YachtDatabase.com

Review of 717 One Design


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The 717 One Design aka 717 OD is a small sailboat designed by the maritime architect bureau Elvstrøm & Kjærulff in the early eighties. The 717 One Design is built by the Danish yard Mariager Bådeværft.

Here we would have liked to show you nice photos of the 717 One Design.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image

Looking for a new boat? Find a 717 One Design or similar boat for sale

Hull

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.
The hull is a double hull which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.
The deck is a double deck which improves the indoor climate.


Interior

The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.
The boat is equipped with 4 berths.

Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.


Rig

The 717 One Design is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.


Keel

Fin keel

The 717 One Design is equipped with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the difference between an iron keel and a lead keel can in reality be ignored for cruising yachts.

717 One Design can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.25 - 1.35 meter (4.10 - 4.40 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for 717 One Design is 3.13, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.3 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for 717 One Design is about 143 kg/cm, alternatively 804 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 143 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 804 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for 717 One Design is 7.2.

Low High 5% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 5% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for 717 One Design is 2.24.

Slim Wide 99% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 99% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for 717 One Design is 49%.

Low High 86% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 86% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly above average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for 717 One Design is 101 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

Heavy Light 92% 0 50 100
92% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for 717 One Design is 100

Slow Fast 100% 0 50 100
The relative speed performance is 100 which means that a it is faster than 100% of all similar sailboat designs.


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 22m2 (236 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.


Rig

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Jib sheet 7.2 m(23.5 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Genoa sheet7.2 m(23.5 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Mainsheet 17.9 m(58.8 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet15.8 m(51.8 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for 717 One Design it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References