oppinions needed

I am thinking of building a tolman alaskan skiff. I like the design, but I would appreciate you're oppinion on this boat.

 

Which Tolman skiff and where would you use it?

 

the jumbo version, and I will be using it on the gulf of mexico and on lakes around my area. I plan on lengthening it to 25 feet so I can put a larger wheelhouse.

 

the boat will be built to fish out of and to take the wife and kids camping in. will mostly be used in fairly calm conditions, but I want something to get me home if it gets nasty on the water.

 

I expect the Tolman will be a good boat for your intended use. One thing that I have never seen on a jumbo is a way to get to the bow for anchoring or mooring without going around the deck. Not the best thing to send your spouse or kid to do at night or when it's rough. A hatch of sufficient size to work tackle from would be my thought.

Increasing the size of a boat is one of the most popular mods that many prospective builders like to dwell on. Maybe ok, maybe not. Talk to Renn and make sure you really need to do it, like try a full sized mock-up in cardboard.

I have no direct experience with Tolman Skiffs but do have experience with similar power cruisers and have read Renn's book plus looked a lot of info about them on the web. That makes my advice better than nothing but you should do more research..

 

I have the book and I have been researching the boat heavily for about a year, but there are always people out there who have insight, or ask questions that I might not have thought of. your idea about a hatch is a very good one, I think I'll put it on the boat. as far as the length, I plan on talking with renn and finding out whether it's feasable.