| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | William F. Crosby |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1933 |
| No. built | "hundreds" |
| Builder | homebuilt boat |
| Name | Skimmer |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 300 lb (136 kg) |
| Draft | 4.50 ft (1.37 m) withcenterboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | Monohull |
| Construction | Fiberglass |
| LOA | 10.92 ft (3.33 m) |
| Beam | 4.50 ft (1.37 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | pivoting centerboard |
| Ballast | none |
| Rudder | transom-mountedrudder |
| Rig | |
| General | Cat boat |
| P mainsail luff | 14.92 ft (4.55 m) |
| E mainsail foot | 9.00 ft (2.74 m) |
| Sails | |
| Mainsail area | 65 sq ft (6.0 m2) |
| Total sail area | 65 sq ft (6.0 m2) |
TheSkimmer is an Americansailing dinghy, that was designed byWilliam F. Crosby foramateur construction in 1933.[1][2][3][4]
The Skimmer design conforms to theoriginal Moth class rules, but with an emphasis on simplicity for ease of construction and to reduce building costs. Crosby was the editor ofRudder magazine at the time and had designed theSnipe in 1931. He published the plans for the Skimmer in the October and November 1933 issues of that magazine, during the height of theGreat Depression, as a means of producing asailboat for the least cost. As a consequence, hundreds of examples were built and they were raced as a class on the United States west coast and other places in the US.[1][2][3][4]
The Skimmer is a small, single-handed, recreational dinghy, built predominantly of wood planking. It has acatboat single-sail rig, asingle chine hull, a transom-hungrudder and a pivotingcentreboardkeel. It displaces 300 lb (136 kg) and carries no ballast.[1][3]
The boat has a draft of 4.50 ft (1.37 m) with the centreboard extended and 1.83 ft (0.56 m) with it retracted, allowingbeaching or ground transportation on atrailer orautomobileroof rack.[1][3]
Related development