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20 Best Small Sailboats for the Weekender
- By Mark Pillsbury
- Updated: May 24, 2024
In order to go cruising, most of us require a sailboat with a head, a galley, and bunks. The boat, likely a 30-footer and more often a 40-footer, will have electronics for navigation and entertainment, refrigeration if the trip is longer than a coastal hop, an engine for light wind, and, depending on our appetites for food and fun, perhaps a genset to power our toys and appliances.
To go sailing , however, all we really need is a hull, mast, rudder, and sail. To experience the pure joy of sheeting in and scooting off across a lake, bay, or even the open ocean, there’s nothing better than a small sailboat – we’re talking sailboats under 25 feet. You can literally reach out and touch the water as it flows past. You instantly feel every puff of breeze and sense every change in trim.
Some of the boats in this list are new designs, others are time-tested models from small sailboat manufacturers, but every one is easy to rig, simple to sail, and looks like a whole lot of fun either for a solo outing on a breezy afternoon or to keep family and friends entertained throughout your entire sailing season. This list is made up of all types of sailboats , and if you’re looking for a list of some of the best small sailboats for beginners, you’ll find exactly that here.
Any one of these popular boats could be labeled as a trailerable sailboat, daysailer, or even a weekender sailboat. And while most would be labeled as a one or two person sailboat, some could comfortably fit three or even four people.
– CHECK THE WEATHER – The weather changes all the time. Always check the forecast and prepare for the worst case. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard
Marblehead 22 Daysailer
If you have an eye for elegant lines and your heart goes pitter-patter over just the right amount of overhang beneath a counter transom, the Marblehead 22 daysailer, designed by Doug Zurn and built by Samoset Boatworks in Boothbay, Maine, will definitely raise your pulse. Traditional-looking above the waterline and modern beneath, the cold-molded hull sports a deep bulb keel and a Hall Spars carbon-fiber mast with a wishbone rig and square-top main. The 11-foot-9-inch cockpit can seat a crowd, and a small cuddy forward will let you stow your friends’ gear for the day. samosetboatworks.com
Catalina 22 Sport
Many a harbor plays host to an active fleet of Catalina 22s, one of the most popular small sailboats over the years, given its basic amenities and retractable keel, which allows it to be easily trailered. Recently, the company introduced the Catalina 22 Sport, an updated design that can compete with the older 22s. The boat features a retractable lead keel; a cabin that can sleep four, with a forward hatch for ventilation; and a fractional rig with a mainsail and a roller-furling jib. Lifelines, a swim ladder, and an engine are options, as are cloth cushions; vinyl cushions are standard. The large cockpit will seat a crowd or let a mom-and-pop crew stretch out and enjoy their sail. It’s clear why the Catalina 22 is one of the best sailboats under 25 feet. catalinayachts.com
With its large, open-transom cockpit and sloop rig, the Hunter 22 makes a comfortable daysailer for family and friends. But with its cuddy cabin, twin bunks, optional electrical system, opening screened ports, and portable toilet, a parent and child or a couple could comfortably slip away for an overnight or weekend. Add in the optional performance package, which includes an asymmetric spinnaker, a pole, and a mainsheet traveler, and you could be off to the races. The boat features a laminated fiberglass hull and deck, molded-in nonskid, and a hydraulic lifting centerboard. Mount a small outboard on the stern bracket, and you’re set to go. marlow-hunter.com
Not sure whether you want to race, cruise or just go out for an afternoon sail? Since 1958, sailors have been having a ball aboard the Uffa Fox/George O’Day-designed Daysailer. Fox, who in the 1950s was on the cutting edge of planning-dinghy design, collaborated with Fall River, Massachusetts boatbuilder O’Day Corp. to build the 16-foot Daysailer, a boat that features a slippery hull and a small cuddy cabin that covers the boat roughly from the mast forward. Thousands of Daysailers were built by various builders, and they can be found used for quite affordable prices. There are active racing fleets around the US, and new Daysailers are still in production today, built by Cape Cod Ship Building. capecodshipbuilding.com
BayRaider from Swallow Boats
Easy to rig and trailer, the BayRaider from England’s Swallow Yachts is a relative newcomer to the small-boat market in the United States. Nearly all of its 19 feet 9 inches is open cockpit, though a spray hood can be added to keep the forward sections dry. The BayRaider is ketch-rigged with a gunter-style mainmast. The topmast and mizzen are both carbon-fiber, which is an option for the mainmast as well. The BayRaider can be sailed with a dry hull in lighter conditions or with 300 pounds of water ballast to increase its stability. With the centerboard and hinged rudder raised, the boat can maneuver in even the thinnest water.
