What defines a Skiff?

In Sydney, Australia the term Skiff was used for a number of racing classes (sizes from 6ft to 23ft have existed). These were originally heavily crewed and canvassed boats that were relatively short for the canvas and crew carried. This style of boat is still active in the form of Historical 10 foot and 18 foot classes. The Skiff classes developed to become much lighter and faster with relatively smaller (but still very large by any other standards) rigs and smaller crews. 12ft Skiff, 16ft Skiff and 18ft Skiff classes are raced in that form. With two crew on the 12 footer and three on the 16 and 18 these are still heavily crewed boats for their size.

Because the modern 18s have such a high profile the term skiff is also used to refer to other high performance sailing dinghy classes featuring asymmetrical spinnaker and trapeze which have been strongly influenced by modern skiffs. Examples include: Cherub Skiff, International 14 , 29er, 29erXX, 49er and Musto Performance Skiff. These boats tend to be less heavily crewed in relation to their length than the traditional Australian Skiff Classes.