Penobscot 17
Description
The Penobscot 17 is a classic glued-lapstrake plywood daysailer and camp-cruiser designed by Arch Davis (of Arch Davis Designs, Belfast, Maine, USA), introduced as a plans-built wooden boat emphasizing simplicity, versatility, beauty, and excellent performance under both sail and oars. It features a traditional aesthetic with a sweeping sheer, wineglass transom, and options for multiple rigs (including gunter sloop, cat-ketch, schooner, sprit rig, or balanced lug), a centerboard (or daggerboard in some builds), and no ballast keel—relying on form stability, beam, and crew weight. The hull is constructed from marine plywood planking on fore-and-aft stringers for lightweight strength and ease of homebuilding, with many examples finished bright (varnished) for classic appeal. It's renowned for tracking well (thanks to a substantial skeg), rowing efficiently, shallow draft for beaching/exploration, and comfortable sailing in coastal/inland waters—often praised in reviews (e.g., Small Boats Magazine) as ideal for island-hopping, where sails can be dropped quickly to row ashore. Accommodations are minimal (cockpit-focused with potential for two berths under a tent or boom tent for camping), seating up to 4 comfortably for daysailing.
Construction Details
| Designer | Arch Davis |
|---|---|
| Builder | Home Built |
| Length | 17.000 ft |
| LOA | 17.000 ft |
| LWL | 15.670 ft |
| Beam | 5.330 ft |
| Displacement | 600 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.790 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 71.20 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 22.60 ft |
| p | 62.40 ft |
| e | 19 ft |
| p2 | 39.33 ft |
| e2 | 11.50 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71.20 ft | 22.60 ft | 62.40 ft | 19 ft | 39.33 ft | 11.50 ft | - | - |
Sails
Penobscot 17 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 11.167 ft - (3404 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Leech | * 13.91 ft - (4240 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 85 ° |
| Diagonal | * 14.02 ft - (4273 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 2 in - (51 mm) |
| Area | * 53.71 ft² |
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Penobscot 17 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 12.67 ft - (3862 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 6.58 ft - (2006 mm) |
| Leech | 11 ft - (3353 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.71 ft - (1740 mm) |
| Area | * 36.18 ft² |
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Penobscot 17 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 8 ft - (2438 mm) |
| Leech | 11.75 ft - (3581 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 7.12 ft - (2170 mm) |
| Area | * 46.27 ft² |
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Penobscot 17 - GUNTER
| Luff | 6.33 ft - (1929 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Leech | 18.5 ft - (5639 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 85.56 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 11 ft - (3353 mm) |
| Head | 11.25 ft - (3429 mm) |
| Area | * 82.28 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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