Pooduck Skiff
Description
The Pooduck Skiff is a compact, multi-purpose sailing dinghy designed by renowned American naval architect Joel White (son of author E.B. White) in the 1980s, inspired by traditional New England skiffs and similar to his popular Shellback Dinghy. Featured in Boat Design Quarterly #18, it's a lightweight, wooden dayboat optimized for sailing, rowing, and sculling, with a focus on simplicity, seaworthiness, and ease of construction. Built primarily using plywood for the hull (often 3/4" meranti BS1088 on the bottom for durability), it's intended for home builders or small shops, emphasizing a "big little boat" feel—spacious enough for two adults yet trailerable and portable. The design prioritizes stability, excellent tracking under oar, and balanced sailing performance in light to moderate winds, making it ideal for coastal exploring, training, or as a yacht tender.
Construction Details
| Designer | Joel White |
|---|---|
| Length | 13.000 ft |
| LOA | 12.830 ft |
| Beam | 4.500 ft |
| Displacement | 130 lb |
| Max Draft | 1.750 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.540 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 9.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 4.25 ft |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.50 ft | 4.25 ft | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Pooduck Skiff - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 8.5 ft - (2591 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 4.17 ft - (1271 mm) |
| Leech | 6.83 ft - (2082 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | 3.32 ft - (1012 mm) |
| Area | * 14.09 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Pooduck Skiff - SPINNAKER
| Stays | 9.89 ft - (3014 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | 7.67 ft - (2338 mm) |
| Foot | 7.67 ft - (2338 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180.47 % |
| Area | * 64 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Pooduck Skiff - 4-SIDED SAIL
| Luff | 4.5 ft - (1372 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 8.75 ft - (2667 mm) |
| Leech | 12.75 ft - (3886 mm) |
| Head | 9.08 ft - (2768 mm) |
| Diagonal | 9.58 ft - (2920 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 86.3 ° |
| Area | 63.04 ft² |
| Comments | Lug Sail |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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