6ft Skiff

6ft skiffs? What are we on about? The original 6foot skiffs were sailed on Sydney Harbour during the early 20^th Century. The sailors were well known for their reckless have-a-go spirit, courage and daring, and relentless competitive nature, both on the water and in the bar. The rules were basic, with a maximum waterline length of 6foot, and unlimited sail areas,. Everything else is down to the discretion of the designer, and ultimately how brave you are.

A small group of students with a fascination towards sailing, boat building and designing, and a general passion for putting enormous rigs on short hulls, were looking for projects where they could try out new ideas. We explored the 6ft Skiff concept and realised how interesting it would be to see how the class would cope with modern skiff design principles, including racks, multiple trapezes, and asymmetric rigs of epic proportions.

The sheer size of the boat, and the minimalist nature of the rules, means that these boats are going to be fantastically cheap to make. Typical build budgets are less than a hundred pounds. There is no need for a large workspace, as the hull will take up less area than a single bed. Hulls are in general home built from plywood, and the rigs whatever we can get our hands on. This creates a cheap and easy base for anyone to have a go at making some crazy and exciting boats.

As we speak, there are a number of stimulating projects already underway, and we look forward to commencing the build of these during the spring. An Intergalactic Championship is presently being thought-out for the end of the Summer 2006. This will give us a chance to compare our creations, and find out what happens when you race a fleet of ridiculously short, and over-canvassed skiffs together. On behalf of the 6ft Class I would like to invite you to create your own individual Skiff, and join us throughout this exciting revival.

For more info visit: http://www.6ft.flatwater.co.uk