$28,900, (904) 234-8779, swallowyachts.com
Big fun can come in small packages, especially if your vessel of choice happens to be the 12 ½-foot Beetle Cat. Designed by John Beetle and first built in 1921, the wooden shallow draft sailboat is still in production today in Wareham, Massachusetts at the Beetle Boat Shop. With a draft of just 2 feet, the boat is well-suited for shallow bays, but equally at home in open coastal waters. The single gaff-rigged sail provides plenty of power in light air and can be quickly reefed down to handle a blow. In a word, sailing a Beetle Cat is fun. beetlecat.com
– LEARN THE NAVIGATION RULES – Know the “Rules of the Road” that govern all boat traffic. Be courteous and never assume other boaters can see you. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard
West Wight Potter P 19
With berths for four and a workable galley featuring a cooler, a sink, and a stove, West Wight Potter has packed a lot into its 19-foot-long P 19. First launched in 1971, this is a line of boats that’s attracted a true following among trailer-sailors. The P 19′s fully retractable keel means that you can pull up just about anywhere and go exploring. Closed-cell foam fore and aft makes the boat unsinkable, and thanks to its hard chine, the boat is reportedly quite stable under way. westwightpotter.com
NorseBoat 17.5
Designed for rowing and sailing (a motor mount is optional), the Canadian-built NorseBoat 17.5—one of which was spotted by a CW editor making its way through the Northwest Passage with a two-man crew—features an open cockpit, a carbon-fiber mast, and a curved-gaff rig, with an optional furling headsail set on a sprit. The lapstrake hull is fiberglass; the interior is ply and epoxy. The boat comes standard with two rowing stations and one set of 9-foot oars. The boat is designed with positive flotation and offers good load-carrying capacity, which you could put to use if you added the available canvas work and camping tent. NorseBoats offers a smaller sibling, the 12.5, as well; both are available in kit form.
$19,000, (902) 659-2790, norseboat.com
Montgomery 17
Billed as a trailerable pocket cruiser, the Montgomery 17 is a stout-looking sloop designed by Lyle Hess and built out of fiberglass in Ontario, California, by Montgomery Boats. With a keel and centerboard, the boat draws just under 2 feet with the board up and can be easily beached when you’re gunkholing. In the cuddy cabin you’ll find sitting headroom, a pair of bunks, a portable toilet, optional shore and DC power, and an impressive amount of storage space. The deck-stepped mast can be easily raised using a four-part tackle. The builder reports taking his own boat on trips across the Golfo de California and on visits to California’s coastal islands. Montgomery makes 15-foot and 23-foot models, as well. If you’re in search of a small sailboat with a cabin, the Montgomery 17 has to be on your wish list.
With long overhangs and shiny brightwork, the CW Hood 32 is on the larger end of the daysailer spectrum. Designers Chris Hood and Ben Stoddard made a conscious decision to forego a cabin and head in favor of an open cockpit big enough to bring 4 or 5 friends or family out for an afternoon on the water. The CW Hood 32 is sleek and graceful through the water and quick enough to do some racing, but keeps things simple with a self-tacking jib and controls that can be lead back to a single-handed skipper. A top-furling asymmetrical, electric sail drive and Torqeedo outboard are all optional. The CW Hood 32 makes for a great small family sailboat. cwhoodyachts.com
Sun Cat from Com-Pac
Shallow U.S. East Coast bays and rock-strewn coasts have long been graced by cat boats, whose large, gaff-rigged mainsails proved simple and powerful both on the wind and, better yet, when reaching and running. The 17-foot-4-inch Sun Cat, built by Com-Pac Yachts, updates the classic wooden cat with its fiberglass hull and deck and the easy-to-step Mastender Rigging System, which incorporates a hinged tabernacle to make stepping the mast a one-person job. If you want a personal sailboat ideal for solo sailing, the Sun Can is a great choice. Belowdecks, the twin 6-foot-5-inch berths and many other features and amenities make this cat a willing weekender.
