Building the 9'-7" Maine Skiff is a workbook designed and written to guide you through the layout and construction of this good little boat.The Maine Skiff is a classic small craft, its usefulness attested to by the hundreds and hundreds of them tied up to town floats from Kittery to Eastport. Here is a step-by-step coverage of skiff building from lofting and reading plans through completion. Along the way this text deals with making the moulds and setting up, getting out the bottom panel and chines, making the stem and transom, planking, and installation of the ribs and rails. It is ostensibly arranged in 40 individual lessons requiring about an hour apiece, though individual working times will vary from one builder to another. There are no illustrations within the book, because the 1½" scale building plans for the Maine Skiff are included for ready reference. Virtually all skiffs are built in the same manner, so this book can also be used to guide the construction of the 9'-6" Lobsterman's Skiff, and even our 9'-0" Dory Skiff. This is basic boatbuilding, and an excellent way for anyone interested in building flat bottom boats to begin. Building the 9'-7" Maine Skiff is particularly popular among those with little or no prior boatbuilding experience. Those new to this work find that having a copy of Pigeons and Gudgeons close by is a big help because it explains the terms used in the boatbuilding books they consult.

It may be purchased three different ways...

About the photos...

The Maine Skiff is traditionally built in an inverted position. If you happen to be working on a wooden floor, that makes fastening everything down a snap (especially these days with the widespread use of coarse threaded drywall screws and cordless screwdrivers). The boat is the photo was built by the two 14-year-olds you see working on the planking. They spent 47 hours on the project and sold their boat to a local fisherman the day after they finished painting her.

The photo at the left is a Dory Skiff. She's a bit out of the ordinary because she is round rather than flat sided. That makes planking her a bit more of a chore, but greatly enhances her appearance. Fancier than a work-a-day skiff, dory skiffs are usually finished off like the one in the photo with bright mahogany trim.