Lumber yard skiff

This boat is basic I know but that's what I like about it. Called the lumberyard skiff the idea is that it can be built with lumber from the local lumber yard with no special materials, tools or skills. This one in the picture is at the time of writing up for sale from the guys at Old Wharf Dory co and from what I can see from the picture it looks as though it has been nicely put together with Meranti plywood. There have been a bunch of these boats at different times and I even think that the Wooden Boat school offer the boat as one of the projects that you can go and do during a week long course.  I do believe that the side decks on the one in the picture are not as originally drawn but they should add to the rigidity of the boat, keep the boat a little dryer in a chop and frankly they look good too. The reason for me bringing this boat to your attention is that I have been casting around for boat that I can build in stages on this blog. It will enable me to highlight various skills and techniques and because there are fewer parts than many boats will go together fast so I can get it onto the water later this year. There will also be sufficient information on this blog so that even if you have never built a boat before we can work togetherr so to speak if you decide to build one yourself too. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions or expand on any points.
The boat is 16 feet long and will float in less than 6 inches of water with the motor raised. Incidentally a 25 hp motor will be more than adequate and should push this baby along at a steady clip in smooth water.

i would be interested in hearing from readers of On Board if this is something that they would be interested in following on a week by week basis. If I can get enough interest from a few potential sponsors who will cover the cost of the materials then I may well raffle off the boat at the end of the project so one lucky reader gets a nice new boat.

I do quite fancy the idea of equipping it with a plywood console and installing a wheel which seems to suit it well. You can see a picture of a boat thus kitted out by clicking here.

Comments

[RJD]

This would be great to watch come together!

[mark]

RJD

Thanks for the feedback. Keep checking in and I'll be making a start as soon as I can.

Mark

[Bob Edwards]

Hello. I am thinking seriously about building a Lumberyard Skiff. As a teenager (long time ago) I build a wooden Jon boat and helped my father build am 18 foot wooden ski boat into which we put an air-cooled, 6 cylinder Corvair engine with a homemade outdrive (Dad was a metals fabricator), and I worked as a residential rehab carpenter off and on in my 20s and early 30s. All this to say I'm not neither a rank beginner, nor an experienced boat builder, but I have enough experience to be "over confident".

I build two 1/12th scale models of an LY Skiff out of Luann plywood, and am thinking about taking the plunge and building one for real.

Is the blog for DIY LY Skiff builders, still up and running? If so, let me know what's going on.

Thanks.
Bob
Greenville, NC

[Mark]

Bob

Thanks for the note. This past year has been far busier than I would have liked and to top it off I have been sick for an extended period so the LYS took a something of a back seat. I plan on starting on construction soon so you have not missed anything. Keep checking back and I'll promise to get started just as soon as I am able.

[Dan Mingea]

I'm also interested in the experience of others with LYS construction.

[Erik Anderson]

I built the 16' LYS and love it. Very versatile and roomy. I put a console in it and hung a 35hp on the back. When I have the family and the beach gear that is not enough horsepower. I think a 50hp would be perfect.