Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post Reply
User avatar
richg99
TKF 3000 Club
TKF 3000 Club
Posts: 3208
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:31 pm
Location: North Houston (FM1960), TX

Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by richg99 »

Over the years, I've owned two 16 ft El Pescadors; .......three Carolina skiffs...
......and a partridge in a pear -- ( whoops, skip that part)...

I've come across a couple of Dolphin Sr. Sailboat hulls. I don't own them, but imagine I could acquire them for a few hundred bucks, or maybe a lot less. Dolphin Sr. sailboats are, according to the 'net...14 1/2 feet long and 43 inches in width.

They are similar to a Sunfish in design. I think they were one of many knockoffs in the early 80's.

What would they support, weight wise...if one added a transom; a 5 or 10 hp motor; and filled in the dagger-board trunk? Would their conversion to a one-man flats skiff make any sense? Talk me out of this idea, quick...please! I am just getting comfortable with my Can-Yak!

I weigh 260 lbs. and am 6'2...so displacement and shallow-running are important considerations.
I am thinking along the lines of a Gheenoe style flats boat...but...I can buy a bare hull Gheenoe for a little over $1,000.00
thanks Rich
User avatar
Zebco
TKF 1000 Club
TKF 1000 Club
Posts: 1054
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2005 8:24 am
Location: Houston

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by Zebco »

Might work... But why???

Editing..............

Buy a sailboat to go sailing, buy a kayak to go paddling.

Or just buy the skiff...
barditch
TKF 2000 club
TKF 2000 club
Posts: 2426
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:42 pm
Location: Guadalupe County
Contact:

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by barditch »

:D Or...even better yet! Get yourself a bottle of GREAT brown liquor (scotch or whiskey) and go sit, by yourself, by a fire in the dark silence and ask yourself the one primal question: "What do I want to do with this thing?" When you've answered that, then you can come back to this shy, quiet, unopinionated group and report your findings, and we will give you the absolute truth(s) that are infallibble...
And when the raging babble subsides, you won't know any more than you do now, but, was it me, I'd look at a scooter, if you want it powered...if you want it paddled, salt or fresh, I'd get a copy of Preacher's Honey Bee plans...that's what I did!
User avatar
G_Ride
Posts: 160
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:47 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by G_Ride »

I used to have one, so I'll tell you what I know. It can easily support two people. During my college days, me and a buddy of mine used to hit Corpus bay during small craft warnings to have some sailing fun (ended up bending the mast in the process, but what fun). Even with the cockpit space full of gallons of water, it still sailed with both of us in it. We probably totaled over 300#. As for a power boat, it wouldn't take much to propel it, assuming the hull is clean and in good shape. I used plain auto car polish on mine to make it slick as a baby's backside. You might consider an electric trolling motor as an option. Mine had a hatch up by the mast that might be big enough to stow a battery, and it would be in the middle of the boat for balance. The electric tolling motor wouldn't add much weight to the stern either. If you use a small outboard, be careful of the weight. There is not much in the stern for buoyancy as it gets quite narrow (made for sailing). Sounds like an interesting idea if you can get one cheap. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need more info.
User avatar
gerald
TKF 4000 Club
TKF 4000 Club
Posts: 4174
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2003 10:48 am
Location: Gatesville, tx www.theoldmansboats.com

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by gerald »

Gosh...wish I could see this up close. Pretty nice looking small sailboat hull. The problem with "most" sailboats is that they are full displacement boats designed to sit "in" the water--in other words; they are not necessarily shallow draft boats. There are exceptions but from looking at pictures of this type of hull I don't believe it is one of the shallow draft boats. Shallow for a sailboat maybe, but not "shallow draft". I believe if I had one, depending upon the condition, I'd keep it as a sailboat and look for designs that are meant for very shallow water, or--once again--in other words; a flats type boat design.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but if it's anything at all like the pictures I looked at, I like it as a sailboat. Small hulls are fairly specific for usages due to their size. It's only when you get into bigger boats that you can have a multipurpose hull...
User avatar
richg99
TKF 3000 Club
TKF 3000 Club
Posts: 3208
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:31 pm
Location: North Houston (FM1960), TX

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by richg99 »

Unfortunately, there are many different "dolphin" boats shown on the 'net. The one that I am referencing is, at least to me..... definitely an almost flat bottomed boat. Best shown in this 'net pix of a sunfish (below). I'll take a picture of the nearly flat bottomed hull the next time I am on the lake.

p.s,. years ago, I ALSO owned a dolphin sailboat and it planed easily with a lateen rigged sail with two people on it.

