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.
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 9.08 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 6 ft |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.08 ft | 6 ft | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | 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 |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | 10.42 ft - (3176 mm) |
| MidGirth | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Foot | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 84 ft² |
| Sail Type | LUGSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 4.5 ft - (1372 mm) |
| Foot | 8.75 ft - (2667 mm) |
| Leech | 12.75 ft - (3886 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | * 9.7 ft - (2957 mm) |
| Head | 9.08 ft - (2768 mm) |
| Area | * 63.58 ft² |
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.