Sovereign 17
Description
The Sovereign 17 is an American trailerable sailboat designed as a compact daysailer and pocket cruiser, suitable for solo or family use on small lakes, bays, or coastal waters. It features a fiberglass monohull with a fin keel and transom-hung rudder (some with centerboard) for stable, responsive handling, a narrow beam for easy trailering, and a fractional sloop rig for light-air performance and simplicity. The design prioritizes portability with a low displacement/length ratio for quick acceleration and a moderate ballast ratio for stiffness in gusts, though it's slightly underpowered in heavier winds. The Sovereign 17 was designed by the Sovereign Design Group and first built in 1980 by Custom Fiberglass Products in the United States. It emerged during the late 1970s trailerable sailboat boom, targeting beginners and recreational sailors with its lightweight, easy-to-launch construction. Production was limited (exact numbers unknown, but low-volume), ending in the mid-1980s. The hull shares tooling with related models like the Sovereign 23 and Adventurer 17, emphasizing affordability and fun in protected waters. Reviews from the era noted its "surprising capability in a small package"
Construction Details
| Designer | Sovereign Design Group |
|---|---|
| Builder | Custom Fiberglass Products |
| Length | 17.000 ft |
| LOA | 17.000 ft |
| LWL | 14.500 ft |
| Beam | 7.000 ft |
| Displacement | 1350 lb |
| Ballast | 625 lb |
| Max Draft | 1.830 ft |
| Year Built | 1980 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 17.33 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 6.16 ft |
| p | 16.16 ft |
| e | 7.75 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.33 ft | 6.16 ft | 16.16 ft | 7.75 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Sovereign 17 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 16.16 ft - (4926 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 7.75 ft - (2362 mm) |
| Leech | * 17.51 ft - (5337 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 17.68 ft - (5389 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 3.5 in - (89 mm) |
| Area | * 64.66 ft² |
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Sovereign 17 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 14.71 ft - (4484 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 8.31 ft - (2533 mm) |
| Leech | * 12.55 ft - (3825 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 114.94 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 7.08 ft - (2158 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.99 ° |
| Area | * 52.08 ft² |
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Sovereign 17 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 5.83 ft - (1777 mm) |
| Leech | 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 81.17 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5 ft - (1524 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.4 ° |
| Area | * 37.49 ft² |
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Sovereign 17 - GENOA
| Luff | * 17.47 ft - (5325 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10.08 ft - (3072 mm) |
| Leech | * 16.31 ft - (4971 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 9.24 ft - (2816 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.99 ° |
| Area | * 80.71 ft² |
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Sovereign 17 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 17.47 ft - (5325 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10.16 ft - (3097 mm) |
| Leech | * 16.07 ft - (4898 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 133 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
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.