Sanibel 17/18 (Skipper's Mate)
Description
The Sanibel 17 (often grouped or marketed as the Sanibel 17/18) is a classic American trailerable pocket cruiser/day sailer, originally derived from the Skipper's Mate design. It was built in the 1980s by various Florida-based companies, including Southern Sails Inc. (as Skipper's Mate), Commodore Yacht Corp. (as Commodore 17), Captiva Yachts (as Sanibel 17/18), and later International Marine. Designed by Charles Ludwig (with some sources noting the original roots as unknown or evolved), it's named after the Florida island/region and known for its surprising interior space in a compact hull, shallow draft for beaching, and versatility as a family daysailer, camp cruiser, or beginner boat. It's a fiberglass monohull with a centerboard (or daggerboard in some descriptions), fractional sloop rig, and open interior layout (no intrusive trunk, good for sleeping arrangements on the berths). Owners praise its huge cabin volume for its size (sleeps 2 adults comfortably, or family with kids in a pinch), ability to beach easily, and decent light-wind performance—though it's noted as initially tippy before stiffening up, compared to keelboats like the Montgomery 17.
Construction Details
| Designer | Charles Ludwig |
|---|---|
| Builder | Southern Sails Inc. (US) |
| Length | 17.000 ft |
| LOA | 17.880 ft |
| LWL | 15.060 ft |
| Beam | 7.800 ft |
| Displacement | 1369 lb |
| Ballast | 450 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 1.000 ft |
| Year Built | 1985 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 18.75 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 6 ft |
| p | 20 ft |
| e | 9 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18.75 ft | 6 ft | 20 ft | 9 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Sanibel 17/18 (Skipper's Mate) - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Leech | * 21.49 ft - (6550 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 21.64 ft - (6596 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 93.636 ft² |
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Sanibel 17/18 (Skipper's Mate) - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 7.95 ft - (2423 mm) |
| Leech | * 13.67 ft - (4167 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.9 ft - (2103 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 54.34 ft² |
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Sanibel 17/18 (Skipper's Mate) - GENOA
| Luff | * 18.71 ft - (5703 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 9.69 ft - (2954 mm) |
| Leech | * 17.59 ft - (5361 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | * 84.18 ft² |
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Sanibel 17/18 (Skipper's Mate) - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 18.71 ft - (5703 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 9.9 ft - (3018 mm) |
| Leech | * 17.21 ft - (5246 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 138.92 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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