$19,800, (727) 443-4408, com-pacyachts.com
Catalina 16.5
The Catalina 16.5 sits right in the middle of Catalina Yachts’ line of small sailboats, which range from the 12.5 to the 22 Capri and Sport, and it comes in both an easy-to-trailer centerboard model and a shoal-draft fixed-keel configuration. With the fiberglass board up, the 17-foot-2-inch boat draws just 5 inches of water; with the board down, the 4-foot-5-inch draft suggests good windward performance. Hull and deck are hand-laminated fiberglass. The roomy cockpit is self-bailing, and the bow harbors a good-sized storage area with a waterproof hatch. catalinayachts.com
No roundup of best small sailboats (trailerable and fun too) would be complete without a mention of the venerable Hobie 16, which made its debut in Southern California way back in 1969. The company has introduced many other multihulls since, but more than 100,000 of the 16s have been launched, a remarkable figure. The Hobie’s asymmetric fiberglass-and-foam hulls eliminate the need for daggerboards, and with its kick-up rudders, the 16 can be sailed right up to the beach. Its large trampoline offers lots of space to move about or a good place to plant one’s feet when hanging off the double trapezes with a hull flying. The boat comes with a main and a jib; a spinnaker, douse kit, trailer, and beach dolly are optional features. hobiecat.com
Novice sailors or old salts looking for simplicity could both enjoy sailing the Hunter 15. With a fiberglass hull and deck and foam flotation, the boat is sturdily built. The ample freeboard and wide beam provide stability under way, and the heavy-duty rubrail and kick-up rudder mean that you won’t have to worry when the dock looms or the going grows shallow. Both the 15 and its slightly larger 18-foot sibling come standard with roller-furling jibs.
$6,900/$9,500 (boat-show prices for the 15 and 18 includes trailers), (386) 462-3077, marlow-hunter.com
– CHECK THE FIT – Follow these guidelines to make sure your life jacket looks good, stays comfortable and works when you need it. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard
Super Snark
Under various owners, the Snark brand of sailboats, now built by Meyers Boat Co., has been around since the early 1970s. The Super Snark, at 11 feet, is a simple, easily car-topped daysailer that’s fit out with a lateen rig and sail. Billed as unsinkable, the five boats in the company’s line are built with E.P.S. foam, with the external hull and deck vacuum-formed to the core using an A.B.S. polymer. The Super Snark weighs in at 50 pounds, and with a payload capacity of 310 pounds, the boat can carry two.
$970, (800) 247-6275, meyersboat.com
Norseboat 21.5
Built in Canada, the NorseBoat 21.5 is a rugged looking craft that comes in a couple of configurations: one with an open cockpit and small doghouse, and another with a smaller cockpit and cabin that houses a double berth for two adults and optional quarter berths for the kids. Both carry NorseBoat’s distinctive looking carbon fiber gaff-rigged mast with main and jib (a sprit-set drifter is optional), and come with a ballasted stub keel and centerboard. Because of its lightweight design, the boat can be rowed and is easily trailered.
$36,000 (starting), 902-659-2790, norseboat.com
Flying Scot
Talk about time-tested, the 19-foot Flying Scot has been in production since 1957 and remains a popular design today. Sloop rigged, with a conventional spinnaker for downwind work, the boat is an easily sailed family boat as well as a competitive racer, with over 130 racing fleets across the U.S. Its roomy cockpit can seat six to eight, though the boat is often sailed by a pair or solo. Hull and deck are a fiberglass and balsa core sandwich. With the centerboard up, the boat draws only eight inches. Though intended to be a daysailer, owners have rigged boom tents and berths for overnight trips, and one adventurous Scot sailor cruised his along inland waterways from Philadelphia to New Orleans.
Known primarily for its line of racing dinghys, RS Sailing also builds the 16-foot, 4-inch Venture, which it describes as a cruising and training dinghy. The Venture features a large, self-draining cockpit that will accommodate a family or pack of kids. A furling jib and mainsail with slab reefing come standard with the boat; a gennaker and trapeze kit are options, as is an outboard motor mount and transom swim ladder. The deck and hull are laid up in a fiberglass and Coremat sandwich. The Venture’s designed to be both a good performer under sail, but also stable, making it a good boat for those learning the sport.
$14,900, 203-259-7808, rssailing.com
Topper makes a range of mono- and multihull rotomolded boats, but the model that caught one editor’s eye at Strictly Sail Chicago was the Topaz Taz. At 9 feet, 8 inches LOA and weighing in at 88 pounds, the Taz is not going to take the whole crowd out for the day. But, with the optional mainsail and jib package (main alone is for a single child), the Taz can carry two or three kids or an adult and one child, and would make a fun escape pod when tied behind the big boat and towed to some scenic harbor. The hull features Topper’s Trilam construction, a plastic and foam sandwich that creates a boat that’s stiff, light, and durable, and shouldn’t mind being dragged up on the beach when it’s time for a break.
