Montgomery 17
# Montgomery 17

The Montgomery 17 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Lyle Hess as a pocket cruiser and daysailer and first built in 1973.

The boat was built in conventional cruiser and flush deck daysailer models.

## Production

The design was built by Montgomery Marine Products, Nor'Sea Yachts and Montgomery Boats in the United States, but it is now out of production.

## Design

The Montgomery 17 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a nearly-plumb stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller. Early boats had a fixed keel, while later ones had stub keel and swing keel combination. Early swing keels were 400 lb (181 kg) cast iron, later increased to 550 lb (249 kg) and finally a 600 lb (272 kg) fiberglass and lead board.

The boat has a draft of 3.50 ft (1.07 m) with the keel extended and 1.75 ft (0.53 m) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water or ground transportation on a trailer.

The boat is normally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp (2 to 4 kW) outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.

The conventional design has sleeping accommodation for three people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and a straight settee berth on the starboard side of the main cabin. The galley is located on the port side just forward of the companionway ladder. The galley is equipped with a two-burner stove and a sink. The head is located in the bow cabin, under the "V"-berth. Cabin headroom is 54 in (137 cm). In the late 1970s a factory option allowed installation of a fourth cabin berth in place of the galley

For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with a symmetrical spinnaker.

The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 294 and a hull speed of 5.3 kn (9.8 km/h).

## Variants

### Montgomery 17

    This model was designed by Lyle Hess and introduced in 1973. It has a length overall of 17.08 ft (5.2 m), a waterline length of 15.83 ft (4.8 m), displaces 1,400 lb (635 kg) and carries 400 to 600 lb (181 to 272 kg) of ballast. The boat has a draft of 3.50 ft (1.07 m) with the keel down and 1.75 ft (0.53 m) with it retracted.

### Montgomery 17 FD

    This flush deck model was designed by Lyle Hess and Gerry Montgomery and introduced in 1975. Only nine were built. It has a length overall of 17.08 ft (5.2 m), a waterline length of 15.83 ft (4.8 m), displaces 1,350 lb (612 kg) and carries 500 lb (227 kg) of ballast. The boat has a draft of 3.50 ft (1.07 m) with the swing keel down and 1.75 ft (0.53 m) with it retracted.

## Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote of the design, "best features: As with her little 15-foot sister [the Montgomery 15], we like her looks. She displays a good level of attention to detail in her construction, Worst features: With the same under body design as the Montgomery 15, compared to her comp[etitor]s she will have the same penalties. That is, she'll be harder to handle at the launching ramp and give poorer performance upwind."

