17 or 17 sport

if i am occasionally going to have a light crew aboard is there a noticable difference between a 17 and a 17 sport.

Difference?

The boats are identical except for the jib on the sport.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

And the 17 sport only has the boomlet, instead of the full boom. To make it easier for the crew to get to the other side..

Since the 17 boom is so low to the tramp forward.

Brent

Comparing my 1986 H17 to my newer 02 Sport, I have seen the following differences in addition to those mentioned above.

- Sport has plastic rudder and centerboards. 1986 has epoxy/glass blades.

- Sport: Has no mast rotation control

I wonder if the newer H17 (non sport) has plastic blades and no rotation control.

Danny
H17 Sport/SE
San Jose, CA

The 17 SE has a mast rotation control - it's part of the class rules.

The centerboards have always been fiberglass. Plastic is too weak to use, especially at the forward pivot hook.

Stock rudders may be plastic, but most of the racers have gone to the new EPO's (or re-drilled old EPO's for 17's)

On a glance, I thought my 02 Sport had plastic centerboards. I know the Rudders were plastic, which I replaced with EPOs from a 1986.

Are there three 17 models? 1.) Sport 2.) SE; and 3.) regular.

Why I ask is that it seems that the SE is a racer, the Sport is a recreational for two, and logic suggests another model for recreational single hand.

Note: I tried my Sport without the jib, it's a real yawn. I am looking forward to going out with a boom and rotation control!

Danny
H17 Sport / SE
San Jose, CA

There is a new difference now between new and less than new 17 sports. Let me digress; I have a 2000 sport that recently flipped during a wind storm while parked on the beach (bare mast). The mast broke in half and the front cross beam cracked near both hulls. When the new replacements arrived from Hobie, the new front cross beam came with the integrated track, like that on the new 16s. Always looking to upgrade, I bought the integrated jib track cars made for the 16 (ones for the 17 are not available yet), a couple of cheek blocks, bungy, control line, fabricated some car stops and combined with my current Jib cleats (used now as jib car controllers) cobbled together a nice jib track system allowing me to control the jib sheet position from anywhere on the boat. The integrated track H16 jib cars did need a little tweeking for the 17, I raised the cleating angle 5 degrees with a wedge (easier to cleat/uncleat from the wing) and also decreased the fixed cleating side angle by about half. I have only had the boat out a couple of times since the repairs/upgrade, but have already noticed the difference when on a reach to any other point further off the wind.

Guys:

I have found a big improvement from the stock jib. I have added a 60 sq ft reacher. Here are pics and where the blocks where moved to. I am using small hexarachets. BIG improvement!!!

http://www.thebeachcats.com/modules.php ... _album.php


Doug

Doug, is that the same reacher captioned as 190 sqft? I can see that a 60 sqft would definately out class the 32 sqft stock jib down wind and reaching in lighter winds. Where I sail, Wallula Gap and the Columbia Gorge, the winds tend to be on the brisk side and I'm not too sure I would be able to make much use of it (I have to furl my stock jib about half of the time to keep from being overpowered). However, I am interest in the pentax square top you also sport. How long have you had it and does it seem to stand up well with heavy use?

Fastcat:

Yea I was given miss info on size of reacher. The 60 sq ft you furl to weather in 12 knots and up. BUT off the wind it is a HOT. Make a BIG difference over stock. I have had the Pentex squaretop for 4 years and it is holding up great. BUT I store it inside and not in my sailbox, same for the reacher. Here is album with some of the changes I have made:

http://www.thebeachcats.com/modules.php ... _album.php

Doug