Established

1968

Storm 17

Length: 16ft 7ins (5.1m) Beam: 6ft (1.85M) Weight: 563lbs/256kg

A Boat Built to Travel

The Storm 17 family dayboat has space for up to 6 people.  She is easily trailered behind the average family car and has plenty of essential stowage space.  Her easily driven double-ended hull form makes her eminently row-able.  Provision for a samll engine (2-3hp long shaft) in a dedicated well means you can sail with peace of mind knowing you have two other power options should the wind die.

A Boat for the Family

She can seat a large family and has an optional folding spray hood which provides useful shelter for the crew if the weather turns bad.  There are substantial amounts of storage room in hatches under her foredeck and the deck themselves are in set a few inches so any items placed on them will not be lost overboard.  An optional watertight storage hatch is available which is useful for camera, phones and other items that must be kept dry at all cost.  A coaming runs right round the cockpit providing a comfortable backrest for all, and the high boom means that no head will get hit.

Surprising Performance

With two aboard the Storm 17 averages at 7.1 knots in a force 4.  She easily out sails many traditional style boats of her type and while she was never intended as an out and out racer, no one ever said it was more fun to go slowly than fast!  As an optional extra, a roller furling asymmetric spinnaker that really adds to her speed, especially in light winds.

A Versatile Rig

Storm 17's standard rig is a gunter ketch. The most obvious benefit is the easy way in which the rig can be tamed by the dropping the mainsail.  If conditions worsen while you are out, then simply release the halyard and the main sail and yard drop into the boat.  Perfectly balanced under Jib and Mizzen, she transforms into a benign, upright and reassuring craft, a very useful feature if you have reluctant crew on board.

Safe and Seaworthy

Her hull has expanded foam buoyancy under the seats and in a bow compartment.  The inner molding is entirely open and water anywhere in the boat will drain to the cockpit flow where you can see it, not hidden under a floor.  Her hollow sealed spars mean that a 180 degree inversion is very unlikely and she can be righted easily.  She has passed the EU RCD tests for category C (inshore).