Skiffs are one of the most popular vessels constructed and used in the Carolinas. The reason for this popularity is the variety of vessels that can be a skiff. In general, a skiff is a small open-topped boat with a shallow draft. They are commonly found with a pointed bow and a flat transom. These vessels were primarily used by fishermen, but have also taken on roles as an everyday workboat.
Alford notes several types of skiffs have sailed in the Carolinas. Among the skiffs, Alford notes that there are shove skiffs, sailing skiffs (both flat-bottomed and v-bottomed), work skiffs, and flare-bow skiffs. Each of these vessels is identified by being a ‘skiff’ and having a feature(s) that makes it part of a more focused vessel type.
Shove skiffs are a type of flat-bottomed skiff that was powered through a poling oar. A poling oar is a long pole that looks similar to a long oar. This oar was designed to shove along the bottom to propel the boat. Having this form of propulsion limited the vessel to only be used in shallow water. Despite this limitation, these vessels were commonly used for tending to fishing nets, oyster fishing, and trips to town (Alford 1990:2-3).
Shove Skiff (Alford 1990:4)
Sailing skiffs have two variations: flat-bottomed and v-bottom. As the name suggests, sail skiffs were powered by sails. By having sails these vessels were able to travel through deeper water, such as the larger sounds between the Outer Banks and the mainland. This contributed to making this type of skiff very popular. The typical sail configuration was a sprit mainsail with a small jib. Some larger skiffs also may have had a sprit topsail and a flying jib (Alford 1990:5-12).
Work skiffs are modern versions of the skiff and are powered by motors. These motors are usually mounted in wells located inside the skiff enabling them to haul nets or dredges without damaging the equipment. Since these skiffs are work-specific, the traits these vessels have are entirely dependent on the community constructing them and their function (Alford 1990:9-10).
Flare-bow skiffs are the general term for modern boats built in eastern North Carolina. Skiffs built to this style are up to 22 feet long and powered by either inboard or outboard motors. The key feature of these skiffs is the flared bow which provides for a wide deck. This wide deck makes the boat larger and increases the workspace (Alford 1990:16-17).
