Solo Skiff....anything similar in wood?

[doyle007]

I was googling around last night to see if I could find anyone building the Doug Hylan Point Comfort Skiff, and somehow I came across the Solo Skiff, which is from the Mitzi Skiff folks.

I am pretty taken with the design, and wonder if anyone knows of something similar in wood. It seems to be the perfect fit between a kayak, a SUP, and a full boat. The fact that it can be driven by a 2.5 to 5 hp motor is the icing on the cake for me.

www.soloskiff.com

[DeniseO30]

Looks very easy to do in wood. With a transom instead of the notch it would be more practical for gear.

[BrianY]

Jim Michalak's "Toto" is similar...no provision for a motor though.

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

Easy. 14'10 x 43", 110 lb. A 1½ HP motor will push it if you can find one. Looks like it could carry two.
http://www.bateau.com/studyplans/HK1....htm?prod=HK15
The Honker is a S&G update of a hunting/fishing design from the 1950s or so. It's a fairly new offering so not many have been built yet.

[MattL]

The solo has the ice chest for beer, what more could you ask for?

[allisonatx]

This seems like a good place for a first-time post after a few months of lurking...

Here's a design I've been working on:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...24/14_30_2.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...24/14_30_1.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...24/14_30_3.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...4_30_lines.JPG

It's similar to several plans I've seen for square-sterned, pirough type canoes, but it differs in a few ways. I started with inspiration from the 16-30 sailing canoes and tried to come up with a boat that would accommodate double-paddling, sailing and comfortable fishing with a minimum of set up.
It's vee-bottomed for a better tracking under paddle power, but pretty well rockered to allow maneuverability under sail or electric power. Though I don't have the coamings drawn in on my sketches,yet, they'll be there and along with the full deck should keep things pretty dry. The final design will include watertight bulkheads fore and aft with deck hatches.
I'm aiming for a standard tiller/extension set up, but it could easily be set up for foot steering of either rudder or trolling motor. The daggerboard could be left out of a non-sailing version or it could be fitted out with leeboards to keep the cockpit open for easier storage of the all-important ice chest...this is Texas - we need to keep the fish cold and the beer colder.
I'm working on a quick-and-dirty prototype in butt-jointed, hand cut panels and I have programming in place to get accurate, puzzle-jointed panels CNC cut locally, assuming the prototype performs pretty well.

And may I say that I've really enjoyed following the well-informed discussions on this forum. Obviously a lot of great experience and collective wisdom here and a great source of information.
Thanks!

[doyle007]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I just looked at my plans for the CLC 14' SUP, and that may also have possibilities with a little bit of modification and some beefing up to handle a small motor.

Allison, welcome to the forum. I like your design a lot. I have always loved the 16/30 canoe, and anything based on that design gets me interested.

[allisonatx]

I realized that I didn't sign my name to my earlier post and I didn't include my first name in username...
John Allison

PS...I've noticed some nice outboard canoe designs on the Selway-Fisher site.

[trent hink]

Hi, if you are thinking about putting a motor on the clc kohalo sup, you might want to think twice. I recently built a similar board, but 4-1/2" wider and slightly heavier. If you check my recent posts you can see some photos of my board.

my board is very stable for an sup, but no way would I put a motor on it - it's still too tippy for that.

what you need is even wider, with some raised decking to keep you from stepping out on the rail/gunwale. Also some extra weight I think will increase stability.

I'm no marine architect but I think the purpose of the notch in the transom is to increase stability to counteract the weight of thee motor and also aid planing with very low horsepower.

trent

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

You just can't hang a motor on anything. There has to be enough displacement to support the motor and whoever is at the tiller. Notice the plastic wonder in the first post has the motor ( possibly a 4 HP) moved well forward to get the motor to a place where there is enough hull to support it and to make it handy for the person sitting on that pillion. The design that I suggested likewise has a feature, a small rear deck, that keeps the pilot from overloading the stern section even tho' a 1½ HP motor should weigh less than 25 lb.

[trent hink]

The motor in the solo skiff photo is a 2 horsepower honda. It looks like a long shaft which seems like a weird choice for a small flats fishing boat where stability and draft might be concerns.That motor weighs around 28 pounds.

That boat made for the 1.5 horsepower motor is just about obsolete now. No one makes a motor that size, at least not in a 4 stroke.

I bet that solo skiff will just barely plane out with 2 horsepower - as long as the captain isn't too fat and thecooler isn't fully stocked.

trent

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

This is The Woodenboat site. The word "obsolete" is never, ever uttered here.
I think the reason for the long shaft is ergonomic. The Solo is essentially a Sit on Top with a high seating position so the motor is mounted high to bring the tiller to hand.
So far the Honker is the only design offered that is close to the specs of the Solo and building it would be a walk in the park compared to trying to mount a motor on a SUP.
Since the solo is plastic it's possible it has a hull profile that would be very difficult to build in wood. Wooden hulls of 40" width that offer stand-up stability for the non-athletic are rather rare and, maybe, non-existant.

[miroslavni]

I have came across interesting Kahala skiff design which might be ineteresting. More on designer's webite: http://cernyyachtdesign.com/power/sw.../kahala-skiff/

Specifications

LOA- 13’
LWL- 12’ 4”
BOA- 3’ 7”
Hull Draft- 5”
Displacement (w Max Crew)- 475 lbs
Recommended HP- 4-7 hp (max)
Max Occupant Capacity – 1 Adults
or Max Capacity – 430 lbs (including motor)





The construction utilizes a BVDY beveled strip planking method covered in lightweight fiberglass cloth that saves countless hours over traditional strip planking while still creating a lightweight and easily maintained hull.

