Dolphin 17 Explained

Dolphin 17
Designer:Glenn Corcorran and Murray Corcorran
Location:United States
Year:1970
No Built:740
Builder:Universal Plastic Products
Silverline Boats
Draft:4.25feet with centerboard down
Displacement:7250NaN0
Hull Type:Monohull
Construction:Fiberglass
Loa:16.75feet
Lwl:15feet
Beam:6feet
Keel Type:centerboard
Rudder Type:transom-mounted rudder
Rig Type:Bermuda rig
I:21.67feet
J:5.5feet
P:19.16feet
E:7feet
Sailplan:Masthead sloop
Sailarea Main:67.06square feet
Sailarea Headsail:59.59square feet
Sailarea Total:126.65square feet
D-Pn:97.8

The Dolphin 17 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Glenn Corcorran and Murray Corcorran and first built in 1970.[1] [2]

Production

The design was initially built by Universal Plastic Products, first in Houston, Texas, United States and later in Coffeyville, Kansas when the company relocated there. It was then built by Silverline Boats in Moorhead, Minnesota, although that company closed in 1980 and the design is now out of production. A total of 740 examples of the type were completed.[3] [2] [4]

Design

The Dolphin 17 is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, including a backstay, aluminum spars, a spooned raked stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung, kick-up fiberglass rudder controlled by a tiller with an extension and a retractable fiberglass centerboard. Unusually, the jib is not mounted to the forestay.[3] [2]

The boat has a draft of 4.25feet with the centerboard extended and 1.08feet with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer or car roof rack.[3]

For sailing the design is equipped with a self-bailing cockpit, a mainsheet traveler and a boom vang. There are three stowage lockers fitted, two on either side and one in the stern of the boat.[2]

The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 97.8 and is normally raced with a crew of two sailors.[2]

Variants

Dolphin 17
  • This open boat with a foredeck model displaces 7250NaN0 and carries 2000NaN0 of ballast.[3] [2]
    Dolphin 17C
  • This model is equipped with a cuddy cabin with a single window per side and displaces 8000NaN0 and carries 2000NaN0 of ballast.[3] [2]

    Operational history

    In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "in addition to the open design, there is a cabin model available. As might be expected, it is slightly heavier and has a reduced sail area. Capacity in either model is six adults; the cabin model sleeps two. The Dolphin 17 has covered storage on both sides of the mast, as well as aft storage."[2]

    See also

    Similar sailboats

    Notes and References

    1. News: 19 October 2022 . Murray Dale Corcorran . Madisonville Meteor.
    2. Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 80-81. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994.
    3. Web site: McArthur . Bruce . 2020 . Dolphin 17 sailboat . live . https://archive.today/20200922004424/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/dolphin-17 . 22 September 2020 . 21 September 2020 . sailboatdata.com.
    4. Web site: Silverline Boats (USA) 1967 - 1980 . 21 September 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://archive.today/20200804190903/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/silverline-boats-usa. 4 August 2020 . live.