With active fleets of M, C, A, and other scows racing on the Great Lakes, why are the folks up in Zenda, Wisconsin, at Melges Performance Sailboats introducing a new scow class? “We’re presently losing a lot of our young sailors once they graduate out of the X-Boat, Laser, and 420,” says Melges VP Andy Burdick. “The Melges 17 will bring new excitement to scow sailing at an affordable price. And with an optimum crew weight of 265 to 350 pounds, we know it will appeal to couples.” It’s designed by Reichel/Pugh and loaded with such new scow technology as an extruded aluminum rudder and bilgeboard foils. The deck is clean. The bilgeboards are out of the way and don’t protrude through the deck. It didn’t take long to sell the first fleet of 17s; according to the Melges Web site, White Lake, Wisconsin, has been awarded fleet #1. Talk about brand loyalty. Melges Performance Sailboats, 262-275-1110, www.melges.com
