BoatsSkipper 17 (Milne)

Skipper 17 (Milne)

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard (Trunk) · First built 1966

A Peter Milne-designed fractional sloop with a high power-to-weight ratio, produced in numerous variants until the 1990s

Designed by Peter Milne, built by Anderson.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard (Trunk)

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.96 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 318 kg of hull, so roughly 900 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 318 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 0.23 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 6 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 6
CoastalBluewater

At 2.89 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.89
LightHeavy

80 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 80
EasygoingPowered-up

30.5 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 30.5

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~81% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~76% of boats her size on file

Compared with 287 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
30.5
Displacement / length
80.0
Comfort ratio
5.6
Capsize screening
2.89
Hull speed
5.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
361
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard (Trunk)
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1966
Designer
Peter Milne
Builder
Anderson, Rigden, Perkins, Richmond Marine

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

Drascombe Dabber4.72 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA John Watkinson-designed sprit-rigged daysailer with a centerboard, built since 1970 for shallow-water versatility
Getting Underway - Portland to Boston23:16from The Mariner
RS 216.40 mSame hull family1.2 m longer
Training Sea Cadet Instructors | RS21 Keelboat Sailing – Welsh Harp1:37from City Sailing
RS Quest4.29 mSame hull family0.9 m shorterA 140kg fractional sloop with a centerboard trunk designed for stable, versatile training and family sailing
Sea Cadet National Sailing and Windsurfing Regatta 20250:48from City Sailing
Microtonner 195.50 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Nestor Volker to the International Micro Class rule for competitive racing
I Met the Man Who Puts Sailboats Inside the São Francisco River | #SAL #4256:23from Hashtag Sal
Dufour Yachts T66.15 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA lightweight 800kg fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance in light air
Who I am and why the sea is part of my life0:56from NAUTICPIOLI
Marshall Marine Corporation Sanderling5.54 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA gaff-rigged catboat based on a 1941 design, featuring a shallow-draft keel-centerboard hull for versatile day sailing
EP#370 Buying and Selling Boats with Chelle25:14from Sailing Into Oblivion

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.

Skipper 14A 4.24-metre multi-purpose dinghy featuring a sliding gunter rig and the capacity to mount a 6hp outboard motorSlipper 17A light, fractional sloop with a shallow draft and high sail area-to-displacement ratio, available in a flush deck variantSparrow 16A Ron Holder-designed fractional sloop with a shallow draft, originally launched as the Guppy 16.Sanibel 17/18A high-performance fractional sloop with a centerboard, evolved through multiple builders from the original Skippers MateSailstar Boats Pioneer 17A deluxe, heavy-duty fractional sloop featuring a fin keel and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Skipper 17 (Milne)

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