Ptarmigan 17
Description
The Ptarmigan 17 is a versatile pocket cruiser designed by British naval architect Paul Fisher of Selway-Fisher Design in the early 1990s (over 30 years ago, originally for a client seeking a capable trailerable explorer). It's an extended version of the popular Ptarmigan 15, stretching the hull to 17 feet for enhanced interior space and payload while retaining the "U"-shaped midsection with tumblehome for stability and dryness. Ideal for solo or couple overnights, day sailing, or coastal/lake adventures, it emphasizes simplicity, seaworthiness, and amateur buildability. Construction options include stitch-and-tape plywood (easier for beginners) or glued-lapstrake for a traditional clinker look. Rig choices: balanced lug catboat (simple, single sail) or yawl (better balance for downwind). With its low weight and compact cabin, it's trailerable behind a midsize car, sleeps two comfortably (or three snugly), and feels stable—not tippy—making it forgiving for novices yet capable in breezes up to 20 knots.
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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.