You want to be able to cast a rod one day and run a trot-line for crabs with ease the next. You like to cruise down the highway to distant hotspots and enjoy easy towing, launching, and loading. You have a relatively limited budget but want to buy a brand-new boat rather than risk purchasing someone else’s old problem. The list goes on and on—there are countless reasons why smaller boats are sometimes a much better choice than larger ones. The 18’ size range will prove ideal for many anglers, but truth be told there isn’t a huge number of fully featured fiberglass 18’ boats on the market these days. So, we’re psyched that Parker came out with the all-new 18SE.
Parker completely redesigned their take on an 18’, their smallest offering, and the new 18SE is a very different boat from the old 1801. It has a slightly larger footprint, with an additional six inches of LOA and beam. Critically, the boat is linered (the old one was not) so the fit and finish from bow to stern is lightyears ahead of the previous model. The new version also has a larger console with more room for electronics. The hull is surprisingly stable for a boat of this size, too, in part thanks to that additional beam and a 14-degree deadrise modified-V hullform.
Fishing features on the stock boat include four gunwale-mount flush rodholders, a leaning post with three rocket launchers and room for a cooler underneath, and a livewell integrated into the forward console seat. Some additional niceties include a USB charger at the helm, a swim platform with ladder, four cup holders, and LED courtesy lighting. The boat comes with an aluminum trailer with brakes and a swing-away tongue, so it’s a garage-ready package.
A very cool feature on the 18SE is the bow arrangement, which can be modified to match different aquatic events. If you’ll be casting the shallows, there’s a bowdeck that fits onto a molded-in lip in the bow. But if running the trot-line is more your speed and you want to keep the bow open and roomy for bushel baskets and buckets, just go without the bowdeck insert.
The 18SE is packaged with a Yamaha F115 or F150 outboard. For most anglers the smaller powerplant provides plenty of oomph, with a 4500-rpm cruise coming darn close to 30 mph (Yamaha performance reports peg it at 28.6) and a top-end breaking 40 mph. Opting up to the F150 adds about four mph to both cruising speed and top-end. Note, however, that sticking with 115 horses gives you a substantial fuel economy advantage (5.8 mpg versus 4.1 at cruise, and 3.8 versus 2.9 wide open).
We don’t like to publish hard pricing numbers in these reviews because they change so fast and dealers have so many different incentives that whatever number we might print often turns out to be inaccurate, but Parker does publish NAP pricing on their website. And if you check it out, you’ll be in for a pleasant surprise. Bottom line, the 18SE lists for less than the average cost of a new car, so this is an unusually affordable boat in today’s market. If an 18-footer strikes you as ideal for your needs, take one for a sea trial—soon you might just be casting, crabbing, and cruising to your heart’s delight.
Parker 18SE Specifications
- LOA – 18’6”
- Beam – 8’0”
- Displacement – 2706 lbs.
- Draft (min.) – 9”
- Transom Deadrise – 14 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 40 gal.
- Max. Power – 150 hp
- Area Dealers – Legasea Marine, Yorktown, VA (757) 898-3000; Tri-State Marine, Deale and Annapolis, MD (410) 867-1447.