Skiffs and Prams

Florimbi pram maiden row with one of my Apprenticeshop student boatbuilders at the helm and a little brother in the sternSusan skiff oarlockSusan skiff with a fancy finishA rainy launch day for these two Florimbi pram student builders at the Apprenticeshop in Rockland, MaineThe first boat I designed and built, named Irma after my grandmother

The 11' 6" Susan skiff (top right and center) was designed in the 1950s by R. M. Steward for Rudder magazine. Many students at Maine's Apprenticeshop boatbuilding school cut their boatbuilding teeth on these rugged workboats. As an instructor there, I built this cedar-on-oak version with a student intern. Mahogany thwarts and rub rails and a yachty paint job belie its rugged origins.

The 8' "Florimbi Pram" (top and bottom left) I designed for a kids boatbuilding class at the Apprenticeshop. We needed a project that kids from eight to twelve could build within two weeks. The pram is symmetrical end to end with a flat bottom and batten-seamed sides. It can be rowed or sculled, a good dinghy or tender.