Leisure Yachts 17

BoatsLeisure Yachts 17

See her sail

The Leisure Yachts 17, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.13 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 670 kg of hull, so roughly 1,250 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 670 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draft shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draftDraws 0.65 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a beamy beam gives 11 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 11

CoastalBluewater

At 2.46 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.46

LightHeavy

240 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 240

EasygoingPowered-up

18.3 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.3

TenderStiff

37% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 37%

A balanced, easily-driven cruiser — comfortable and forgiving for coastal work.

Draws less than ~80% of boats her size on file

Compared with 180 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Leisure Yachts 17, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Leisure Yachts 17 is a 5.2-meter masthead sloop with a twin keel hull, designed by Arthur C. Howard and built by Cobramold Ltd. and Leisure Yachts from 1966 to 1996. It was the builder's first and most popular model, with an estimated 3,000 to 4,500 units produced, including some built in other parts of Europe. The boat has a 2.1-meter beam, a 0.7-meter draft, and displaces 670 kg. A fin keel variant was also available, with a draft of 0.97 meters.9:23

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

37.2%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

18.3

Displacement / length

239.8

Comfort ratio

11.5

Capsize screening

2.46

Hull speed

5.0 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

350

Hull

Hull type

Twin Keel

Construction

Fiberglass

Ballast type

Iron

Production

Years built

1966–1996

Units built

3400

Designer

Arhur C. Howard, Arthur C. Howard

Builder

Cobramold Ltd, Leisure Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Borge Bringsvaerd Bb116.18 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA Norwegian-built classic with an active class association that has raced continuously since the 1960s

Join us inside the Dragon's Lair: 11 Dragons and a handful of fast cars13:53 from SEILmagasinet

Abbott Boats Inc. Yngling6.35 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA 6.35-metre fractional sloop that served as the Olympic class for women sailors from 2004 through 2008

Kristian Nergaard - most medals in 202410:10 from SEILmagasinet

Marieholm Boats S-206.00 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA short-run 1970s fractional sloop with a fin keel and transom-hung rudder, designed for coastal agility

Bay Cruiser 21 – Sensibility with charm from SEILmagasinet

Santana 206.16 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop with a 1996 deck redesign that added an open transom and a roomier cockpit

Episode 1 - The Beginning10:05 from Vela Sin Rumbo

Allegro (Westell)6.32 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA John Westell-designed fractional sloop with twin keels, built for performance and shoal water access since 1956

Sailing Stockholm's Archipelago: Two girls, One dog and a New Boat Adventure! Part 1 SMAS E40:30 from See me at sea

Birdyfish S4.20 mSame hull family1.0 m shorterA 4.2-metre foiling monohull with a 100kg displacement and a high-performance Marconi cat rig

Can a Normal Sailor Actually Buy a Foiling Dinghy Now?2:23 from Practical Sailor

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Leisure Yachts 20A Horst E. Glacer-designed twin-keeler built for shoal-draft cruising and stability in a compact 20-foot package Leisure Yachts 23A 1972 Frank Pryor design featuring a heavy-displacement hull and a 0.81-meter draft for reliable shoal-water access

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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