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by Fred Night - Port Orange, Florida - USA

These skiffs are from 14 to 21 feet long and can run in 6 to 8 inches of water with their motor tilted up. These boats are used for mullet fishing, flounder gigging and cast netting plus pulling crab traps. They have their own functional beauty derived from their many uses. These boats are really not true beauties but they are workhorses and as such have an attractive form and function.

As a dedicated small boater I wonder if I could create a small version of this MULLET SKIFF. My creations must fit in the back of a small pickup truck. The truck bed is 6 feet long with a one-foot tailgate, and measures 43 inches between the wheel wells.

What if this small skiff was 9 feet long and 43 inches amidships? What if this boat had a raised bow of 32 inches and sides of 16 inches and could be created from a sheet or two of exterior plywood? What if this boat could be dragged rather then lifted and slid into the back of a small pickup? What if the forward console was a cutting block rather then a true console? Could an older fisher person maneuver about and cut bait and fish with out falling overboard?

THIS IS A BOW TRANSOM, A MIDDLE BRACE AND A STERN TRANSOM.
THE SIDES AND BOTTOM ARE 3/8 EXTERIOR PLYWOOD. THE BOW TRANSOM, THE MIDDLE BRACE AND THE STERN TRANSOM ARE FROM ¾ SMOOTH PLYWOOD.
NEW NYLON LINE MAKES NICE HANDLES FOR A WORK BOAT.
WORKBOAT FINISH IS ABOUT AS HIGH AS I GO IN THE PRETTY DEPARTMENT.
THIS IS A BIG LOAD FOR A SMALL TRUCK AND AN OLD FISHERMAN.
IT WILL HAVE TO BE DRAGGED AND LIFTED ONE END AT A TIME.
THIS BOAT REMINDS ME OF A FISH WITH A BIG HEAD.
YEAH, THAT IS A PERFECT NAME FOR A SKIFF WITH A SUPER SIZED BOW.
HAMMERHEAD
ONE OF THE MOTORS FOR THIS SKIFF WILL BE AN OLD TROLLING MOTOR. THE REAL MOTOR WILL BE AN OLD BOATBUILDER. IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE HAMMERHEAD IS A 9 FOOT 4 INCH DOUBLE PADDLE WHICH SHOULD REACH ACROSS AN ALMOST 4 FOOT WIDTH.
THE BOTTOM IS EIGHT FEET WHILE HAMMERHEAD MEASURES NINE FEET
FROM BOW TO STERN.
THE FRONT CONSOLE IS ONE FOOT AT THE BASE, 32 INCHES IN HEIGHT AND TWO
FEET WIDE AT THE TOP.

ALL OF THIS BOAT MUST FIT INTO THIS LITTLE TRUCK!

WOW, IT IS A TIGHT SQUEEZE.

THE FIRST MATE IS TESTING OUT THE HAMMERHEAD IN THE WATER FOR THE FIRST TIME.
THE HAMMERHEAD ON PLANE OR NOT, SHE LOOKS GOOD AND IS NICE AND LEVEL.
THIS IS THE BIG TEST, A REAL HEAVYWEIGHT AT THE FRONT PULPIT. HAMMERHEAD IS DOWN AT THE BOW BUT HAS PLENTY OF FREEBOARD.
THIS SHARK SHOULD CATCH SOME NICE FISH. GO HAMMERHEAD!

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