BoatsLeisure Yachts 17

Leisure Yachts 17

Masthead Sloop · Twin keels · 1966–1996

A prolific twin-keel masthead sloop designed for shoal water, with thousands produced across three decades

Designed by Arhur C. Howard & Arthur C. Howard, built by Cobramold Ltd.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Twin Keel

See her sail

The Leisure Yachts 17, on the water

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

Footage from SEILmagasinet

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 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 0.65 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelyComfort 11Sea-kindly
CoastalCapsize 2.46Bluewater
LightD/L 240Heavy
EasygoingSA/D 18.3Powered-up
TenderBallast 37%Stiff

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.

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 cars13:53from SEILmagasinet
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?2:23from Practical Sailor

The family

Boats like this

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

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

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