(A Classic Thames Sailing Skiff."Boy's Own" was an English magazine.)
by F.H. Hobden
For many reasons, winter seems the best time for amateur boatbuilding; you have the advantage of working more comfortably in cool weather, and then, when the hot summer time comes, you have a chance of thoroughly enjoying it, as your boat is ready for use. In designing a boat there are many things to bear in mind. I intend giving you here the lines of a skiff which can safely carry four persons, and can also be easily rowed by one, and is moreover capable of carrying a small sail to take you over the tide when the wind is fair (that is, on the quarter or dead aft). She is not intended for a sailing-boat, viz. one capable of sailing on a wind; as those who have had any experience in sailing know well, a shallow-draught boat with but little keel is not suitable for sailing with a head wind, but will blow away to leeward like a paper bag. Up the river, however, with a fair breeze, if you can stick up a small sail, it will often save you a long row, and that is a consideration in the hot weather
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