The Hobie 17 is an American
catamaran that was designed by
John Wake as a single-handed racer and first built in 1985.
The design was accepted as an
International Sailing Federation International class International Class is a status that the World Sailing grants, in exchange for fees of various kinds, to sailing boat classes that offered a “high standard of international competitive sailing” and satisfy a number of criteria regarding the num ...
in 1990.
Production
The design was built by
Hobie Cat
Hobie Cat is a company that manufactures sailing catamarans, surfboards, sailboats, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and pedalboards as the Hobie Cat Company. It was founded in 1961 by Hobart Alter, who originally manufactured surfboards. Its li ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
from 1985 until 2004-2005, but it is now out of production.
Design
The Hobie 17 is a recreational
sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminolo ...
, built predominantly of
polyester fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
with a foam sandwich core. It has a
catboat
A catboat (alternate spelling: cat boat) is a sailboat with a single sail on a single mast set well forward in the bow of a very beamy and (usually) shallow draft hull. Typically they are gaff rigged, though Bermuda rig is also used. Most are fi ...
rig or optional
sloop rig, with a rotating mast. The dual hulls each have nearly
plumb stem
The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively.
Description
The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up t ...
s, vertical
transoms, transom-hung
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...
s controlled by a
tiller
A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...
and retractable
centerboards. The boat initially was designed to displace and can be equipped with a
trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...
.
The design has a draft of with the centerboard extended and with it retracted, allowing
beaching or ground transportation on a
trailer.
The boat has a beam of , but can be equipped with hiking/trapezing "wings", giving a beam of .
Early versions were delivered at the weight, but suffered durability issues and the hulls were thickened, giving a weight of .
Variants
;Hobie 17
:The base model is
cat rigged
A boat or yacht that is Cat-rigged has a single mast, stepped well forward, carrying a single fore and aft sail, behind the mast. A boat that is cat-rigged can also be described as having a Una rig.
Laser dinghies are cat-rigged, as are Finn ...
and designed to be sailed by one person. The design has a
Portsmouth Yardstick
The Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) or Portsmouth handicap scheme is a term used for a number of related systems of empirical handicapping used primarily in small sailboat racing.
The handicap is applied to the time taken to sail any course, and the han ...
racing average handicap of 74.0.
;Hobie 17 Sport
:This model has a
jib
A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsail ...
and a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 74.5.
Operational history
Upon introduction the boat immediately became a commercial success and racing fleets were quickly started in North America, Europe and Australia.
The ''International Hobie Class Association'' describes the boat's sailing characteristics: "the 17 is a heavy air machine. The added leverage of the wings for trapezing makes the 17 go upwind like no other catamaran, and the main is easily depowered with a 6:1 downhaul, the mast rotator, 2:1 outhaul and a 7:1 mainsheet. Downwind, the boat is pitchpole resistant (not “proof”) and a bit underpowered, which makes working the waves a high priority. Downwind, the boat is sailed at 90° to the apparent wind. The 17 is uncomfortable to race in under 7 knots of breeze, since most of the time you'll be sitting on the forward wing tube. Weight is kept as far forward as possible while keeping the bow tips out of waves and to keep from pitchpoling. In very light air downwind, racers will often stand out on the bow, holding on to the bridle wire to keep the sterns out of the water. Raising the windward rudder downwind is a common practice."
See also
*
List of sailing boat types
Similar sailboats
*
Catalina Catamaran
The Catalina Catamaran is an American catamaran sailboat that was designed by W. D. Schock Corp's in-house designer, Seymour Paul, as a racer and day sailer, It was first built in 1960.
Production
The design was built by W. D. Schock Corp in ...
*
Nacra 5.2
References
External links
Official support webpage
{{Sailing dinghies and skiffs
Catamarans
Dinghies
1980s sailboat type designs
Sailing yachts
Sailboat type designs by John Wake
Sailboat types built by Hobie Cat