[1][2][3] The boat was designed in reaction to the deaths of four young sailors in the capsize of a Star on Lake Union in 1927.
[1][2][5][6] Conceived as a youth boat, the Geary 18's design goals were "ease of construction, low cost, safety, speed, smartness, and value in training beginning sailors".
It has a fractional sloop rig with a full-roach mainsail, a nearly plumb stem a vertical transom, an internally-mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable centerboard keel.
In more recent years there has been a trend back to new boats being built of plywood, in place of fiberglass.
Fleets were quickly initiated in Oregon, Lake Arrowhead, California, and Acapulco, Mexico, the latter two by the designer himself.
"[2] In the 1990s the class was being widely sailed on the North American Pacific coast, with more than 1,500 completed in total.
[2] The 1995 championships were held on Mission Bay, at San Diego, California, with 21 boats racing.