Nacra F17

Single-Handed Heaven

The NACRA F17 in the result of NACRA's long tradition of very successful single-handed boats, beginning with 5.5 and 18 Sq. Meter way back in the middle 1970's. These were superior boats, far ahead of their time in ease of handling and upwind performance.

In the late 90's, it was obvious that there was room for even futher improvement in the single-handed catamaran concept, made possible by the Snuffer spinnaker handling system pioneered by NACRA on its larger boats. Extensive effort went into a platform that could handle the loads of the spinnaker, as well as optimizing upwind performance. The result was the Inter 17, a wonderful boat that would soon get better.

And get better it did, in dramatic fashion with the change to a carbon mast. This lighter and stiffer section allowed even better up- and down-wind performance by reducing weight aloft and increasing stability with the spinnaker flying. The newest version of the boat easily won Sailing World's Boat of the Year award in 2002, continuing the NACRA tradition of award-winning designs.

By 2005, the class was well established, but now in 2006, it is growing at its fastest rate ever, as more sailors discover the joy of both single-handed speed and the thrills of a spinnaker ride downwind. This is THE boat for sailors who are looking for more than just relaxation.

Get on the bandwagon and join us in Racine, Wisconsin at the Nationals in August 2006.

( Article by Jim Young)

F17 Great Lakes championship Caseville, Mi (http://nacraclass.com/northamerica/dist1/F17champ.htm)

F17 North America Championship, Racine, Wi (http://nacraclass.com/NCW2006/north_american.htm)