My 65 years of boating most certainly have been influenced by and wrapped up in boats of flat-bottom model. Simple to build and wholesome. they are excellent craft to use as a solid base from which to begin the art, business and profession of yacht architecture and marine engineering -- further as I have found, a delightful way in which to earn a living.
Flat-bottomed skiffs after the general model of Maud and Emeline are not only easy to build, but have proved to be satisfactory craft. Properly designed and built, this type of boat, whether under oars, sails or motor, will prove to be the equal of the general run of all small boats. This latest design is 14'0" over all, 13'2" on the waterline, 4'6" in breadth and 5" draft. Her freeboard at the bow is 1'11", the least freeboard is 1'1" and at the stern 1'4".
The dimensions outlined indicate she is a burdensome little packet safely able to carry three persons of average weight, a 3 to 5-hp. outboard motor weighing about 30 to 50 pounds, and the miscellaneous gear carried by boats of this size and type. Speed that may be expected in moderately rough water with the 3 hp motor is a good 7 mph; with the 5 hp motor, approximately 11 mph.
It will be noticed the forward end of the bottom, compared to many skiffs, leans to narrowness. This permits proper flare to the topsides forward without a too-full line at the deck edge. And the narrowness, to a considerable degree, also prevents slapping and pounding when bucking a head sea. The sheer line sweeps from stem to stern in a pleasing curve. In my opinion, the practice of running the sheer approximately parallel to the waterline for three-quarters the length of the boat, then sharply running it to a high stemhead, thinking this will make a dry and more comfortable boat, is nonsense. It will not. The shape of the whole sheer line, combined with flare and flam, determines this matter, just as the whole design, not separate parts of it, determines the overall ability of not only skiffs, but boats of every size and form.