$2,900 (includes main and jib), 410-286-1960, topazsailboats.com
WindRider WRTango
WRTango, a fast, sturdy, 10-foot trimaran that’s easy to sail, is the newest portable craft from WindRider International. It joins a line that includes the WR16 and WR17 trimarans. The Tango features forward-facing seating, foot-pedal steering, and a low center of gravity that mimics the sensation of sitting in a kayak. It weighs 125 pounds (including the outriggers and carbon-fiber mast), is extremely stable, and has single-sheet sail control. The six-inch draft and kick-up rudder make it great for beaching, while the hull and outriggers are made of rotomolded polyethylene, so it can withstand running into docks and being dragged over rocks.
$3,000, 612-338-2170, windrider.com
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Pocket Cruisers Unite!
I’ve always been a sucker for pocket cruisers, so when Ken Lange, the owner of International Marine , offered the chance to sail the builders newest micro-adventurer, the Voyager 20, it didnt take much arm twisting. Ken and I spent an afternoon putting the boat through its paces in near-perfect conditions for the boat, 8 to 11-knot wind breeze on Sarasota Bay. Along with us were two perspective customers who were downsizing from an Endeavour 40. As often happens, the vagaries of life had conspired to interrupt their cruising dream, but they still had a zest for sailing and exploring, and the Voyager 20 seemed like the perfect platform for more modest adventures closer to home.
Boats like these, opening a door to more manageable, affordable escapes, are enjoying a bit of a resurgance today. Just as the fascination with loveable micro-homes is growing, cute micro-cruisers continue to attract new followers here. (Although an interest of micro-cruisers have waxed and waned in the U.S., it never really subsided in the U.K., where pint-sized sailboats have been, and remain ubiquitous in the boatyards, harbors, and marinas.) While new sailboat sales are still sluggish, builders like Lange are targeting a niche too small for high-volume production builders to bother with-the niche between performance-oriented daysailers and entry level cruisers.
Anytime you talk about pocket cruisers you have to clarify what you mean, for the term is loosely applied to a wide range of small boats, some with very little in common besides displacement. Size is certainly a factor, but size is relative. Ive seen 26-feet length overall (LOA) being a commonly cited as the upper limit for the pocket appellation, and that seems about right, although a few decades ago a 26-foot sailboat was called something else-a yacht.
While there are a few thoroughbreds among the breed, pocket cruisers generally fall to the lower end of the performance spectrum, the inevitable result of trying to cram the comforts of home into 20 feet of waterline. Comfort-at sea and at anchor-take precedence over tacking angles, so you generally don’t see blistering speeds around the buoys. In my view, there are at least four main types of pocket cruisers.
- Estuarine Elves -These are the maritime equivalent of the pop-top camper. They are easy to tow, suprisingly roomy, and generally forgiving sailboats. The poster childs are the popular West Wight Potters . The Victoria 18 , the Sanibel 18 , the ComPac Eclipse and any of the small catboats with any kind of cabin fall into this category. (International Marine also makes the West Wights and the Sanibel.) These are boats that can creep up the lakes, creeks, and rivers of North America and still manage bay chop. They have enough cockpit space for family daysailing, but also offer a place to duck out of the weather, sleep, eat and be cozy. New sailors and families are quite happy to putter along in them, but few offer wind-in-your-hair thrills with the wind forward of the beam.
- Trailer Sailers – These are small cruiser/racers like the Rhodes 22 , San Juan 21 , Catalina 22 , Tanzer 22 , that can be Friday-night raced around the cans with other vintage boats, but also cruised. Like the Estuarine Elves, they are easy to trailer fairly quick to rig and launch, but with longer waterlines, more sail area and more efficient hull shapes, they generally perform better. This is probably the largest field of boats that could fit the pocket cruiser name; there are too many boats to list.
- Auxiliary Pocket Cruisers – These boats can be trailered, but they require vehicles with big towing capacity and take much longer to rig. They usually have more ballast, built-in tanks, and can be equipped with inboard auxiliary engines-something you rarely find in the two smaller categories. Trailerability, in this case, means hauling the boat down to the Keys or Mexico for the winter, not down to the local ramp on a Sunday. These can be fixed-keel boats like the Contessa 26, the Pearson Ariel , and Cape Dory 25 (both Carl Alberg designs); or swing keels like the Paceship 26 (also available with fixed keel), Yankee Dolphin 24 , the Nimble 24, and the Lyle Hess-designed Balboa 26 . Although some boats in this category have circumnavigated, doing far offshore work in these boats requires a special breed of sailor-and Posiedons blessing.
