Despite her modest dimensions, she displaces 3,800 pounds on a 17-foot-3-inch waterline. That makes her heavy for a boat of this size, shaping both how she sails and what she asks of an owner.
Design and Construction
The Adams 17 is a wood-planked, solid-hull monohull with a fin keel. Her recorded ballast is zero pounds against a displacement of 3,800 pounds, for a listed ballast-to-displacement ratio of 0 percent.
She draws 4 feet 6 inches and has a beam of just 6 feet, proportions that are narrow even among other small cruisers from the immediate post-war era. Her displacement-to-length ratio of 330.50 and comfort ratio of 26.94 describe a short, heavy hull whose motion depends more on mass than agility.
A capsize screen of 1.54 and excellent righting capability if capsized point to a hull that recovers well once overturned, despite not being stiff on its feet in normal sailing.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The fractional sloop rig carries 253 square feet of sail at 100 percent. This comprises a 172.94-square-foot mainsail and a 119.47-square-foot foretriangle. Rig dimensions are I 30.83 feet, J 7.75 feet, P 27.67, and E 12.50.
With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.67, she is a reasonably good performer for her type. The same authority notes that she isn’t stiff and is best suited to coastal cruising. Her calculated hull speed is 5.57 knots, consistent with her short waterline and heavy displacement rather than any expectation of offshore speed.
Accommodations and Equipment
No cabins, berths, heads, water capacity, or headroom are listed for the Adams 17. The single engine noted in the record carries zero horsepower, and no fuel capacity is given.
These specifications describe an open or minimally partitioned daysailer-coastal hull rather than a camp-cruiser with enclosed quarters. Its appeal lies in the deck and cockpit rather than the space below. With only thirty boats built during 1946–1947, any surviving example comes from a very small, early production series.
Known Issues and Ownership Considerations
The absence of ballast in the specifications, combined with the statement that the boat isn’t stiff, means her low initial stability is a design condition rather than degradation. A buyer or sailor should expect her to heel readily and recover through her righting moment, not through lead carried low in the keel.
The wood-planked construction and solid hull have no named failure mode unique to this model.
The Verdict
The Quincy Adams 17 is a curious and scarce post-war wooden sloop: heavy for her length, narrow in beam, unballasted according to the record, and built in tiny numbers. She is first and foremost a coastal sailor. Her fractional rig provides reasonable performance, and her capsize-recovery characteristics inspire confidence in sheltered water, even as her lack of stiffness discourages pushing her hard.
As a collectible example of the work of Quincy Adams Yacht Yard and Fred Goeller, she suits an owner who values rarity and wooden-boat stewardship more than interior volume or modern convenience.
Pros
- Excellent righting capability if capsized
- Reasonably good performance from the fractional sloop rig
- Very scarce, with only thirty built during 1946–1947
Cons
- Not stiff; heels readily, with no ballast reported
- No cabins, berths, heads, or water capacity listed
- Best limited to coastal cruising by her design and proportions
