15′ Sailing Skiff

All youngsters might begin their waterborne adventures in flat-bottomed rowing-and-sailing skiffs. Easy to build, yet difficult to design properly, these honest little boats teach lessons in seamanship and self-reliance. At the other end of life’s voyage, a good skiff will take gentle care of old folks as they sail comfortable miles to nowhere in particular.

Here’s a flat-bottomed 15′4″ sailing skiff from Karl Stambaugh’s drawing board, and it looks just right. The designer gave this hull a flatter run than we’ll find on most old working skiffs, and as a result it holds more speed potential than its forebears. We’ll also appreciate the stability provided by that additional bearing back aft. The narrow bottom up forward reduces pounding when we’re sailing to windward. Considerable rake (flare, if you wish) to the sides of the hull helps to increase secondary stability, and it looks good…really good.

With the large pivoting centerboard hiding in its trunk, this skiff will float in little more than 4″ of water. We can pull it easily up to almost any beach, where it will sit comfortably upright. That shallow rudder tucked in behind the substantial skeg won’t be inclined to snag eelgrass or potwarp.

The boat’s construction blends a classical appearance with perpetual freedom from leaks. We’ll build the Sailing Skiff 15 with plywood, lumberyard stock, and epoxy. Stambaugh cleverly specifies solid, rather than plywood, sheerstrakes; these form the upper portions of the boat’s sides and lend strength and a traditional appearance to the skiff. This hull is both good-looking and easy to build.

A Chesapeake-style leg-o’-mutton rig provides the power. It’s simple, efficient, and relatively inexpensive. Its tapered wooden mast requires no standing rigging, which greatly reduces cost and complication. The light sprit boom runs across the sail to the mast, and this geometry forms an automatic boom vang.

Plywood construction and simple, elegant shape.

We can precisely control the set of the sail by fussing with the snotter (the line that fastens the boom to the mast). All this we’ll accomplish with few, if any, blocks and no costly gooseneck fitting. Unless we have a relative in the marine hardware business, there seems little sense to rigging an ordinary boom on a boat of this size and purpose.

So, here we have a simple, handsome, and versatile sailing skiff that goes together easily. If we can build only one boat, this might be the one boat to build. Download the 15′ Sailing Skiff design plans and get started. WoodenBoat Plan No. 174, $75.00.

15′ Sailing Skiff Design Plan Details

DESCRIPTION
Hull type: Flat-bottomed, transom sterned
Rig: Leg-o’-mutton
Construction: Plywood

PERFORMANCE
Suitable for: Protected waters
Intended capacity: 1-3
Trailerable: Yes
Propulsion: Sail, oars

BUILDING DATA
Skill needed: Basic
Lofting required: No

PLANS DATA
No. of sheets: 7
Supplemental information: 2
Level of detail: Above average
Cost per set: $75.00
WB Plan No. 174

Lists of Building Materials

Ready to get started? Here are two sheets of building materials for your Sailing Skiff project.

Sheet 1

Sheet 2

Stambaugh Sailing Skiff Completed Images

Mike O'Brien

The versatile Sailing Skiff 15 seems about perfect for the noble purposes of education and relaxation (and perhaps an occasional fishing trip).