Design and Construction
The Paceship 17 embodies minimalistic construction sans cabin, a solid-fiberglass hull and deck with lead specified as the ballast material in the known data, though the boat carries no ballast for pure agility. Her buoyant planing hull enables quick acceleration in light breezes, and the centerboard pivots to a board-up draft of 0.67 feet for easy trailing and shallow exploration, extending to 4.16 feet board-down for better windward grip. The Canadian fiberglass daysailer package was produced briefly through the late 1960s, keeping the design a compact, purpose-built open boat.
Rig and Handling
A fractional sloop rig with aluminum spars and a responsive Bermuda mainsail/jib setup defines the Paceship 17, totaling 134 square feet of sail area. The mainsail measures 80.02 square feet on a 17.25-foot luff and 9-foot foot, paired with a 50.77-square-foot jib on a 15-foot luff, and a 152-square-foot spinnaker available for downwind work. With a hull speed of about 5.22 knots and no auxiliary engine typically fitted, she depends on wind and paddle, rewarding light-air quickness and trailerable simplicity in equal measure.
Accommodations
There is no cabin; instead the Paceship 17 offers an expansive self-bailing open cockpit seating up to four with tiller steering. The layout is pure daysailer — roomy across a 6.92-foot beam, self-draining for capsize recovery, and stripped of enclosed shelter so the boat stays light and easy to manage ashore or afloat.
The Verdict
The Paceship 17 is a focused little daysailer: a C&C-designed, trailerable centerboarder that trades ballast and cabin for 525 pounds of agile planing performance and an open cockpit built for four. She suits sailors who want quick light-air acceleration, simple rigging, and a boat they can haul home without drama.
Pros
- Lightweight 525-pound trailerable centerboard dinghy with 0.67-foot board-up draft
- Buoyant planing hull for quick acceleration in light breezes
- Expansive self-bailing open cockpit seats up to four
- Fractional sloop rig with 134 sq ft of sail and optional spinnaker
Cons
- No ballast, so limited windward authority compared to ballasted keelboats
- Typically no auxiliary engine
- No cabin accommodation
