The Slipper 17 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Nick Hake as a pocket cruiser and first built in 1981.
It has a fractional sloop rig or optional catboat rig, a nearly plumb stem, a slightly angled transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed shoal draft fin keel or keel and centerboard.
[1][2][5] The boat is normally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp (2 to 4 kW) outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.
[5] In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "Nick Hake started Starboard Yacht Company in 1979 with the cute little Slipper 17.
Over the years the dimensions varied a bit, and so did the rig (cat or sloop), the deck configuration (deckhouse or flush deck) and the name of the builder (Starboard, Seaward, Hake Yachts) but with Nick Hake always in control ... Best features: Relatively wide beam gives her more space inside compared to her comp[etitor]s. She was available over the years in several different layouts, including two-berth, three-berth, and ... four-berth model ... (Two berths is probably the maximum most sailors would want to try, except for those with very small children.)