[lowcountryskiffs]

Hey everyone. I've been perusing the message boards on here for a while and well, you've inspired me. I have always wanted to build my own skiff with my brother and have envied the many fisherman I see here in Charleston that can get up in the flats after the trophy reds. It's time I take a crack at building my own skiff. Now aside from general boat repair/maintenance skill and limited experience with fiberglass, this isn't something I really know how to do. I won't let that stop me from making my own skiff a reality.

As I don't have any experience in boat design and want to avoid building an experimental hull shape that will ride poorly, I have decided to go with the Flats Flyer plans and tweak them a little bit to put my own stamp on things. I wasn't sure if anyone here was familiar with the flats flyer or had any experience with it. It's mostly a plywood skiff though we would like to make the core from composite foam to reduce weight and draft and just avoid the general deterioration plywood can have over time. I can't wait to get started on it and have the satisfaction at the finish line of having built my own skiff to my taste.

I will keep everyone posted as to how things are going, but as a newbie, I was wondering if anyone had any tips/advice for building your first skiff.

 

[lowcountryskiffs]

This is a sketch rendering of it for reference.

 

[Shallows]

All those hatches look like a nightmare to build.

 

[lowcountryskiffs]

All those hatches look like a nightmare to build.

Haha yes they do. We were thinking of turning the two on the bench into one big dry storage hatch. Also, 4 hatches on the bow seemed counter-intuitive so we wanted to make one big bow hatch flush with the casting platform similar to what you would see on many center console bay boats.

 

[BassFlats]

Following

 

[DuckNut]

The one on their website, I have been on it. It is a fast boat.

Before you change from plywood to foam, you need to get with them for proper guidance. It is NOT just a matter of changing.

 

[lowcountryskiffs]

The one on their website, I have been on it. It is a fast boat.

Before you change from plywood to foam, you need to get with them for proper guidance. It is NOT just a matter of changing.

Thanks for the advice! I'll reach out to them.

 

[Pole Position]

Add up all estimated costs of materials.......and add another 50%

Whatever time you think it will take to build it.........double it

 

[BadKnotGuy]

You might not want to abandon the idea of using plywood for the hull just yet. When coated with epoxy and glass it basically becomes impervious to water and doesn't breakdown over time. It's structural properties are really impressive too. Using foam for the decks might be an easier conversion since they won't have the same load requirements as the hull itself.