best skiff

that boy is a legend. Not quite sure how your boat survived the punishment that it went through with his "tuning" mind you! I was a bit wary of him having a look at mine after that

As I think was said in a prevous thread..........

If you can call it a skiff at Belmont Skiff Club (Sydney) and walk out without a broken nose......  Then it is a skiff.  49er, Cherub, B14 and RS boats ect you had better be quick on your feet at Belmont.

I understand that the Northern Hemisphere have a different view on what a skiff is but in the eyes of OZ and NZ, unless you have seen and sailed a skiff, you just don't understand what a skiff is.

Flame away guys.

Best skiff.......

12 footer (not cherub) - is the craziest

18 footer - fastest and most power.

16 footer - best class racing local.

14 footer - best international racing.

the helm has a lot of mental work to do whereas the crews role is more a physical one.

its like a light wind race is ofter more exausting than when its blowing old boots.

The helm (me on our boat) has to control the jib, consider the tactics, evaluate the rig settings for the boat relevant to the way she feels, control both main  and jib downwind whilst steering the relevant course.... and basically the helming part of the boat keeps her up-right and fast. You need to do a lot to keep the boat going fast, but you do get lazy helms but in proportion, they don't go as fast. The misconception is that on a skiff, the crew DOES do a lot of work but at the same time, the helm is doing a lot too. Just because the crew swaps the jib for the main, doesn't automatically mean the helm does less. Remember, skiffs are more responsive boats and demand much more skill from a helm than a conventional boat. From my point of veiw, the skiff duties are 50/50, because one part of the team being innaffective, drastically affects the performance of the boat. I put as much effort into crewing a boat as I do helming, but the roles are different. Maybe its down to the individual effort you put into sailing from your point of veiw. 

If everybody comes in after sailing with a story and a smile that is a sign of a good skiff class.

I've sailed 12 14 and 18's and they are all different. 

The Grand Prix 18's were awsome, upwind nothing came close but your were a bit removed from the action being out on the wings, I don't think the current 18's are as good but there are more of them

The 14 was great upwind, even better now, but boring downwind, but I gather better now than before

The 12 is not so much fun upwind but nothing comes close to it downwind, not speedwise but fun and technique testing. Try gybing in 30 knots and big waves with a 300sqft kite

You will find though most real skiff classes as compared to the SMOD have people that have sailed them for 20-30 years, as the sign of a skiff is that the boats are always evolving and the 12 I sailed 20 years ago is nothing like what I am sailing now.