Evolution of the Skipper 17
Article By Burt Revell
Skipper 17
This is a story that evolved over 45 years , from the late 1960s until 2003 when production ended. For more details and magazine articles about the Skipper 17 see http://skipper17.awardspace.info/The Skipper 17, designed by Peter Milne started out as a 17 ft dayboat with a huge cockpit capable of holding six to eight adults . A crew of four adults could sit comfortably side by side or the boat could easily be singlehanded in safety with its reasonable sail area and 150 pound centerplate. The boat weighed 780 lbs. , had a beam of 6 ft. 5 inches and a draft with the board up of 9 inches.
Skipper's Mate
In the early 70s a bulbous cuddy was added with room for a portapottie. This boat was dubbed the Skipper Mate and not many were sold.
In 1972 a more attractive cabin was designed with room for overnighting
two adults and perhaps two small children. This version retained the
single centerplate which took up a lot of the cabin room. Early
versions had a fixed entrance cover to the cabin with a sliding hatch
adder later on. By this time the weight had increased to 904 lbs.
including 100 pounds of ballast inside the hull.
Skipper Mariner
In the late 1970s the boat was renamed the Skipper Mariner and the single 3/4 inch retractable steel centreplate was replaced with twin 3/8 inch retractable steel bilge plates. The plates were easier to raise, weighing only 75 lbs. each and could now be raised and lowered from the cockpit. Removing the centerplate case from the cabin greatly increased the room. There was a comfortable 35 inches of headroom above the seats and room for a portapottie under the vee berth. The Skipper Mariner weighed 960 lbs.
A version with fixed bilge keels didn't sell well mainly because it was
more difficult to trailer.
In 1985 The Mk II was introduced with larger windows, a moulding for the
cabin side and headlining, new graphics for the hull, revised hand rails
on the cabin roof, and a black anodised mast and boom. The transom had a
V-shaped dropped portion for the tiller, replacing the previous slot
which was not entirely weathertight. More importantly, she now had
spreaders for the cap shrouds, the latter being plated to the toe rail
instead of the cabin sides, so that the jib was now sheeted inside the
shrouds. She also had an optional cruising chute. The Mark II weighed
1,000 lbs.
Eagle 525
In 1992 production of the Skipper 17 ceased and the moulds were sold to Moreton Marine Products who renamed the boat the Eagle 525 and made their own modifications including a well in the cockpit for an outboard. Extra ballast was added and a tabernacle and an A Frame mast raising gear became standard. In 1999 even more ballast was added and the sail area increased. By this time the boat weighed 1400 lbs.
Update: Hi Shorty,
I started a new Yahoo Group for the Skipper 17 https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/skipper17sailboatUSA/info in hopes of finding boats here in the U.S.
I'm still digging and found that KMS Marine (Komanche Super Boats) of Edwardburg, Michigan built some of the Skipper 17s. You can see the Manufacturer's Plate in the ad for the dayboat in Muskegon.
Connecting the dots. You have on file a Skipper 17 'Proper Pint' built by Link Leisure of Edwardsburg, MI and the one for sale in Muskegon was built by KMS Marine of Edwardsburg, MI. Perhaps one builder sold the moulds to the other. It looks like Link Leisure added the portlight to the cuddy.
Burt