Kit Status: Ready to cut and deliver. Plans available!
LOA
14'
Beam
4' 1"
Weight
115lbs
Caravelle is a light skiff designed for single or tandem rowing and as a tender for a larger craft. She is also a smart sailboat, coming with a sprit or lugsail rig. Caravelle is built with 6mm Okoume planking over CNC-cut frames and a mixture of soft and hardwood parts. This makes for a much more enjoyable, easier building experience compared to messy stitch & glue construction. The folks who originally commissioned Caravelle wanted a boat that could be used for both adventures and exercise by one or two rowers as well as a utility skiff for getting kids, gear and a dog out to a boat on a mooring. Their area features quick tidal currents and choppy conditions. They planned to beach the boat often and take the boat home on a cartop, loaded by two people. All these contraints meant that Caravelle had to be designed for lightweight, excellent capacity, and be slippery in the water. Furthermore, the boat had to be good in a chop like the 12' sister to Caravelle, called the Echo Bay Dory Skiff. The secret to both of these hull shapes is that the transom is out of the water (no drag) and the stem is in the water when loaded. This also makes the boat less "slap-happy" than many other skiffs. When rowing into a chop, it takes big waves to get the bottom to slam. This makes the boat quiet in the water, save for the soothing sound of the bow wave as you row to your hearts content. All this in a light, inexpensive, and drop dead gorgeous boat that you can build yourself, with our help.
