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A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats, usually propelled by sails or oars. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for work, leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have developed into high performance competitive classes. Many of today's skiff classes are based in Australia and New Zealand in the form of , , and skiffs. The 29er, 49er, SKUD and Musto Skiff are all considered to have developed from the skiff concept, all of which are sailed internationally.
The term skiff is also used for a racing shell called single scull for competitive rowing.
Etymology
The word is related to ''ship'' and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from theMiddle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...
''skif'', which derives from the Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th Old Italian ''schifo'', which is itself of German language">Germanic origin (German ''Schiff''). "Ship" comes from the Old English">German_language.html" ;"title="Italian language">Old Italian ''schifo'', which is itself of German language">Germanic origin (German ''Schiff''). "Ship" comes from the Old English "scip", which has the same Germanic predecessor.
The term has been used for a number of styles of craft round the United Kingdom, often small river and sea going craft. They varied from double ended rowing boats to small sailing boats. The poet John Milton refers to a "night foundered skiff" in ''Paradise Lost'' as early as 1670. There are references to skiffs involved in accidents on the River Thames as early as 1812, and 1824 at Oxford. In August 1815, the poet
In American usage, the term is used for small sea-going fishing boats. It is referred to historically in literature in ''
The term skiff has been applied to motorized boats of small size and construction used as sea-going vessels for
The skiff with a sail has developed into specific sailing boats bearing the name "skiff". In Sydney, the term was used for a number of racing classes (sizes from 6 ft to 23 ft have existed). These were originally heavily crewed and canvassed boats that were relatively short for the canvas and crew carried and were developed from working boats of the time. 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, 13 ft Skiff, 16ft Skiff, and 18ft Skiff classes are raced in that form. With two crew on the 12 and 13 footer and three on the 16 and 18 these are still heavily crewed boats for their size. Modern developments began with the introduction of carbon fibre reinforced composite hulls, allowing for a significant reduction in weight, and an increase in rigidity. Following this, the use of carbon in masts and rigging allowed for more sail area, and better gust response. Moulded sails are being tested in both 12 ft and 16 ft skiffs, with most modern Australian 18 ft Skiffs utilising the new technology.
Because the modern 18s have such a high profile, the term skiff is widely used internationally to refer to other high-performance sailing dinghy classes, mostly featuring asymmetrical spinnaker and trapeze which have been strongly influenced by modern skiffs. Examples include: Cherub Skiff, International 14, 29er, and 49er. These boats tend to be less heavily crewed in relation to their length than the traditional Australian Skiff Classes. The term is even used for some single-handed boats like the Musto Skiff which are far removed from the heavily crewed original boats.
The SKUD 18 is a two-person SKUD 18
This made its debut in the 2008 Paralympic Games. In the International
World of Boat (EISCA) Collection ~ Westray Skiff
Boat types
By location
United Kingdom
The term has been used for a number of styles of craft round the United Kingdom, often small river and sea going craft. They varied from double ended rowing boats to small sailing boats. The poet John Milton refers to a "night foundered skiff" in ''Paradise Lost'' as early as 1670. There are references to skiffs involved in accidents on the River Thames as early as 1812, and 1824 at Oxford. In August 1815, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...
was taken on an expedition by skiff from Old Windsor to Lechlade by Charles Clairmont and Thomas Love Peacock
Thomas Love Peacock (18 October 1785 – 23 January 1866) was an English novelist, poet, and official of the East India Company. He was a close friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley, and they influenced each other's work. Peacock wrote satirical novels ...
. He subsequently settled at Marlow, where he regularly rowed his skiff through the locks. Shelley later drowned sailing in a skiff off the coast of Italy. A skiff was also mentioned in Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
's poem '' The Lady of the Lake''.
The Thames skiff became formalised as a specific design in the early part of the 19th century. It is a round-bottomed clinker-built rowing boat that is still very common on the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
and other rivers in England. Rowing skiffs became very popular in Victorian Britain, and a skiff journey up the River Thames is described in ''Three Men in a Boat
''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing ...
'' by Jerome K. Jerome. These skiffs could carry a sail and could be used for camping. Although general usage has declined, skiffs are still used for leisure and racing. During the year, skiffing regattas are held in various riverside towns in England, the major event being the Skiff Championships Regatta at Henley.
Akin to the skiff is the yoal or yole, which is a clinker-built boat used for fishing in the Orkney and Shetland Islands. The boat itself is a version of the Norwegian Oselvar which is similar to a skiff in appearance, while the word is cognate with "yawl
A yawl is a type of boat. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan), to the hull type or to the use which the vessel is put.
As a rig, a yawl is a two masted, fore and aft rigged sailing vessel with the mizzen mast ...
". The French '' yole'' is a leisure craft similar to the Thames Skiff and is translated as "skiff", while the French '' skiff'' translates to a single scull. In Dutch and German, "Skiff" also means a single scull, while Czech '' skif'' refers to sculling boats in general.
Regattas are also held across Northern Ireland, with one of the largest being held in Portadown
Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...
, but smaller events take place throughout the year across County Down.
Americas
In American usage, the term is used for small sea-going fishing boats. It is referred to historically in literature in ''Moby-Dick
''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...
'' by Herman Melville
Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...
and '' The Old Man and the Sea'' by Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...
. Hardcover: , paperback: Boats powered by sail
A sail is a tensile structure, which is made from fabric or other membrane materials, that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may b ...
s or by oars can be referred to as skiffs.
One usage of the word refers to a typically small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and a flat stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...
originally developed as an inexpensive and easy-to-build boat for use by inshore fishermen. Originally designed to be powered by rowing, their form has evolved to be powered by outboard motors. The design is still in common use today for both work and pleasure craft. They can be made of wood or other materials. A similar style of craft in Central America and Mexico is generally called a panga.
By use
Piracy and smuggling
The term skiff has been applied to motorized boats of small size and construction used as sea-going vessels for piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
or drug smuggling.
Racing
The skiff with a sail has developed into specific sailing boats bearing the name "skiff". In Sydney, the term was used for a number of racing classes (sizes from 6 ft to 23 ft have existed). These were originally heavily crewed and canvassed boats that were relatively short for the canvas and crew carried and were developed from working boats of the time. 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, 13 ft Skiff, 16ft Skiff, and 18ft Skiff classes are raced in that form. With two crew on the 12 and 13 footer and three on the 16 and 18 these are still heavily crewed boats for their size. Modern developments began with the introduction of carbon fibre reinforced composite hulls, allowing for a significant reduction in weight, and an increase in rigidity. Following this, the use of carbon in masts and rigging allowed for more sail area, and better gust response. Moulded sails are being tested in both 12 ft and 16 ft skiffs, with most modern Australian 18 ft Skiffs utilising the new technology.
Because the modern 18s have such a high profile, the term skiff is widely used internationally to refer to other high-performance sailing dinghy classes, mostly featuring asymmetrical spinnaker and trapeze which have been strongly influenced by modern skiffs. Examples include: Cherub Skiff, International 14, 29er, and 49er. These boats tend to be less heavily crewed in relation to their length than the traditional Australian Skiff Classes. The term is even used for some single-handed boats like the Musto Skiff which are far removed from the heavily crewed original boats.
The SKUD 18 is a two-person keelboat
A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...
which claims strong influence from skiff development.This made its debut in the 2008 Paralympic Games. In the International
Moth
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
class the term skiff is used to distinguish designs that have an essentially vertical bow from scow designs, which have a broadly horizontal bow.
References
External links
{{gutenberg, no=308, name=Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. JeromeWorld of Boat (EISCA) Collection ~ Westray Skiff
Boat types