Goat Island Skiff Boat Plan, Beautiful, Fast, LIght
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The Goat Island Skiff is our best selling sailing dinghy plan and is an easy to build wooden boat plan with excellent performance, light weight and capacity.
Simple to Build – “Boatbuilding course in a Book”
Modern Performance – Sails rings around most “character boats”
Light enough to handle on land by yourself
Easy to follow plans – step by step instructions. 96 page manual.
A Sailing Dinghy Champion’s view of the Goat Island Skiff
Sailmaker Michael McNamara (Mike Mac) with over 60 major sailing dinghy championship wins in a wide range of racing dinghy types reviews the Goat Island Skiff.
I had a nice long sail in Richard’s Goat Island Skiff today and had a lovely sail. He has made a great job of the boat and it went like a dream. (boat right)
I was very impressed with how simple the controls were and how quickly the boat went. It was also beautifully balanced.
As you could expect the boat felt better when it was slightly heeled when beating. Off wind it felt fast but didn’t create a planing sort of wash…it just went faster and faster.
When tacking I found that I had to be quite forceful in pushing it into the wind and it was definitely better to “roll” it coming out of the tack. I’m glad that I did have a sail because I found that I need to modify the sail slightly to give more fullness at the head. The yard bent more than I had anticipated.
I will now get started on your sail and be in touch soon. Hope that is ok.
Clint Chase the narrator also provides excellent Goat Island Skiff kits. Kits also available in other countries.
One of the nice things is the lack of wake under oar.
The Goat is quite a quick rowing boat as well as a quick sailing dinghy.
The high sides that provide a stability reserve in sailing dinghy mode create more windage than is ideal for rowing.
However, in any conditions you actually want to row it covers ground quick. Even to compete in Row/Sail events. The GIS came in third in every rowing leg of the Caledonia RAID against boats with two or more set of oars.
Joost Engelen, The Netherlands
Sailing the Goat Island Skiff and is it easy to build?
I’m staying with my Friends, Peter and Jo Hyndman, who built the first Goat Island Skiff over 12 years ago.
They also live on the edge of the Mooloola River – which makes it quite easy to take a break and go for a sail.
Peter has been perching up on his balcony with his new Nikon D80 Digital Camera while I put the sailing skiff through its paces.
One of the big problems with photos of quick sailing dinghy designs or quick boats is so little fuss as they travel through the water. They don’t look like they are doing much in photos, and we will rectify that shortly with some video clips so you can see just how much ground the boat is covering.
Definitely a quick boat. Maybe it doesn’t have the top end of a modern racing boat, and it certainly will not be embarrassed by any non-trapeze type on any point of sail and all wind strengths.
The thing about the GIS is that it is constructed like a modern sailing dinghy out of a minimum number of pieces. Not a multi-piece wooden boat plan of old:
2 x sides
4 x bulkheads to push the sides into shape create the built in buoyancy tanks
1 x transom (ditto)
1 x bottom
3 x seat tops
There is very little else.
The Green Goat is John Goodman’s, here with the designer in the front in the 200 mile Texas200 mile event—speed despite carrying a large load of gear, water and food.
A homebuild wooden boat plan – but simple to build and fast.
The result is that this traditional-looking sailing skiff is lighter than many racing dinghies. Peter’s Gruff weighs in at a very light 127lbs (58kg). Not bad for a boat a little under 16ft (4.8m). A geographic/historical advantage of Australian and NZ boat design and construction. And no ultra thin ply or difficult construction is used – it is all robust 1/4″ (6mm) ply.
So in these pics you can see it in fast mode – and also see just how pretty it is.
By the way, the photos of this series show a 16 year old boat that has spent a lot of time living outside under a good cover in the tropics. The cover didn’t quite stop water getting in and the boat did sit with water inside in the tropical sun for months. There is no degrade as you can see.
Proof positive that epoxy coating reduces maintenance dramatically.
OK … back to the story.
A Plywood Sailing Dinghy sails well with four adults but flies with one or two.
If you look at the pics below and on Peter’s own GIS website you will be able to see it carrying a bit of weight too. I’ve sailed it with 4 adults in the boat (Actually it was Peter and Jo, me and my ex Maz) for a daysail on Moreton Bay. That was with a picnic aboard – about 700lbs (310kg) of crew and gear.
Here is James Armstrongs boat in Florida with a load of bodies.
Nice moderate sailing breeze – we covered a lot of ground that day covering open water and skimming over shallows. Peter’s site has a great deal of general GIS information as well.
Rigging the Goat Island Skiff
Rigging the Goat requires very few manufactured parts compared to all the expensive parts on the modern sailing dinghy.
