Watkins 17
Description
The Watkins 17 (also known as the W17) is a small, lightweight fractional sloop daysailer designed by the Watkins brothers (Watkins Yacht and Marine, Inc.) and built by Watkins Yachts in Clearwater, Florida, from 1975 to 1981. Over 100 boats were produced, with most sold to a local Florida sailing club for one-design racing. It is a simple, trailerable fiberglass boat aimed at beginners, families, and club sailors, featuring a centerboard for shallow draft and basic cuddy cabin for minimal shelter or storage. The boat is known for its forgiving handling, light-air capability, and easy trailering, making it ideal for protected waters like lakes, bays, or calm coastal areas rather than offshore or heavy weather.
Construction Details
| Designer | Watkins Yacht and Marine, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Builder | Watkins Yachts (Fla) |
| Length | 17.000 ft |
| LOA | 17.000 ft |
| LWL | 15.830 ft |
| Beam | 6.420 ft |
| Displacement | 580 lb |
| Ballast | 90 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.500 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.580 ft |
| Year Built | 1975 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 16 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 7.33 ft |
| p | 18.50 ft |
| e | 8.67 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 ft | 7.33 ft | 18.50 ft | 8.67 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Watkins 17 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 18.5 ft - (5639 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 8.67 ft - (2643 mm) |
| Leech | * 19.96 ft - (6084 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 20.15 ft - (6142 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 82.9 ft² |
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Watkins 17 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 16.25 ft - (4953 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 7 ft - (2134 mm) |
| Leech | 14.25 ft - (4343 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 83.63 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 6.13 ft - (1868 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.3 ° |
| Area | * 49.78 ft² |
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Watkins 17 - GENOA
| Luff | * 16.72 ft - (5096 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 8.85 ft - (2697 mm) |
| Leech | * 17.1 ft - (5212 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 117.74 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 8.63 ft - (2630 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * -11.8 ° |
| Area | * 72.15 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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