Dark Harbor 17 by BB Crowninshield
Like her smaller sister, a “Seventeen” is a pure sailing machine of great beauty, but she is enough larger to offer considerably more comfort through a larger cockpit well and a small cuddy cabin. Low freeboard combined with a wide, self-bailing cockpit well that seats you “down in” the boat, put you very close to the water. The lovely, slender hull lines, long ends, deep draft and large rig provide wonderfully sweet “feel” in this powerful, fast, wet, responsive and handy boat.
The beautiful round-front cabin trunk charmingly evokes the possibility of sleeping aboard, and indeed, some hardy souls have done extensive cruising in Seventeen’s. The cuddy is just big enough for two narrow berths, and has minimal headroom, but the cockpit well will sleep two people in fair comfort under a boom tent, if desired. Mostly the cuddy serves as storage space, shelter in a rain squall, and a bit of privacy when desired.
There are larger boats of similar character described elsewhere on our website, but a Seventeen is probably the smallest design that offers such a fine and elegant sailing experience. Seventeen’s are still raced in our area, and a test sail can usually be arranged during the season.