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by | Mar 21, 2018 | Verbena

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The Cornish Crabber 17, or just Cornish Crabber, is a British trailerable sailboat that was designed by Roger Dongray as a daysailer and pocket cruiser and first built in 1989.[1][2][3][4]

Production

The design was built by Cornish Crabbers in Wadebridge, Cornwall, United Kingdom starting in 1989, but it is now out of production.[1][4][5]

Design

The Cornish Crabber 17 is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fibreglass, with wood trim. It is a gaff riged sloop, with a bowsprit, with a plumb stem, a slightly angled transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a centreboard. It displaces 1,950 lb (885 kg) and carries 380 lb (172 kg) of ballast.[1][4]

The boat has a draft of 4.00 ft (1.22 m) with the centreboard extended and 1.58 ft (0.48 m) with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.[1][4]

The boat is normally fitted with a small 2 to 6 hp (1 to 4 kW) outboard motor for docking and manoeuvring, mounted in a transom well.[1][4]

The design has sleeping accommodation for two people, with two straight settees in the main cabin. There are no galley provisions. The optional head is a portable type. Cabin headroom is 51 in (130 cm) under the fold-down dodger, which includes a zip-up back panel to enclose the below-decks area.[1][4]

For downwind sailing the design may be equipped with a spinnaker.[1][4]

The design has a hull speed of 5.4 kn (10.0 km/h).[4]

Operational history

The boat is supported by an active class club, the Cornish Crabbers Club.[6]

In a 2001 review naval architect Robert Perry wrote, "while these boats are attractive, it is difficult to do them justice in a review ... The 17 is a gaff-rigged sloop. Cornish Crabber owners seem to favor tanbark sails. I favor white sails. A small spinnaker is shown. The SA/D is a surprising 22.2. This should move the little hooker along quite well. Draft with the flat plate centerboard down is 4 feet; board-up draft is 1 foot, 7 inches. There is 217 pounds of ballast in the bilge. This is an ideal trailerable boat for a sailor looking for something a little different and is guaranteed to turn heads."[7]

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the Crabber is part of a line of traditional West Cornwall (Eng- land) watercraft recreated in fiberglass and elegantly finished. She's intended mainly as a daysailer but has camping space for two overnight under the fold-down 'spray hood' (dodger) with a zip-in back panel. Best features: Workmanship is outstanding for a boat this size. Foam flotation gives positive buoyancy. Intelligent organization of the very limited space includes a place for a portable head as well as basic overnighting gear (sleeping bags, camp stove, etc). Position of the outboard, in a well amidships and forward of the rudder, provides good steering control in both forward and reverse, and the engine can be removed and stowed in a locker meant for the purpose to eliminate prop drag. With her gaff rig and tan-bark sails, she's pretty as a picture underway. Worst features: Spars are varnished wood, beautiful to look at but a time-consuming maintenance chore. Price of both new and used boats, well above her comp[etitor]s, may not fit everyone's budget ..."[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cornish Crabber sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  2. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Cornish Crabber 17 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  3. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Roger Dongray". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 31. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN 978-0-07-163652-0
  5. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Cornish Crabbers". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  6. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2021). "Cornish Crabbers Club". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  7. ^ Perry, Bob (12 August 2001). "Cornish Crabber 17: Bob Perry Design Review". boats.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
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