BoatsSailstar Boats Explorer 17

Sailstar Boats Explorer 17

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1960

A high-performance fractional centerboard dinghy designed by Robert Baker to rival the O'Day Daysailer

Designed by Talman Bigelow & Robert H. Baker.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.93 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 295 kg of hull, so roughly 900 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 295 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.18 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 5 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 5
CoastalBluewater

At 2.93 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.93
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 74
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 33.1

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

  • Heavier than ~90% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~80% of boats her size on file

Compared with 306 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
33.1
Displacement / length
74.3
Comfort ratio
5.3
Capsize screening
2.93
Hull speed
5.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
356
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1960
Designer
Talman Bigelow, Robert H. Baker
Builder
Sailstar Boats

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.

Klepper Cadet5.40 mSame hull family0.2 m longer
We're off to Greece to see our NEW BOAT! 😍 Road trip, catamaran & sailing dinghy22:21from Eternal Sailing
O'Day Daysailer5.11 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1956 centreboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio that remains in production today
Boat Shop Windows4:54from kentblairl
Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes
Rio to Polynesia on a 25-Foot Boat, the Journey that Changed Sailing in Brazil Forever | #SAL #368:16from Hashtag Sal
LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
From Olympic drama to flying motorboats: Petter Mørland Pedersen in "Peiling på Seiling"11:34from SEILmagasinet
MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA high-performance Olympic skiff featuring the 49er hull paired with a specialised rig tailored for lighter crews
Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland showed strength in the first World Cup of the year.2:03from SEILmagasinet
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family1.1 m shorterA Hubert Vandestadt-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively, responsive sailing
Our Boat Got Stolen 😡… So We Built a New One (in just ONE Week)from WhiteSpotPirates

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Sailstar Boats Pioneer 17A deluxe, heavy-duty fractional sloop featuring a fin keel and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratioSailstar Boats Defender 17An open-cockpit, fractional-rigged centerboard dinghy designed as an economy version of the Explorer 17Discoverer 18A lightweight 1966 fractional centerboard dinghy designed by Joseph V. Puccia with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratioSailstar Boats Orion 19Fractional Sloop · 5.79 m

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 Sailstar Boats Explorer 17

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