- Bahama-Mamacitas – Multihulls like the Corsair F-24 , the Wharram Tiki 21 , and the semi-custom trimarans like PS contributing editor Skip Allens new custom Wildflower probably could be shoehorned into the above group, but that would surely incite the wrath of Allen and the rest the multihull crowd, so Ill give them their own group here.
- Microships – Generally these are fixed-keel boats with hefty ballast- displacement ratios that make them capable of cruising offshore. They are trailerable, but with displacement pushing 10,000 pounds, they require a powerful tow vehicle. Some, like the “Bill” W.I.B. Crealocks Dana 24 , have circumnavigated. Bruce Binghams Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 , or Hess’s Falmouth Cutter 22 are other examples of small boats that pop up in far flung ports.
So where does the Voyager 20, a more sophisticated cousin of the Potter 19, belong? Its 17.5-foot waterline and light displacement (1,750 pounds) puts it in the Estuarine Elves category, although it has several of construction features that you see in the Microships: heavy-duty Lewmar hatch and portlights and an encapsulated lead keel. It also has a fair amount of storage.
The layout below (featured in last week’s blog post ) is nearly identical to the Potter 19, with a small sink a port-a-potty, and v-berth. The biggest improvement over the Potter is the keel.
Lange borrowed the foil-keel design of the Montgomery 17 , a fun little pocket cruiser designed by Hess. Lange then added a centerboard to give it better performance to windward (the bugaboo of some shallow fixed-keel pocket cruisers in the 15 to 18-foot category). We saw more lift with the centerboard down, although the boat managed fine to windward with the board up.
With four adults and a cockapoo on board for our sail, the Voyager 20 was surprisingly stable and well balanced. The conservative ballast-displacement ratio, and hard chine held her upright, and the high freeboard and coamings kept the cockpit dry. With a relatively flat bottom, the boat tended to pound through chop when working to windward, but that is a trade-off for a short-waterline vessel that emphasizes high initial stability. The boat tacked through 90-degrees true on a GPS recorded track (accounting for any leeway), so it will get you where you want to go.
Built in California, the Voyager 20 is sold direct to customers. The fully equipped boat I sailed (complete with trailer, AC and 12-volt DC systems, galley, canvas, etc.) was listed at $38,000, more than three times anyone can expect to pay for a used entry-level trailer sailor on the used boat market with similar amenities. But the price is not out of line with the market for new boats, and it is hard to find other new boats in the 20-foot range that are not strictly daysailors. About the closest comparison that comes to mind in the new boat market is the Compac Eclipse (which also tops $30,000 when similarly equipped), and the Norseboat 21.5 ($35,000-plus depending on options). Id love to hear about some other pocket cruisers we should check out, and where you think they fall in the above categories.
For those who are boat shopping for a pocket cruiser you’ll find reviews of many of the boats I mention under “ sailboat reviews ” on the Practical Sailor website (some reviews are public, but many are for subscribers only). For those looking for something just a little bit roomier, our ebook Entry-Level Sailboats Volume 1 and Entry-Level Sailboats Volume 2 cover 25 popular boats between 26 and 31 feet that are readily available on the used boat market.
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Montgomery 17
Montgomery 17 is a 17 ′ 1 ″ / 5.2 m monohull sailboat designed by Lyle C. Hess and built by Montgomery Marine Products starting in 1973.
- 1 / 1 Wisconsin, US 1976 Montgomery 17 $4,900 USD View
Rig and Sails
Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.
The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.
Classic hull speed formula:
Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL
Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL
Sail Area / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.
SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3
- SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
- D : Displacement in pounds.
Ballast / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.
Ballast / Displacement * 100
Displacement / Length Ratio
A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.
D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
Comfort Ratio
This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.
Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
- LOA: Length overall in feet
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
Capsize Screening Formula
This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.
CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)
Early boats had a fixed keel. In addition, a flush deck version was also available.
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Montgomery 17
Design characteristics.
| Builder | Montgomery Marine Products and Montgomery Boats |
| Designer | Lyle Hess |
| LOA | 17'2" |
| LWL | 15'10" |
| Draft | 1'9" |
| Draft Down | 15'10" |
| Beam | 7'4" |
| Displacement | |
| Production Start | 1973 |
| Production End | |
| Number Built | |
| Weight | 1600 lbs |
| Trailer Weight | 2300 lbs |
History and Description
Written by jerry montgomery.
