Slipper 17 Explained

Slipper 17
Designer:Nick Hake
Location:United States
Year:1981
Builder:Starboard Yacht Company
Hake Yachts
Role:Cruiser
Draft:1.58feet
Displacement:12500NaN0
Hull Type:monohull
Construction:fiberglass
Loa:16.83feet
Lwl:14.83feet
Beam:8feet
Engine:outboard motor
Keel Type:fin keel
Ballast:4250NaN0
Rudder Type:transom-mounted rudder
Rig Type:Bermuda rig
Sailplan:fractional rigged sloop
Sailarea Total:150square feet
Successor:Seaward Fox

The Slipper 17 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Nick Hake as a pocket cruiser and first built in 1981.[1] [2]

The Slipper 17 design was developed into the Seaward Fox in 1993.[1] [2]

Production

The design was built by the Starboard Yacht Company in the United States from 1981 until 1991, but it is now out of production. The company and production was later taken over by Hake Yachts.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Design

The Slipper 17 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig or optional catboat rig, a nearly plumb stem, a slightly angled transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed shoal draft fin keel or keel and centerboard. It displaces 12500NaN0 and carries 4250NaN0 of ballast.[1] [2] [5]

The boat has a draft of 1.58feet with the standard fixed keel, while the centerboard-equipped version has a draft of 2.58feet with the centerboard extended and 1.58feet with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, or ground transportation on a trailer.[1] [2] [5]

The boat is normally fitted with a small 3to outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.[5]

The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. The galley is located on both sides just aft of the bow cabin. The galley is equipped with a sink to port. The head is located in the bow cabin, centered aft, under the "V"-berth. Cabin headroom is 510NaN0.[1] [2] [5]

The design has a hull speed of 5.2kn.[5]

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "Nick Hake started Starboard Yacht Company in 1979 with the cute little Slipper 17. Over the years the dimensions varied a bit, and so did the rig (cat or sloop), the deck configuration (deckhouse or flush deck) and the name of the builder (Starboard, Seaward, Hake Yachts) but with Nick Hake always in control ... Best features: Relatively wide beam gives her more space inside compared to her comp[etitor]s. She was available over the years in several different layouts, including two-berth, three-berth, and ... four-berth model ... (Two berths is probably the maximum most sailors would want to try, except for those with very small children.) Worst features: The early models had a rudder with too little area for quick manueverability ... Shallow draft, whether in the plain keel model (1' 7" draft, shown here) or the centerboarder, is insufficient for good upwind performance. Sail area is on the low side ..."[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Slipper 17 sailboat . 5 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2021. https://archive.today/20220203152921/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/slipper-17. 3 February 2022. live.
  2. Web site: Slipper 17. 5 February 2022. Sea Time Tech, LLC. sailboat.guide. 2021. https://archive.today/20220205175748/https://sailboat.guide/hake/slipper-17. 5 February 2022. live.
  3. Web site: Hake Yachts (Seaward). 5 February 2022. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2022. https://archive.today/20200913155728/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/hake-yachts-seaward. 13 September 2020. live.
  4. Web site: Hake Yachts (Seaward). 5 February 2022. Sea Time Tech, LLC. sailboat.guide. 2022. https://archive.today/20220203140911/https://sailboat.guide/hake. 3 February 2022. live.
  5. Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 59. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010.