Go from an 18 to an 18SX?

Have a 80 18 that is a work in progress. What are the advantages and disadvantages of going to a SX?

The differences between a standard 18 and an SX are:

1. The mast is taller on the SX by 1.5 feet, therefore the sails are cut differently.

2. A standard 18 sail is made of dacron. An SX sail is made of mylar, and has a higher aspect sail than a standard 18, which makes it a little faster.

2. An SX came with SX wings.

If you want to race, then you'll have more competition (what's left) with a standard 18 since they are more common. But if you're just adding wings to a standard 18 then you can't really call the boat an 18SX, but you can call it an 18 with SX wings.

If you have access to a SX mast then you can really hotrod the boat. The SX mast is hard to find. SX mylar sails don't hold up nearly as well as the dacron sails do. Mine is a '81 18 with SX mast. The SX mast allowed me to use a Tiger ST main which I purchased used, love it! I have also added a self-tacking jib from the Tiger and a Tiger mid-pole spin system is now in place. I am still tweaking the spin system and working on proper mast pre-bend but am getting close to perfect. This set-up is a portsmouth killer as the SX was under rated and got a spin upgrade for no penalty. I also have 8-1 downhaul and main sheet system. Replacing the jib set up was the best move yet, really opened up the tramp. My wife loves not hitting the jib track and blocks constantly with her knees, tacking couldn't be easier. Not to mention how easy it is to jibe the chute without worrying about the jib.

ncmbm,

Would you have a picture of the self tacking system you set up for you jib?

Adrio

I used a system for the I-20. I think the tiger system would have been better. This pic was taken at the Outback cup this past weekend, you can kinda see the jib system

Is your boom standard 18? or?

What mods to match F18 foot length?

Sheeting angle?

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HCANA Class Member

Its a standard 18 boom cut down about 3" if I remember correctly. I'm using the outer bail for my blocks. I run a 8-1 main system, from my Fox. Sheeting angle is good. The main sail head plate must be modified to work on the 18SX mast. I still don't have the mast pre-bent properly and continue to fiddle with it when time allows. Hope to move the boat to mast up storage soon which will give me more opportunity to work on that.