The Montgomery 17 was designed by Lyle Hess, a well-known and highly respected designer of blue-water cruising boats, as an able coastal cruiser; small enough to be easily trailered but capable of moderate offshore passages. The first 17s were made as fixed keel boats, with a 525 lb. cast iron, bolt-on keel, and we took the first two to the Newport, RI, and Annapolis, MD boat shows in the fall of ’73 and sold over 30 of them between the two shows, strictly on the reputations of the designer and builder and the obvious quality of the boat.
Several of these were fixed keel boats, but most were orders for the announced keel/centerboard version. A total of about 20 of the early fixed keel 17s were made and the remain very stiff, seaworthy boats. (These boats are now old enough that keel bolts should be replaced for safety’s sake, and I still have a supply of the old 5/8" hi-tensile galvanized steel bolts, which are very difficult to find now). Soon after the shows, we finished the tooling for the still-current keel/CB version. I believe that the M-17 was the first production boat to use end-grain balsa coring in the deck.
In the late 70’s we made several flush deck 17s, which were a racing version with a flat deck like a Soling or Etchells 22, with no house and a small, self bailing cockpit. This started out as a lark, actually, because a good friend, also a boat builder, agreed to make the plug (mock-up) for the new deck mold in exchange for a 17 hull, which he wanted to finish off and sail to Hawaii. I made a mold off the plug, and made the first boat, Coyote, for myself. I took it to the October race in Guaymas, Mexico a few weeks later, and even though I did not yet have a spinnaker, finished 6th boat-for-boat on the first day and 2nd on the second day. A Venture 17 and I were the two smallest boats in the fleet, and not knowing anything about a Montgomery 17, let alone a flush deck 17, the race committee rated me the same as the Venture, which is a slow boat, and I won by so much on corrected time the first day that I had only to finish on he second day in order to take first overall. I also won the second day.
Later in the year, I sold "Coyote" (to an incredible guy in Tucson who won the Guaymas race the next two years with it) to help dig up money for the down payment on a house. The flush deck was a little lighter than a normal 17, had less windage because of the flat deck, and had a taller and higher aspect rig. It was a handful in a blow, but a light air bomb! I ended up building 9 of them, but destroyed the deck mold when I moved to the Sacramento area in 1987.
During the late 70’s we also made 15 or 20 tall rig 17’s; the mast was 1’9" taller than normal. Most of these were sold in the light-air areas of southern California and Arizona (mostly sailed in the Sea of Cortez).
In 1981 we retooled the 17, mostly because the molds had had several hundred boats made form them and were getting worn out, but incorporated several minor changes, like improving the windows, cockpit drainage, and the hull/deck joint, and changing the toe rails, forward hatch details, etc. In about ’84 we changed from extruded aluminum toe rails to those of teak, mostly because of changing market trends. In 1987 we made a centerboard change; from cast iron to fiberglass with a lead core. The new centerboards were thicker in section but smaller in profile, and I can’t tell the difference between the two types in sailing them. This change was made in response to death threats and other complaints resulting from the rusting problem common to cast iron. The new centerboards are no better, but they don’t rust. The older ones are probably more reliable, being cast iron, but we’ve had no problems with the new after 6 years. At the same time, we changed from steel to lead ballast, and increased the total ballast weight from 55 to 600 lbs.
The older, pre-81 17s are nearly as good as the newer; the difference being mostly that of cosmetics and other slight refinements, but they are usually a good bit less expensive in the broker’s yards. The biggest improvement in the 1981 17 was the addition of the wet locker, and the resulting improvement in cockpit drainage.
Other changes have been in the interior. Originally the 17 had a "three berth" interior; a double berth forward and a quarter berth on the starboard. On port, opposite the starboard berth, was a molded-in galley unit consisting of a sink with storage under, and a place for a stove. A few years later (about ’78 or so) we tooled a new interior with four berths, replacing the galley unit with a port side quarter berth which was a mirror-image of the starboard berth.
Neither of these interiors was perfect. The 3-berth lacked sitting room below; two people could shoehorn themselves onto the starboard berth and sit there like a couple of sardines, but it was far from comfortable. The galley/sink unit was seldom used except in cold or wet weather. And its most valuable qualities were the storage under, and even more important, the cockpit storage behind it, accessible through the port side cockpit hatch. The 4-berth had great sitting room for two people (or cramped room for four), but no galley for storage, and since the portside quarter berth ran all the way back under the cockpit, no storage there. To me, the 4-berth was the least desirable of the interiors.
