Building the Harbor Skiff

Harbor Skiff planking

From the introduction...

"I’ve lived and worked here on the Coast of Maine since the 60s. In all that time, I have seen countless skiffs, used them on salt and fresh water, and have built a bunch of them–I honestly can’t recall how many. Even the saddest of them had some good qualities, and some of them even looked good tethered to the town floats, but precious few were what I would call exceptional. The Harbor Skiff is one of the few...

My contention is that a skiff needn’t be ordinary, and can in fact be a decidedly able and appealing small craft. That is what prompted me to design the Harbor Skiff, so named because she is maximum length allowed to tie up to the dinghy float at Lincolnville Beach. We’ll discuss designing shortly. For now suffice it to say that the Harbor Skiff has proved hugely popular on both sides of the Atlantic and even Down Under. When a design garners that wide an appeal it says a lot. She has proved herself to be quite a boat."

Now about this book...

Building the Harbor Skiff is available in three formats: CD, full color 8.5' x 11" and a black and white version of the same size.


Building the Harbor Skiff From the introduction... "I’ve lived and worked here on the Coast of Maine since the 60s. In all that time, I have seen countless skiffs, used them on salt and fresh water, and have built a bunch of them–I honestly can’t recall how many. Even the saddest of them had some good qualities, and some of them even looked good tethered to the town floats, but precious few were what I would call exceptional. The Harbor Skiff is one of the few... My contention is that a skiff needn’t be ordinary, and can in fact be a decidedly able and appealing small craft. That is what prompted me to design the Harbor Skiff, so named because she is maximum length allowed to tie up to the dinghy float at Lincolnville Beach. We’ll discuss designing shortly. For now suffice it to say that the Harbor Skiff has proved hugely popular on both sides of the Atlantic and even Down Under. When a design garners that wide an appeal it says a lot. She has proved herself to be quite a boat." Now about this book... Building the Harbor Skiff is available in three formats: CD, full color 8.5' x 11" and a black and white version of the same size.
	On the book's cover is the Harbor Skiff that proved the plans. Note: You cannot print from the CD.
Contents: Section 1: The Design Section 2: Getting Started Section 3: Preparing for Planking Section 4: Scarphing Section 5: Planking Section 6: Joinerwork Section 7: Painting As you can see from the Contents, this book places particular emphasis on planking, as well it should. Study the photos and pay attention to what's written and it will guide you through the process from making the form clear through the finishing. Here's a peak inside the book... And remember, these pages are 8.5" x 11" so you'll get a really good look at what's going on. The book uses two boats for illustration purposes. The one in the photo at the top of the page was the first; the other is a Harbor Skiff that incorporated a foredeck, floatation chambers, and side lockers that her fisherman/owner requested. You'll find all of this in 76 pages and 89 photos and illustrations. Building the Harbor Skiff Lofted Harbor Skiff Plan.............................................US$85.00 Book: Building the Harbor Skiff (color)...........................45.00 Same book in black and white.........................................$30.00 Building the Harbor Skiff on CD ......................................$25.00 Full size Harbor Skiff plank patterns..............................$25.00 Plans for a planked 1" scale model...................................$25.00 © 2015 W. J. Simmons, Duck Trap Press

Building the Harbor Skiff

Note: You cannot print from the CD.