Holder 17

The Holder 17 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Ron Holder as a pocket cruiser and day sailer and first built in 1982.

The boat was developed from the 1976 Vagabond 17 design.

Production
The design was built by Holder Marine and Hobie Cat in the United States, but it is now out of production.

Design
The Holder 17 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with teak wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig with aluminum spars. The hull has a raked stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a locking swing keel. The boat has foam flotation, making it unsinkable. Cabin headroom is 48 in.

The boat is normally fitted with a small 2 to 5 hp outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.

The design has a hull speed of 5.2 kn.

Variants

 * Holder 17
 * This cabin model was introduced in 1982. It has a length overall of 17.00 ft, a waterline length of 15.00 ft, displaces 950 lb and carries 325 lb of ballast. The boat has a draft of 4.17 ft with the swing keel down and 1.17 ft with it retracted.


 * Holder 17 DS
 * This day sailing model has only a cuddy cabin for stowage and was introduced in 1982. It has a length overall of 17.00 ft, a waterline length of 15.00 ft, displaces 925 lb and carries 325 lb of ballast. The boat has a draft of 4.17 ft with the swing keel down and 1.17 ft with it retracted.

Operational history
In a 2010 review, Steve Henkel wrote, "unlike most of Hobie Cat's boats, the Holder 17 is neither a catamaran nor a product of the fertile mind of Hobie Alter, the multibull firm's namesake. It is instead a 'monomaran' from the drawing board of businessman and designer Ron Holder. First came the cabin sloop, in 1981; the next year, a daysailer version was introduced. Best features: The Holder has good sitting headroom compared to her comps. Foam flotation is intended to make her more or less sink-proof. Her relatively heavy swing keel keeps her minimum draft low for easy launching and retrieval at a ramp, while offering good stability with the keel in the 'down' position. With relatively high D/L and low SA/D compared with her comps, she should be stable in heavy air. Worst features: The steel swing keel can be a pain in the neck to keep from rusting."