Given this picture...what do you think now..?

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... n%26sa%3DG" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
richg99
TKF 3000 Club
TKF 3000 Club
Posts: 3208
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:31 pm
Location: North Houston (FM1960), TX

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by richg99 »

This pix might show it better....

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... n%26sa%3DG" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
richg99
TKF 3000 Club
TKF 3000 Club
Posts: 3208
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:31 pm
Location: North Houston (FM1960), TX

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by richg99 »

About half way down this page is a pix of the sunfish ( similar hull design) upside down on a trailer.

http://www.cattanach.org/sunfishtrailer.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rich
User avatar
G_Ride
Posts: 160
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:47 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by G_Ride »

The Dolphin Sr. has a more pronounced sharper bow but a similar shallow V hull. Is this what you were referring to:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... G%26um%3D1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
richg99
TKF 3000 Club
TKF 3000 Club
Posts: 3208
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:31 pm
Location: North Houston (FM1960), TX

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by richg99 »

Yep...that is the exact boat. good find. Rich
User avatar
BarnflyBruce
Posts: 197
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:44 pm
Location: On a T13 or an X-Factor

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by BarnflyBruce »

I think its a great idea! If its a failure it will provide you and this group a pile of laughs(take pictures).............and if it works your are a mad scientist to boot.

I've often thought of perhaps a small trimaran(windrider) for a transport vessel with yak(s) on the tramps to fish out of once schools are located.

Go for it..........except get them to give you the hull, they are worthless. You can get the boat fully equipped with mast, sails, etc. for next to nothing.
winojoe
Posts: 150
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 8:26 pm
Location: The Woodlands

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by winojoe »

I had the same idea... kinda. I start my build very soon. Buying plans from Bataeu.com. I am building an all composite 18 foot skiff. should draft in 4" with 2 guys and gear, powering it with a 15-20 hp. Keeping my Native 14, skiff should be able to mothership with it. All this, without a single drop of adult beverage...as soon as the build starts so will the trips to the liquor store, I am sure!!! Good Luck.
Joe
winojoe
Posts: 150
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 8:26 pm
Location: The Woodlands

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by winojoe »

Lots of great ideas on....www.microskiff.com
User avatar
richg99
TKF 3000 Club
TKF 3000 Club
Posts: 3208
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:31 pm
Location: North Houston (FM1960), TX

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by richg99 »

Yea...microskiff was probably the site that got me started on this ...

However....it is amazing how a night's sleep can shed common sense onto some issues.

While in the arms of Morpheous....I remembered WHY I got rid of my last powerboat. It was a nice boat, and she did what I wanted. But...it needed a storage barn; gasoline; insurance; tires; a trailer; grease fittings; State license and Texas Parks and Wildlife registration; bilge pump; .....motor maintenance......and on and on and on ...

Since I first had to go to the boat barn to get the boat....... trailer it through downtown Houston traffic... launch it.......fish.....recover and strap it back down on the trailer...then return through downtown Houston traffic;..... clean the boat up......and then trailer it back to the storage barn......I used it less and less over the years.

One advantage of kayak/canoe is that you can slip it on the roof and leave to go fishing in 20 minutes or so. No trailer; no excessive cleaning; no boat barn..

Even though I still think the idea is very do-able....I guess I'll let this idea pass and try to catch some fish with my Can-Yak first.

regards, Rich
User avatar
G_Ride
Posts: 160
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:47 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX

Re: Conversion to a flats skiff..Talk me out of it, please!

Post by G_Ride »

That's exactly why I got into kayaking too. Less maintenance and fees. It's more complicated when you start putting a motor on it and have to register the boat, and a dagger board hanging down from a sailboat doesn't work too well on the flats. ;-)
Post Reply