The design was conceived to provide a boat for youth sailors to move up to from the Laser, 420 and the X Boat, as well as for adults couples to sail.[9]
The Melges 17 is a racing sailboat, with the hull built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a fractionalsloop rig with carbon fiber spars; a scow hull; a transom-hung, aluminumextrusionrudder controlled by a tiller with an extension and twin retractable, aluminum extrusion bilgeboards. It displaces 335 lb (152 kg) and is normally sailed by two sailors, with an optimal crew weight of 265 to 350 lb (120 to 159 kg).[1][2][5][9]
The boat has a draft of 3.96 ft (1.21 m) with a bilgeboard extended. With both bilgeboards retracted it can be operated in shallow water, beached or transported on a boat trailer.[1][2]