there is no such thing as a swim spa for 12k...there are companies building big, non-insulated, inefficient hot tubs they are calling swim spas for 12k but they won't give you a true swimming experience because they are not properly jetted nor do they have adequate pumps (HP and Quantity) to truly swim against. Then once you rip away the cabinet the quality differences will also be seen...steel and treated wood vs. cheap pallet wood, cheap deck screws to hold pumps/heaters down vs. stainless steel hardware, completely open bottom (terrible for efficiency) vs enclosed..and the list goes on and on...if you want a quality 17' swim spa you'll be spending upwards of 20-30k just like d00nut mentioned