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the 6foot skiff sailed in Balmain (a Sydney suburb whose open boat club was one of the most active) from around 1890 till 1928. originally possibly a children boat , later sailing with a 10ft bowsprit, 20ft mast , 15ft spi pole and 14ft boom....amazing sail area of around 1000 sqft. To avoid nosediving , Chook Fraser ( also 18 sailor of the time) said that the for'ard hand had to let go the peak halyard to keep throttle off....
Being 1928 I'd say no trapezes...

Luca

That sounds absolutely mental. Does anyone have any photos? Drawings? Absolutely any other info about them?

hi there the 6' skiff class is a class which a few of us are about to start or try to revive. we are talking large rigs, skiff hulls and trapeeze it is going to have very loose rules for example of the boats planned 3 of us are going single handed and 1 is going 2 up. We're not really at a stage to say much more but our web site is getting close to opening our web site

Please keep us updated of your activities !

Having grown up in Balmain a waterfront suburb of SYDNEY ( not Sidney) and a life long skiff nut,I can tell you a little about these boats. Get a copy of BLUE WATER BUSHMEN by Bruce Stannard there are photos included.
To all you Johnny come lately global skiff fans, you have to look at the big picture. When sailing ships came to Sydney in the early days, they anchored in the harbour and were serviced by small quick sailing skiffs. The faster the skiff the more chance to get to the square riggers first to sell your wares and get the job of taking sailors to and from shore. The same fast skiffs were then used for racing among each other on weekends. Original skiffs were 24ft, 22ft, 18ft, later came 16ft, 14ft, 12ft, 10ft, 8ft, 6ft. There were also the Canvas 12ftrs, that were a wood frame covered with tarpolins (canvas) generally stolen from the shipping companies around the waterfront The size variation of skiffs was due to the size of the family budget or the club that catered to that size. The yachts were for the rich and elite, the skiffs were for the bluecollar /workers who worked and lived around the harbour side.
There has been a revival in the last ten years in Oz for these original skiffs. Bob Teahrne a Sydney boatbuilder did build a 6ft skiff back in the late 80`s. The boat looks like an Irish Coockle, 6ft long-6ft beam and about 3ft deep. The boats sailed with Lee Cloths, which are a canvas panel screwed to the port and starboard side of the skiff running fron the bow to the stern. The Lee Cloths are about 2 ft wide in a straight line parralel with the keel. There is a batten which is inserted in the straight edge and when the skiff lays over, the cloth is bowed upward and supported with a removable strut.
This keeps out the water and lets the boat sail heeled over with out sinking. Yes three people sailed these boats.

Now if you" lately" lads really want to be astonished, do a search on Australian 2ft model sailing skiffs and see what Aussies did with 24 lb of lead on a boat 2ft long 18/20" wide 10/12" deep with 8ft of mast 5ft boom and bowsprit 4ft long.
Dam those Convicts got smart.

6ft skiffs? What are we on about? The original 6foot skiffs were sailed on Sydney Harbour during the early 20th Century. The sailors were well known for their reckless have-a-go spirit, courage and daring, and relentless competitive nature, both on the water and in the bar. The rules were basic, with a maximum waterline length of 6foot, and unlimited sail areas,. Everything else is down to the discretion of the designer, and ultimately how brave you are.

A small group of students with a fascination towards sailing, boat building and designing, and a general passion for putting enormous rigs on short hulls, were looking for projects where they could try out new ideas. We explored the 6ft Skiff concept and realised how interesting it would be to see how the class would cope with modern skiff design principles, including racks, multiple trapezes, and asymmetric rigs of epic proportions.

The sheer size of the boat, and the minimalist nature of the rules, means that these boats are going to be fantastically cheap to make. Typical build budgets are less than a hundred pounds. There is no need for a large workspace, as the hull will take up less area than a single bed. Hulls are in general home built from plywood, and the rigs whatever we can get our hands on. This creates a cheap and easy base for anyone to have a go at making some crazy and exciting boats.

As we speak, there are a number of stimulating projects already underway, and we look forward to commencing the build of these during the spring. An Intergalactic Championship is presently being thought-out for the end of the Summer 2006. This will give us a chance to compare our creations, and find out what happens when you race a fleet of ridiculously short, and over-canvassed skiffs together. On behalf of the 6ft Class I would like to invite you to create your own individual Skiff, and join us throughout this exciting revival.

For more info visit: http://www.6ft.flatwater.co.uk

does anybody have any photos of these amazing sounding craft

Some historical ones ...

When I was 17 and had no money I built a 6' skiff. It turned out great. Double botton, self draing cockpit, bow sprit with a retractible spin pole. The mast was 15'. I traded a laser sail for a main and a jib. Sailing it was tricky to say the least. Body movement in any direction dramatically affected everything.
It will be interesting to see what designs people come up with.
Buy the way. The link to the 6' web site is not working.

Looks like the website was hacked ...