Ask questions and see builds on the Goat Island Skiff FB group
Epoxy and Low Maintenance of a Modern wooden boat
You wouldn’t think the photo above was a 15-year-old wooden boat by the pic. It has not been repainted or revarnished – the sail and ropes have not been renewed as the loads on everything are so light compared to a modern boat.
This and many other photos are a testament to coating a boat with a good quality boatbuilding epoxy system and following it with a quality paint system. It costs more in the first place. Owners enjoy the freedom from extra boat maintenance that would have been necessary if cheaper materials had been used, for example, if more inexpensive materials are used, avoiding the two or three major sandings back and repaintings are usually required if epoxy is not used.
There is a lot of information about use and advantages of epoxy in my boatbuilding FAQ. You don’t necessarily need to use epoxy to build this boat, but it does make the structure terrifically strong and low maintenance.
The plans are highly detailed and are continuously revised throughout the GIS’s history. We spent much time working on providing more pics and drawings and a clearer layout.
One expansion is a series of photos giving information about the different systems of boat rigging. and there is more rigging and setup information for the lug rig online. This makes it easier to find the few fittings required independent of your geography.
From Sept 1, 2006 – The Goat Island Skiff is my most popular plan.
The reason … it is really pretty. But can back that up with performance, a forgiving nature and ease of building.
So the GIS catches peoples attention.
And this is the first photo I ever saw of it from Peter Hyndman all those years ago. I was really surprised by the size and volume.
Once it has caught their attention they start to see other advantages.
Light – makes it easy to move around on shore and is one of the secrets behind the modern performance. It actually weighs 10lbs LESS than a Laser Dinghy at 125lbs (57kg) when built of lighweight Gaboon plywood.
Versatile – it rows quite OK, sails like a rocket and can take a small outboard for non sailing days. Max 2 to 3hp.
Simple build – The Goat Island Skiff (GIS) is one of the easiest boats to build because of the greatly reduced number of parts.
A nice video of Two Goat Island Skiffs overtaking another sailing dinghy
One of the fun things about the GIS is that the lug rig upsets racing dinghy-type sailors. Some rang me up and email me asking if they could put a more modern rig on the boat. So far I have managed to convince all of them to stay with the four sided lug sail. And all of them have been grateful when they realise just how quick this sailing skiff goes.
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The lug sail is highly efficient, quick to rig and unrig. I know everyone says that “their” lug rig is highly efficient. However we, the designer and users, have done significant research and development into the Lug Rig. Later that led us into making sails with ReallySimpleSails. Both the GIS and BETH will give modern boats a run for their money and will sail rings around other character boats. Or if you want a modern fast light boat look at our Viola 14 Sailing canoe.
One of the most significant hints I can give them is to specify a low stretch halyard for the mainsail – spectra or dynex. It means the sail shape doesn’t deteriorate through stretch in the rope – well worth the extra $15.
If you are used to sailing modern sailing dinghy types like the Taser, Laser, OK, National 12, and Windmill you will find the Goat has much of the feel of these boats. Lively and responsive. It can sail in modern company with quick conventional dinghies and not be completely outclassed.
Club Racing wooden boat with trad rig vs other sailing dinghies in the UK
Here is a video of a Solo Dinghy trying to get past the Goat Island Skiff in a club event.
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However it has a much greater carrying capacity than any of the modern boats. I have had it out with 4 Adults and it sails very nicely indeed. It is an advantage of the easily driven hull form.
The other advantage of the lug rig is that it reefs very simply. The sail area is quite big at 105 sq ft (9.75 sq m) so with the hull’s light weight it has quite a big power to weight ratio for good fine weather performance. When the weather blows up then it can be reefed for good control. This is also why the GIS is relatively cheap to get on the water. A single big sail is a lot cheaper than having several smaller ones. Generally adding a jib doubles the cost of rig and sails.
Easy to build Wooden Boat Plan
There are two parts to ease of building
The quality of the plans
Whether the designer understands the capabilities of the materials being used.
The plans for the Goat Island Skiff are more like a book than a plan. Detailed information on each building step, how to join the plywood, how to mark the shapes of the panels, how to use the epoxy – it is all there. More a course on boatbuilding than a simple plan.
One of the first things you notice looking at the GIS is the lack of timber framing. The interior is very clean and open. Loads are carried by the ply and the timber is just there to hold it together. Wooden boat plan with simplicity.
Photo below shows the clean interior. It is Robert Hoffman’s boat building in Poland.
Less timber is used in the boat, which saves money.
Less structure – which saves weight.
Fewer parts so the boat builds much more quickly.
Building Space – a wooden boat that can be a flatpack until final assembly.
Building space does not have to be enormous with initial prefabbing of panels and parts taking much less. I suppose the minimum for final assembly would be around 18ft by 6ft – a standard carspace would be more than adequate.
