First look

Fiona Kidd checks out the new Paralympic class, the Skud 18

The Skud 18 (previously referred to as the UD 18), the innovative and award winning design by Chris Mitchell, of Access Dinghy Sailing Systems in Melbourne, Australia was selected in November 2005 by the International Federation of Disabled Sailing (IFDS) as the equipment for the new Two Person Sailing Competition at the 2008 Paralympic Games.

Recently, I had the opportunity to witness the first production boat being 'fitted-out' in Batam, Indonesia, where I was able to photo document the entire rigging and assembly process as well as participate in it’s inaugural sail.

The boat is being manufactured by Xtreme Sailing Products, a Singapore based company with manufacturing facilities in Indonesia. Over a five-day period, the boat was transformed from a bare hull to a fully rigged-out high performance racing keelboat.



No task was too big or too small for the team of dedicated and skilled Indonesian craftsmen who worked tirelessly through a variety of issues. Every decision was carefully thought through and every option weighed by Paul Paterson (Xtreme) and Julian Bethwaite (Bethwaite Design) in order to ensure the delivery of a very high-quality end product.

The result is an incredibly impressive and well-manufactured boat. It is well thought-out in terms of rigging, and mechanically, all of the systems work well and take little effort. The twin rudder system works effortlessly while steering with the manual joystick. Every detail has been thought through so that by the time it gets to the end user the boat is easy to assemble and ready to sail.

The Skud 18 is fast, responsive, and a joy to sail. Although it is a keelboat, it is a skiff by design. It has an asymmetrical spinnaker/launching system that is completely controlled by the crew positioned in the forward seat. Once the spinnaker is launched, the boat accelerates off wind providing high performance along with manageability and safety.



Early on in the project, Mitchell engaged Martin Billoch, a naval architect from Argentina along with Julian Bethwaite, the designer of the Olympic 49er and International 29er, in the development of the rig design and hull lines.

More recently, following the IFDS decision, Bethwaite has been bringing his international and production expertise to the project to help refine the boat even further through the manufacturing and final rigging process.

In a relatively short period of time, this experienced team has created a product that will excite the disabled sailing community. It is also being delivered to the market in time to let teams prepare for the 2008 Paralympic Games.

The first Skud 18s will be launching in mid-April, so take shelter, as this boat will certainly shake the sailing world when it arrives!