Goat Island Skiff
Goat Island Skiff
FAST | LIGHTWEIGHT | EASY- TO- BUILD
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA 15' 6"
LWL 14' 9"
Beam 5'
Draft (board up/down) 4"/36"
Depth amidships 20"
Sail Area 105 (lug) 14 sf (sprit)
Where does one start about the Goat Island Skiff? I became attracted to the GIS because of its simplicity and focus on performance. I wanted to know more about designing and building lightweight craft and I wanted something fairly quick to build. I wanted to go sailing! I prototyped the GIS kit in 2010 and still sail and row my Goat today. There is a wide GIS community on the web and enough resources about the boat to help anyone complete their project. My GIS focus has been to develop the kit and test a new yawl rig. I just about never sail without the mizzen. This arrangement makes her into a small sail-&-oar boat, more friendly for single-handing, maneuvering and reefing underway, and switching from sailing to rowing mode, and back again. Mostly I sail, but the skiff rows well given her light-weight. The interior offers a lot of space for a small boat because of the boxy skiff construction. Freeboard is ample on the boat and helps to create some security. That said, the GIS will present the new sailor a good learning curve and will continue to delight as your experience grows.
The GIS kit has a few features that are only available in a kit, they include:
A CNC pre-cut scarf.
Tabbing and slotting of bulkheads and side panels making the boat easier to build and more accurate
A sheerline that is slightly modified to be more eye-sweet
Time saving of about 20-25% over building from scratch
The kit builds without any need for a strongback by attaching the side panels at the bow, engaging side panels and bulkheads with the tabs and slots, and fastening to the transom. The bottom goes on like a lid after the chine logs. The interior accepts the precut tank tops and seats included in the kit. There is no specific kit for the yawl, rather it is a modification that the builder makes to take the mizzen mast and to move the main mast position forward. Specific instructions and a drawing is included with the kit. Plans come straight from the designer, Michael Storer.
“The Goat Island Skiff continues to excite and thrill us years after our kit build. Simple and economical to build, she offers large rewards for your investment. Also, I feel like I have become a better sailor with my Goat and I will keep it in my dream fleet of boats, forever”