The Skipjack is sloop-rigged boat, with a sharply raked mast and extremely long boom (typically the same length as the deck of the boat) and is typically 40 to 50 feet in length. As typical in regional practice, the bow features a curving longhead placard board under the bowsprit, with carved and painted trailboards. The mainsail is ordinarily triangular, though gaff rigged examples were built. The jib is self-tending and mounted on a bowsprit. This sail plan affords the power needed to pull the dredge, particularly in light winds, while at the same time minimizing the crew required to handle the boat. The hull is wooden and V-shaped, with a hard chine and a square stern. In order to provide a stable platform when dredging, skipjacks have very low freeboard and a wide beam (averaging one third the length on deck). A centerboard is mounted in lieu of a keel. The mast is hewn from a single log, with two stays on either side, without spreaders; it is stepped towards the bow of the boat, with a small cabin.
This skipjack was the first boat model I every created; It took me eight months to complete it. Everything in or on this model is handmade and as close to scale as possible. The scale I used for this model is 1:24 and it is roughly L-30” x W-8” x H-36”. Please pay close attention the details of the rigging and deck.
Cheaspeake Workboat Modeling 