Build Your Own Jimmy Skiff II

This is a six-day course ending Saturday

Rowing Version: $2161
Sailing Version: $4582

Note: Please only register the initial builder and then reach out to the School offices to register any partners that will be joining you.

The original Jimmy Skiff was launched by Chesapeake Light Craft in 1998. An immediate success, this straightforward 13-foot skiff has remained popular for twenty years.

Designer John C. Harris has been working on a clean-sheet redesign since 2012. The prototype was launched in 2017 and was in testing for 18 months.

The Jimmy Skiff II is the same length as its predecessor and only an inch or two wider, but it’s a higher-volume, stiffer boat. Here are the main differences:

1. The hull shape and the transom have been modified to allow easy and safe use of a small outboard engine. (2-3hp is plenty.) The original Jimmy Skiff had no provision for an engine at all.

2. The interior of the Jimmy Skiff II is “tanked in.” In other words, a lot of flotation is built into the hull in the form of comfortable bench seats. This makes the boat easy to right from a capsize. The flotation also conforms to US Coast Guard regulations for positive buoyancy, allowing the Jimmy Skiff II to carry an engine.

3. You sit on bench seats while sailing, instead of on the floor!

4. The sailing rig is 15% larger, and more powerful.

Those looking for a super-versatile utility skiff will be hard-pressed to find a better design. The Jimmy Skiff II rows beautifully, sails fast on all points, and handles great with an outboard engine.

Payload is 500-550lbs.