A Small Skiff for Coastal Florida

I'm itching to build another skiff.
Ointment doesn't help.
This time the design will be for a more robust hull that can handle rougher water.
It will be a little beamier with 7 feet wide at the gunwales stitch and glue design if I get to build it.
I may build a canoe too. If so this is where I'll show it.

 

Maybe I'll combine them and call it a skifnoe.

 

Casniff?

 

Excellent news! Do you have any preliminary sketches that you can show us of the Casniff / Skifnoe?

 

Here's a "golden oldie" that is in that class, beam wise. Around 5 metres long. Had a good reputation as an offshore boat, and the upswept bow reflects the intended use for surf launches, and bar crossings. A little shallow in transom deadrise perhaps, but that is countered by good load carrying ability, easy powering (50 hp will suffice), and a stable fishing platform. It was allegedly not prone to broaching, which a cursory look might have you wondering about. I remember reading about a fella that took one from the Brisbane River to Heron Island, at the southern end of the Barrier Reef, all across open water. I reckon he must have been carrying an awful lot of fuel to pull that off. Probably 350 miles. If a true story, that does stamp it as a good load carrier.

 

A GRP version of the boat with clinker sides was produced in the late 70's and early eighties. I think all were centre consoles. I would have my doubts about them handling a hard chop head-on, but offshore, in the less close-set wave patterns, they did the job well.

 

Nothing on paper yet. It is still stirring around in my brain. This time I want to use catwalk decks like in boats gone by. The old Folbot sportabout I built had that set-up and I did that again on another one I built. I built the sportabout from the kit a little longer than the plan so it was actually 15.75 ft in length. I never had a sail but ran it with a 15hp Montgomery Ward Sea King outboard.

 

let your imagination soar.

 

16 foot (4.86m) Canoe Stern Launch : Boatcraft Pacific, the home of wooden boat building. https://boatcraft.com.au/Shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=32_228_231&products_id=1049

I think this is the forerunner to the casniff.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

I think you might be right.

 

What are catwalk decks? I am guessing wider side decks than normal ? Am i close?

 

Funny, I was just thinking about building one of these:

CLC Skerry Raid (Expedition Skerry) https://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/pro-kits/Skerry-Raid.html#line_drawings



Or maybe one of these:

Ross Lillistone Wooden Boats: "Little Egret" - an Egret-style Sharpie http://rosslillistonewoodenboat.blogspot.com/2011/10/little-egret-egret-style-sharpie.html



(Or possibly one of these: )
Elf - Small Boats Magazine https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/elf/



Not sure. Just so long as it is pointy at both ends.


Your thread has given me a merry morning, Hoyt! I looked up skiff, because I thought it was a pretty broad church. And I found out it was a pretty broad church. Or ship. Wikipedia told me:

"skiff" comes from the Middle English skif, which derives from the Old French esquif, which in turn derives from the Old Italian schifo, which is itself of Germanic origin (German Schiff). "Ship" comes from the Old English "scip", which has the same Germanic predecessor.

And then I didn't know what catwalks were, either Brendan, (apart from what 'Right Said Fred' sang about 'shaking their little tush' on) So I looked them (catwalks, not Right Said Fred) up too, and discovered mud boats. There's a thing.

I'm looking forward to seeing if the Cansniff can scratch the skiff itch, or whether it will be the Skifnoe that skiffles the catnip. My nose itches. Scratch n sniff.

 

You, Sir, are eloquent!

 

They are decks just wide enough for a cat.

 

Along which the cats nip. Taking care not to cat slip. Which is not as bad as a cowslip. Don't encourage me, Hoyt!