In about ’87, we changed to the present interior, which is an adaptation of the previous two. On port, instead of the galley, we have a shortened (5’ long) berth that allows the much-needed sitting room and is long enough for a half-grown kid to sleep on, but still leaves enough room behind it for cockpit accessed storage. This is by far the best interior of the three and we have long since discontinued the other two.
Sail Measurements provided by Jerry Montgomery
Standard rig.
- I - 22.92 FT
- J - 7.16 FT
- P - 19.33 FT
- E - 7.75 FT
Tall rig is same except I and P are 1.75 FT longer. Working jib as supplied by Montgomery was a 109%.
- I - 25.08 FT
- P - 22.5 FT
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COMMENTS
31 posts · Joined 2007. #1 · Sep 28, 2008 (Edited) I have been reading everything I can about these two trailerable pocket cruisers, and am distraught over which to buy. Sanibel 18 supposedly has better sleeping space... Montgomery has better self righting abilities and sails more stiffly, which would please my little ones.
Montgomery preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Montgomery used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. Register & Post. View All Sailboats. Search. Avoid Fraud. ... 18' Lowell's Boat Shop Sailing Surf Dory Vermont Asking $5,700. 19' Flying Scot Flying Scot Jacksonville, Florida Asking $6,449. 30' Catalina Tall Rig 30
Montgomery makes 15-foot and 23-foot models, as well. If you're in search of a small sailboat with a cabin, the Montgomery 17 has to be on your wish list. ... Both the 15 and its slightly larger 18-foot sibling come standard with roller-furling jibs. $6,900/$9,500 (boat-show prices for the 15 and 18 includes trailers), ...
The Victoria 18, the Sanibel 18, the ... Lange borrowed the foil-keel design of the Montgomery 17, a fun little pocket cruiser designed by Hess. Lange then added a centerboard to give it better performance to windward (the bugaboo of some shallow fixed-keel pocket cruisers in the 15 to 18-foot category). ... The boat tacked through 90-degrees ...
521 posts · Joined 2009. #4 · Nov 7, 2010. I think the Montgomery 17 is the better built boat and the Sanibel was built to be more of an economy entry level boat. I have never heard anything bad said about the Sanibel though. always in decline-never hitting bottom.
A boat with a BN of 1.6 or greater is a boat that will be reefed often in offshore cruising. Derek Harvey, "Multihulls for Cruising and Racing", International Marine, Camden, Maine, 1991, states that a BN of 1 is generally accepted as the dividing line between so-called slow and fast multihulls.
I believe that the M-17 was the first production boat to use end-grain balsa coring in the deck. In the late 70's we made several flush deck 17s, which were a racing version with a flat deck like a Soling or Etchells 22, with no house and a small, self bailing cockpit. This started out as a lark, actually, because a good friend, also a boat ...
The Montgomery 17 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim.It has a masthead sloop rig, a nearly-plumb stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller.A few early boats had a fixed keel or a swing keel, while the standard production boats featured a shoal keel and centerboard combination.. Early cast iron fixed keel boats were ...
Welcome to the Montgomery Sailboats Owners Group (MSOG) web site. The MSOG is an informal non-organization that communicates using a variety of methods. Montgomery boat owners share information regarding improvements, repairs, and many other topics. You'll never meet a more congenial group of people, or one more devoted to these great boats.
Montgomery 17 is a 17′ 1″ / 5.2 m monohull sailboat designed by Lyle C. Hess and built by Montgomery Marine Products starting in 1973. ... The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more. Formula. D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³ D: Displacement of the boat in pounds ...
The Montgomery 17 brings "big boat" design and construction into this new and growing market. She is tough, seaworthy, seakindly, and is capable of braving severe weather conditions with safety and confidence. She is heavy enough and stiff enough to drive off a lee shore in a storm, and to heave to in heavy winds.
The Montgomery 17 was designed by Lyle Hess, a well-known and highly respected designer of blue-water cruising boats, as an able coastal cruiser; small enough to be easily trailered but capable of moderate offshore passages. The first 17s were made as fixed keel boats, with a 525 lb. cast iron, bolt-on keel, and we took the first two to the ...
