Dolphin 17
Description
The Dolphin 17 is an American trailerable sailboat designed by brothers Glenn Corcorran and Murray Corcorran, first built in 1970 by Universal Plastic Products (initially in Houston, Texas, later relocated to Coffeyville, Kansas). Production continued under Silverline Boats (Moorhead, Minnesota) from around 1975 until about 1983, with a brief stint under Midwest Dolphin (Independence, Missouri) in 1982–1983. This recreational daysailer emphasizes simplicity, stability, and affordability, making it a popular choice for families or beginners on lakes, rivers, or sheltered coastal waters. With several hundred built, it bridges the gap between youth dinghies like the Dolphin Junior and larger open boats like the O'Day Day Sailer II, offering more room than the Dolphin Senior while remaining lightweight and easy to tow. A cuddy cabin variant, the Dolphin 17C, was also available for added shelter.
Construction Details
| Designer | Glen Corcorran |
|---|---|
| Builder | Silverline Boats |
| Length | 16.750 ft |
| LOA | 16.750 ft |
| LWL | 15.000 ft |
| Beam | 6.000 ft |
| Displacement | 725 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.250 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.670 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 21.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 5.50 ft |
| p | 19 ft |
| e | 7 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.50 ft | 5.50 ft | 19 ft | 7 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 19 ft - (5791 mm) |
| Foot | * 7 ft - (2134 mm) |
| Leech | * 19.86 ft - (6053 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 20.02 ft - (6102 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 3.5 in - (89 mm) |
| Area | * 68.89 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Foot | 8 ft - (2438 mm) |
| Leech | 19 ft - (5791 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 137.64 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 7.57 ft - (2307 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.53 ° |
| Area | * 75.74 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 21.24 ft - (6474 mm) |
| Foot | * 8.69 ft - (2649 mm) |
| Leech | * 20.27 ft - (6178 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 8.25 ft - (2515 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.04 ° |
| Area | * 87.63 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Foot | 8 ft - (2438 mm) |
| Leech | 19 ft - (5791 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 137.64 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 7.57 ft - (2307 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.53 ° |
| Area | * 75.74 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 21.24 ft - (6474 mm) |
| Foot | * 9.07 ft - (2765 mm) |
| Leech | * 19.54 ft - (5956 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 144 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 21.24 ft - (6474 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 9.9 ft - (3018 mm) |
| Foot | * 9.9 ft - (3018 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 179 ft² |
| Sail Type | STORMJIB |
|---|---|
| Luff | 12.5 ft - (3810 mm) |
| Foot | 4 ft - (1219 mm) |
| Leech | 10.75 ft - (3277 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 3.3 ft - (1006 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 20.29 ° |
| Area | * 20.6 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.