16ft Skiff

A 16 ft Skiff is a class of three-person sailing dinghy with twin trapezes and a large asymmetrical spinnaker. The class is unique to Australia, where it is one of the most popular boats sailing with 95 boats registered in 12 clubs. The class has the largest fleet of high performance skiffs on the east coast of Australia. Due to the nature of only allowing two trapezes, the age of the sailors can vary between 15 and 60 years old, making it a versatile class of boat.

16ft Skiff

Development
Location	Australia
Design	High Performance Skiff
Boat
Crew	3
Trapeze	2
Hull
Type	Skiff
Construction	Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer
Hull weight	74 kg (163 lb)
LOA	16 ft (4.9 m)
Rig
General	2
Mast length	7 m (23 ft)
Sails
General	3
Spinnaker area	45 m2 (480 sq ft)
Upwind sail area	22 m2 (240 sq ft)
Total sail area	67 m2 (720 sq ft)

Construction

The hull, spars and foils are all constructed out of a carbon composite reinforced polymer. Manufacturers of these hulls are generally local boat builders, however are now being sourced overseas. The total weight of the boat is no more than 85 kg fully rigged, resulting in an extremely high sail area to weight ratio.

History

The class has been around for over a century and has changed significantly since its beginnings:

1901

Class founded in Balmain

1908

Class expands to Queensland

1922

Class spreads to Western Australia

1976

Rules change to allow any material for hull

1986

Three man crew introduced

1997–98

Stick class rules were introduced

Class specifications

• Overall length—4.88 metres (16.0 ft)
• Construction—Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)
• Min beam—1.52 metres (5.0 ft)
• Max beam—1.78 metres (5.8 ft)
• Min weight—70 kilograms (154 lb)
• Working sail area—22 square metres (240 sq ft)
• Spinnaker sail area—45 square metres (480 sq ft)
• Racing crew—Three

External links

• Skiffs.org.au