Clint Chase designed the Compass Skiff for the Compass Project, a Biddeford, Maine, nonprofit that works with kids. “We needed a really small, easy-to-build boat for a weekend boatbuilding festival we do every summer,” he said. “I came up with this little outboard skiff that would be easy and quick to build, stable and safe for kids on the water. It will get on plane with a 6-hp outboard; it’s a lot of fun.”Powered by a 3.5- to 6-hp outboard, the Compass Skiffs is well suited to rivers, lakes, and other protected waters. It could also serve as a tender or lightweight excursion boat. For such a small boat, it has a high bow and a lot of freeboard and can handle the chop in an exposed anchorage. With a draft of just 3″ (with the motor up), you could do some serious gunkholing with this little vessel. A slot in the aft bulkhead provides a place to keep a paddle handy for maneuvering in close quarters, and a pair of 7.5′ oars can serve for quiet exploration or as a backup in case the motor dies. There is no skeg to help the skiff track well for rowing, but Chase notes “the boat is very light so using oars will be no problem.” The simple interior arrangements keep the skiff light and quick to build. Floorboards would be an easy addition to make to keep gear dry.
photographs by the author except as noted
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Thanks for the write up. This project wouldn’t have happened without Compass Project. The program director asked a few short weeks before the boatbuilders show in Portland, “Do you think you can knock out that kit so we can have one at the Show?” Of course, I said “Sure!” That prototype is what is featured here. We successfully built six Compass Skiffs in two days at out first annual Biddeford Boatbuilding Festival that benefits the boatbuilding programs with kids. We will have this event again next year, date yet to be determined. And if anybody wants a skiff built by the Compass Project, contact them at http://www.compassproject.org