Skiff

Skiff

The term skiff is used, and has been used, to refer to many various types of small boats.

The word is related to "ship" and has a complicated etymology: it comes from the Middle English "skif", which derives from the Old French "esquif", which in turn derives from the Old Italian "schifo", which is itself of Germanic origin.

In American usage, the term is used to apply to small sea-going fishing boats. It is referred to historically in literature in "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville and "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemmingway. The skiff could be powered by sails as well as oars. One current usage of skiff is to refer to a typically small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and a flat stern originally developed as an inexpensive and easy to build boat for use by inshore fishermen. Originally designed to be powered by rowing, their form has evolved so that they are efficiently powered by outboard motors. The design is still in common use today for both work and pleasure craft.

The Thames skiff is a round-bottom clinker-built rowing boat that is still very common on the River Thames and other rivers in England. It features in "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome, the book about a journey up the Thames. During the year, skiffing regattas are held in various river-side towns in England—the major event being the Skiff Championships Regatta at Henley.

The term skiff is also used to refer to a type of high performance sailing dinghy, one that usually features an asymmetrical spinnaker and requires that the crew use a trapeze to help balance the boat. Examples include: Cherub Skiff, 12ft Skiff, International 14 (14ft skiff), 16ft Skiff, 18ft Skiff, 29er, 29erXX, 49er, and Musto Skiff.

There is a Central American/Mexican version of a skiff, generally called a panga.

External links

* [http://www.cherub.org.au Cherub skiff]
* [http://www.49er.org 49er skiff]
* [http://www.29er.org 29er skiff]
* [http://www.exaqua.co.uk/astus141.php Astus 14.1 skiff]
* [http://www.mustoskiff.com Musto skiff]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • skiff — skiff …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • Skiff — Skiff, n. [F. esquif, fr. OHG. skif, G. schiff. See {Ship}.] A small, light boat. [1913 Webster] The pilot of some small night foundered skiff. Milton. [1913 Webster] {Skiff caterpillar} (Zo[ o]l.), the larva of a moth ({Limacodes scapha}); so… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Skiff — Skiff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Skiffed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Skiffing}.] To navigate in a skiff. [R.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Skiff — das; [e]s, e <aus gleichbed. engl. skiff, dies über fr. esquif, it. schifo aus dem Germ.> schmales nord. Einmannruderboot (Sport) …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • skiff — skiff·less; skiff; …   English syllables

  • Skiff — (engl.), kleines Boot, vgl. Rudersport …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Skiff — (engl.), schmales, leicht gebautes Ruderboot …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • skiff — s.m.inv. ES ingl. {{wmetafile0}} TS sport → singolo {{line}} {{/line}} DATA: 1908. ETIMO: cfr. 2schifo …   Dizionario italiano

  • skiff — /skif/, it. /skif/ s. ingl. [dal fr. esquif, dall ital. schifo barchetta ], usato in ital. al masch. (marin.) [imbarcazione da regata a un solo vogatore] ▶◀ singolo …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • skiff — [skıf] n [Date: 1400 1500; : Old French; Origin: esquif, from Old Italian schifo] a small light boat for one person …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • skiff — [ skıf ] noun count a small light boat with enough space for one person …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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