Design and Construction
At 17.33 feet overall, with a 15.20-foot waterline and a 6.92-foot beam, the Paceship 17 displaces just 525 pounds. Its minimalist construction includes a solid-fiberglass hull and deck but no cabin.
Known data specifies lead as the ballast material, though the boat carries no ballast for pure agility. Its buoyant planing hull allows quick acceleration in light breezes. The centerboard reduces draft to 0.67 feet when raised, making the boat easy to trailer and suitable for shallow-water exploration. Lowering the board increases draft to 4.16 feet for better windward grip.
This Canadian fiberglass daysailer was produced briefly through the late 1960s and remained a compact, purpose-built open boat.
Rig and Handling
The Paceship 17 carries a fractional sloop rig with aluminum spars and a responsive Bermuda mainsail-and-jib setup. Total sail area is 134 square feet. The 80.02-square-foot mainsail has a 17.25-foot luff and a 9-foot foot, while the jib measures 50.77 square feet with a 15-foot luff. A 152-square-foot spinnaker was available for downwind sailing.
With a hull speed of about 5.22 knots and typically no auxiliary engine, the boat depends on wind and paddle. Its priorities are light-air quickness, responsive handling, and trailerable simplicity.
Cockpit and Accommodations
There’s no cabin. Instead, the Paceship 17 has an expansive, self-bailing open cockpit with tiller steering and seating for up to four people. The layout is pure daysailer: roomy across its 6.92-foot beam, self-draining for capsize recovery, and free of enclosed shelter to keep the boat light and manageable both ashore and afloat.
The Verdict
The Paceship 17 is a focused little daysailer: a C&C-designed, trailerable centerboarder that trades ballast and a cabin for 525 pounds of agile planing performance and an open cockpit built for four. It suits sailors looking for quick acceleration in light air, simple rigging, and a boat they can haul home without drama.
Pros
- Lightweight, 525-pound trailerable centerboard dinghy
- Shallow 0.67-foot draft with the centerboard raised
- Buoyant planing hull that accelerates quickly in light breezes
- Expansive, self-bailing open cockpit with seating for up to four
- Fractional sloop rig with 134 square feet of sail and an optional spinnaker
Cons
- No ballast, limiting windward authority compared with ballasted keelboats
- Typically no auxiliary engine
- No cabin accommodations
