The class is an elegant examples of Universal Design and provide a pathway, within the mainstream, for entry level sailors right through to elite competition.

Created as a concept for International Association for Disabled Sailing selected trials for a new boat for new two-person Paralympic competition in Beijing, the SKUD 18 is a strict one design class.

By combining Mitchell's unique experience and ideology of ‘sailing for everyone’ with 20 years of Bethwaite research and technology, the result is an innovative lead assisted skiff (LAS), the SKUD 18.

“The design evolved as a 5.8m LAS, capable of carrying weight whilst maintaining a high level of performance and control.

On two-person boats like the SKUD 18, the helmsperson may be a severely disabled sailor (SDS) so needs servo assisted steering, while the crew would generally control the sheets.

But it is achievable to have a full servo system so that the SDS helmsperson can adjust sheets and other controls like the cunningham and outhaul as well.

Run by two Australian boatbuilders, Tim Ross and Paul Paterson, XSP also produce the 49er, 29er, Tasar, Byte, 420, Optimist and a number of other classes.

Held from 7–15 September 2007 by the Rochester Yacht Club, this was the first Paralympic qualifying event for the SKUD and included the 2.4mR and Sonar classes.

In the SKUD class, the first 6 countries qualified: Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Portugal and the United States.