The boat is quite movable while under construction so could be worked on in the open and moved under shelter when not building. As the major ply components are constructed on the flat, very little space is taken up until over halfway through the project.
Performance – keep the boat flat and use the responsiveness of the light weight to catch every wave and gust.
This sailing skiff will sail much the same as most boats its size, but there are a few peculiarities that come with the flat bottom.
As with almost all boats, the skiff will sail fastest if sailed level (Photo above is just as a gust struck) – with little or no heel. The exception is in very light winds; when you are struggling to get up any speed, the boat can be heeled over to 20°. The wetted surface is reduced by around 25%. As soon as the boat has achieved any sort of consistent speed it should be brought upright.
When the water is very choppy the boat may slam badly if sailed upright. A small amount of heel will smooth its movement considerably. The minimum amount of heel that stops the worst of the slamming should be adopted.
The forward and aft buoyancy tanks are designed for use as seats when rowing. The boat will perform best sailing with crew weight concentrated around the middle thwart.
The final difference with many other boats is because there is no jib. This means that the mainsail boom should not be pulled in tighter than 10 degrees.
Setting up a Boat Trailer for the Goat Island Skiff.
The GIS can be carried on a lightweight trailer. It is lighter than a Laser sailing dinghy enough to be cartopped – but it is bulky so we recommend a trailer.
She fits nicely in a standard 5ft box trailer with an extended towing arm at the front.
Some European “Goatees” roof rack their Goats on compact cars. Enrico in Italy uses this peg board to move the boat up on the top by himself, and it has pegs making it a step-by-step lift. It is good to build to spec to get the standard 130lbs 62kg weight.
Rowing the Skiff – Oar size and placement
Here is Enrico Franconi and family rowing the Goat Island Skiff through Venice.
If rowlocks are to be fitted they need to go 300mm behind the back edge of the centre seat. The oars need to be 9ft long for best efficiency and the plans are free from my website – Click HERE.
There is always a bit of luck involved in designing a boat. Here it was that the 9ft oars store neatly in the bottom of the boat. Or up in the bow.
And in open Row and Sail events the Goat holds its own on the rowing legs. It came third in every rowing leg of Sail Caledonia RAID under the power of Joost and Viola from the Netherlands. Most of the other boats had two rowing places. So the boat does row well.
Motoring the Skiff
Because of its hullshape, the Goat Island Skiff can’t use more than about 3 or 4 hp effectively. Even two hp will push her along at good speed and electric motors, even quality trolling motors are a possibility. Higher horsepowers are not very useful because the sailing dinghy hull is not the right shape to go faster. It will stand up on its stern and start pounding in waves.
The Goat Island Skiff is set up to take small horsepowers (up to 3) already as the transom is braced by the knees in the corners and the top of the rear seat.
For more info on motoring read the article from Dave Graybeal below under “satisfied customers”. He is currently building the new hollow mast design so his boys can take her sailing.
Questions and Answers
Can the GIS carry a load?
From Leigh Hemmings on Scotland Island
Dear Michael, Hi, from Scotland Island.Today we used our light fast and pretty Goat Island Skiff as a concrete, blue metal and sand barge. Previous days have seen it used as a timber barge – powered by an electric outboard!.
When not in this guise it’s main role is our commuter boat. But, once our renovation is a little further down the track, our Goat Island Skiff will once more become light fast and pretty sailing craft. Trust you are well and enjoying life.
That Mast Looks Heavy – is there an alternative?
The standard square hollow wooden mast is in the GIS wooden boat plan. The mast step and partner are altered slightly, and drawings are now available and included with new plan sets. As usual, the lighter structure is also cheaper because it uses less timber, and the timber thickness is easier to find.
For those wanting a round mast alternative, we have a hollow birdsmouth mast design. Just email me. The two mast versions weigh about the same. There is a specification for a carbon mast and other spars too.
Hollow Round Birdsmouth Mast Option
More on Motoring
The boat balances quite OK if there is someone else in the boat to sit on the front seat with the driver on the rear seat. When by yourself, the boat will balance better if you make up a tiller extension for the outboard so you can sit on the middle seat.
A tiller extension for the outboard can be made of plastic pipe to fit over the outboard tiller.
What sort of Outboard works OK?
Not too big – you won’t go any faster and it might put too much load on the boat.
Perhaps you can use a slightly larger outboard, but generally, outboards don’t take too well to running at low revs all the time. And it is another heavy bit to carry around.
Be aware, too, that outboard weight is a whole field. Generally, a manufacturer will use the same engine as the basis for 2 or 3 models. So you may see three different horsepower outboards, all with about the same weight, and several models all use the same block and other internals.
So do some checking before buying.
For purchasers of the plan there is a birdsmouth mast option. Email me with proof of purchase.
Reviews of the Goat Island Skiff Plans by Builders and Sailors
