Klipper 17 Buyer's Guide
The Klipper 17 is a fiberglass pocket cruiser that Starboard Yacht Co. produced in the United States from 1981 through 1991, after which the tooling lineage moved on to the Seaward Fox. On the used market it appears as a 16.83-foot monohull with a shoal fin keel or keel-centerboard option, a tiller-steered transom rudder, and a fractional sloop rig that could be ordered with a catboat rig instead. For a shopper, the appeal is a light 1,250-pound hull that trails easily and offers four berths below.
Layouts on the Used Market
Klipper 17 boats divide mainly by keel configuration: the fixed shoal fin keel or the keel-and-centerboard version, the latter giving a touch more versatility in very thin water. Below, every example should show a double V-berth forward, two settee berths in the main cabin, a galley split to both sides just aft of the bow with a port sink, and a head centered under the V-berth. The compact plan means condition of the wood trim and cushions matters more than layout variation, since the accommodation was standardized.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Because no equipment summary is available, buyers should expect only period-basic equipment and treat any electronics or canvas as owner-added. The most consequential upgrades to verify are a modern trailer suited to the 1,250-pound displacement, a roller furling headsail for the fractional sloop, and a small outboard bracket if the owner sailed without auxiliary power. Solar charging and a VHF are useful but not original; judge each as a bonus rather than a baseline.
What to Inspect
The early production years carried a rudder with too little area for quick maneuverability, so inspect the tiller and transom-hung rudder on any 1981–era hull for signs of later enlargement or replacement undersized early rudder. Testers also flagged that the shallow draft — in either keel or centerboard form — gives insufficient upwind performance, which is not a defect but a design limit to confirm against your sailing grounds. Check the wood trim for rot where it meets fiberglass, since the boat was built with wood accents over a solid glass hull.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Klipper 17 are not regionally specified in available records, so seek it through general used-boat channels rather than a single coast. For the buyer, the short checklist is: confirm keel type matches your water, inspect early rudder size, verify trailer condition, and accept the modest windward ability as inherent. A clean, lightly used example remains a low-cost entry to trailerable cruising.