Jerry Montgomery and a SageCat deck assembly. From 1969 until 1995 I owned and operated Montgomery Marine Products, primarily a manufacturer of sailboats featuring the excellent MONTGOMERY line, consisting of the MONTGOMERY 23, MONTGOMERY 17, MONTGOMERY 15, as well as the MONTGOMERY dinghies. During this time I made about 20 of the 23's, about 500…
The Montgomery 17 is a great little ocean capable sailboat. About 10 years ago we were in Pacific Canada and met a fellow cruising in a Montgomery 17. He had a 40 footer in Southern California, but towed his Montgomery 17 up to Nanimo and set sail for a month or so cruise (single handed).
Montgomery preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Montgomery used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. Register & Post. View All Sailboats. Search. Avoid Fraud. ... 18' Lowell's Boat Shop Sailing Surf Dory Vermont Asking $5,700. 30' Catalina Tall Rig 30 Larchmont, New York Asking $10,000. 51' Beneteau Idylle 51 Miami, Florida
The Montgomery's are the priciest boat you will find of this size, but I have always heard that the build quality is as good as it gets for a mass produced 17 footer. You might also look at the Sage 17. It is a boat that is not yet in production. It was designed by Jerry Montgomery as an updated Montgomery 17. I know the Sage is a 3/4 rig vrs a ...
2.0K members. Join group. Those that have owned, own or will own a Montgomery Sailboat.
A man was found dead and a woman was hospitalized after a Saturday night fire in Montgomery, rescuers said. Montgomery Fire Rescue personnel responded to a structure first at 500 Block London ...
The Montgomery 15 differed from the Montgomery 17 and 23 by the fact that it was designed by Jerry Montgomery instead of Lyle Hess. The design of the Montgomery 15 was proven when one was sailed to Hawaii from the Los Angeles area. See the boat page for the "Little Breeze". Sail Measurements as supplied by Jerry Montgomery: I - 15.33 FT J - 4.58 FT
Boat Type: Montgomery 17 Date Modified: 10/18/2019. Kitchen(ette) remodel. Boat Name: Skookum Boat Type: Montgomery 17 Date Modified: 07/02/2019. General small stuffs. ... Installation of Transom Ladder on Montgomery 15 Sailboat. Boat Name: Sky Boat Type: Montgomery 15 Date Modified: 02/20/2017. bottom paint removal and application of barrier coat.
Montgomery 17 Sailboat pictures, a collection of Montgomery 17 sailboats with specifications and photos. Montgomery 17 Sailboat Photo Gallery: Home: Lessons: Rentals: How To: Forums: ... 7/20/18, 1977 Montgomery 17, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, $3,980: 11/21/16, 1977 Montgomery 17, Stockton, Missouri, $4,600:
Updated August 19, 2024 at 2:31 a.m. EDT | Published August 18, ... a Chinese coast guard vessel attempted to stop a Philippine boat from reaching the Sabina Shoal, said Gan Yu, a spokesperson for ...
If you need help with the Public File, call (713) 778-4745. At KPRC, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and ...
Other players to watch include No. 8 qualifying seed of Serbia, who made the fourth round at Roland Garros in the spring; No. 27 Sara Bejlek, an 18-year-old from the Czech Republic who in 2022 was the youngest player in the US Open main draw; and 2016 US Open quarterfinalist Ana Konjuh, who is featuring at a major for the first time since the ...
August 18, 2024, 12:04 PM. Share This: share on facebook ... Montgomery County Fire and Rescue said that 43 families were displaced in the fire in the 12000 block of Clarksburg Square Road in ...
Bartow County, GA (August 19, 2024) - At the request of the Bartow County Sheriff's Office, GBI agents are investigating an officer involved shooting in Bartow County.Chris Cochran, age 60, of Adairsville, GA, was shot and killed in the incident. No officers were injured. On August 18, 2024, at about 4 p.m., Bartow County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a home on Wesley Mill Drive ...
Since 1969 Montgomery Marine Products has been quietly building the best vessels in their respective classes. One of these is the Montgomery 15 - a premium quality coastal mini-cruiser. She's a tough, seaworthy boat capable of braving severe weather conditions with safety and confidence and making moderate passages in speed and comfort.
Bids were issued at Bryant-Denny Stadium and the pledges then ran to their new houses on Sorority Row. UA has one of the largest Greek systems in the country, with more than 12,000 members as of ...
The Montgomery 15 pointed surprisingly well in the light stuff. Gradually, the wind increased and we slipped along easily, at 3.5 to 4 knots. The chop seemed to build up even faster than the wind, but the Montgomery stayed dry, its lapstrake hull cutting through the waves with a funny sawing sound.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has arrested a massage therapist following an investigation into a sexual assault incident at Oasis Massage Spa in The Woodlands. ... 18 warnings, 2 ...