[skaraborgcraft]

Atkins Scandal?? http://www.atkinboatplans.com/Oar/Scandal.html

[doyle007]

Miroslavni, now that is a great looking boat, and something that is now at the top of my list. From the description, it is car toppable, so it must be pretty light.

By the way, the boat was designed with input from Terry Baird, who I met while in Hawaii. He was driving the hotel shuttle bus on Lanai at night so that he could fish during the day. We got to talking about fly fishing, and he asked me to go fishing with him. Unfortunately, I was leaving the next day, so I did not fish, butI remember him saying that anglers were always flying over Hawaii to Christmas Island for bonefish, when there are big bones that are never touched right on the island. He was an interesting guy, and I am sure that a boat with his input in the design will work well for my needs.

[miroslavni]

doyle007, contact Kurt Cerny, the designer. As far as I know there are two boats under construction on the moment. I'm glad you both know the same fly fisherman from Hawaii.

[Riverrat13]

I'm bringing this guy back from the dead. But what about building one of these out of wood?


H- craft 13'. Looks like most have 15hp motors. I love the design and the riding position. It's designed for solo fishing in skinny water, which I do a lot of. Thinks it's possible out of wood?

[kenjamin]

You might want to check out Ross Lillistone's Flint - same length as Solo, 10 lbs. lighter, rows and also accepts a small outboard.

[Riverrat13]

What about this?
http://bateau.com/studyplans/FS14_LS...S14_LS#options

that looks perfect!

[Yesac13]

Take a look at the Tango 12. Notice the stern? It is extended past the transom so the boat planes better with a small motor. The Solo Skiff is designed the same way. The Tango 12 is bigger but should still go good with only 3.5 hp. 3.5 hp outboards out there are the best fit due to their 40 LBS weight (usually made by Tohatsu). 4 hp four stroke models tend to weight 60 LBS...

[Tomcat]

I have been working on a wooden version of this for a while now. Solo skiff is a very specific boat, that you can't just throw out any small wooden craft and say "what about this". For instance it has to be unsinkable and unfloodable to allow you to run it to the kinds of place you probably shouldn't, but people with these boats do. It has to be a tactical poling skiff, but from a central poling position, which has significant impacts on the shape of the boat. It just goes on and on. In my case, I knew I would be heavier than the average person for whom this boat is designed so I upped the displacement a little.

I heard a podcast from the designer, and I had been down an identical path, experimenting with all manner of other fly fishing boats. I was half heartedly considering the latest fad the SUP for fly fishing. Solo skiff looked like a better idea.

Building skiffs like this in wood is nasty as the moment you have to have a full length deck, rather than the efficiency of standing an a 1/4" of marine ply supported by water, it just gets so complicated... You can see the balsa core deck insert ready to be bonded in.



I have a second design in mind that will be Bolger simple, though the raised deck will complicate somewhat.

Bateau has several plans out now.

[whiskeyfox]

weekendwarrior just recently built and launched one of his own design.

11.5kts on 5hp.

[sdenault]

I have been working on a wooden version of this for a while now. Solo skiff is a very specific boat, that you can't just throw out any small wooden craft and say "what about this". For instance it has to be unsinkable and unfloodable to allow you to run it to the kinds of place you probably shouldn't, but people with these boats do. It has to be a tactical poling skiff, but from a central poling position, which has significant impacts on the shape of the boat. It just goes on and on. In my case, I knew I would be heavier than the average person for whom this boat is designed so I upped the displacement a little.

I heard a podcast from the designer, and I had been down an identical path, experimenting with all manner of other fly fishing boats. I was half heartedly considering the latest fad the SUP for fly fishing. Solo skiff looked like a better idea.

Building skiffs like this in wood is nasty as the moment you have to have a full length deck, rather than the efficiency of standing an a 1/4" of marine ply supported by water, it just gets so complicated... You can see the balsa core deck insert ready to be bonded in.



I have a second design in mind that will be Bolger simple, though the raised deck will complicate somewhat.

Bateau has several plans out now.

Hello
What if the boat was made of solid foam, carved to whatever shape you want and then fiberglass on the bottom, with epoxy and fiberglass screening on the top? I'm trying to build a copy of the solo skiff in this manner but have not found what the hull shape, which I think must be important with regard to safety and stability. I want to use my Evinrude 6hp, so a strong transom of somekind is needed.

Steve

[Tomcat]

Depends what you mean by foam. White styrofoam, not structurally strong, A pal started a project out of that stuff, I even lent him my hot wire. Literally, there were granules of foam in the gutters and planting beds of the neighbourhood for over a year. The same thing tends to happen in waterways. Of course it won't happen to the same extent if you glass the whole thing, but docks and sit on type boats at best seem to get shrink wrapped. Blue foam, you can do stuff with that. Boat foam would be a number one choice, but it is complex and expensive, if you want to take full advantage.

The softer foams can work in large sections but there are places where you need thinner sections, as you rightly point out, the transom. A material like plywood is a capable of being configured to support broad loads, like water pressure or point loads around motors, or walking loads.

You are right that the shape is all important. And to make a really good version of a skiff like this, it pays to make it to purpose. To deal with the actual weight of the user, or his choice of motor. So for instance a 6 hp motor really takes you into a different category of boat. The Solo Skiff is a designed around portable motors around 3 hp. The newer motors in the 4-6 hp range are huge. I have a Tohatsu 4hp, and that is probably going to be a problem for my project.

[Tomcat]

I guess it depends where you find it, but the other thing is that foam can be expensive. When my pal bought the brick required for his SUP, he had to spend a lot of money. With ply you could make the skin of the boat you see there for about 30-45 dollars (not counting the epoxy and glass which is pretty much on anything you build).