Regarding boom: I thought all the standard Hobie 17's had booms. The Hobie 17 Sport, which is a standard 17 but with a jib, had a "boomlet," a partial boom.

I'm sure all these things will be cleared up when the experts get back on the forum this week. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />