounted engines while reducing unwanted buoyancy in the aft sections. This also allows for shallower shaft angles, which increases efficiency.
The hull incorporates my standard silent chines. As there is no chine flat entering the water this eliminates chine slap at rest yet retains a dry soft ride while under way. The hull is further assisted by one lifting strake per side positioned below the static waterline.
The Mid pilothouse layout has many advantages both in livability and practicality for a cruising launch.
The accommodation is split into two areas divided by the main salon offering greater privacy for those on board.
The split-level arrangement offers easy access throughout the vessel with no more than 5 steps to any give area including the enclosed pilothouse. This allows the vessel to have a low center of gravity greatly increasing stability.
Specifications
| Design name | ELITE 18m Mid-Pilothouse |
|---|---|
| Designer | Elite Marine Design |
| Builder | Lloyd Stevenson Boat Builders |
| LOA | 18m |
| Beam | 5.4m |
| Draft | 1.2m |
| Displacement | 26,000kg |
| Sprint speed | 28kt* |
| Cruise speed | 20kt |
| Construction | Composite GRP (epoxy) |
| Fuel capacity | 4000L |
| Water capacity | 1000L |
| Power | 2x 715hp Cummins |
*with quoted HP