What would be considered a skiff?

[126andy]

I was just wondering what would be classified a skiff. I have a 1997 Aquasport striper 165. Would that be considered a skiff? I seen lots of people calling boats skiffs but I don't really know what makes them a skiff. I guessing that it is a semi flat bottom boat with no draft to speak of. I a boat has a gas tank below the deck instead of an external can does that make it not a skiff?

[Circle Hooked]

Skiff would have supper low gunnels and a very shallow draft 6-8" and usually in the 14-18 ft range, and be set up for push polling, Andy your boat is very close, I would consider it a skiff more then anything else and that's not a bad thing.

[pete]

I thought a "skiff was more of a small boat like 10 to 12 ft like a jon boat with a small kicker,Andys' would be called a "flats boat" by todays' definition....or not,maybe a skiff is in the eye of the captain.

[Circle Hooked]

Well then you have Micro Skiffs or Technical Polling Skiffs also  

Biggest of all is the word Skiff adds $ to the price tag which is why the widespread use of the word.

[wingtime]

I think skiff is one of those names that is used to describe many different types of boats depending on use, region, etc etc.  Ever hear of a captains skiff?  Skiff is even used to describe a certain types of small sail boats and so on.  I think generally the traditional term describes a small flat bottomed boat with shallow draft powered by oars.  In our recreational fishing world I think marketing has applied the name to a bunch of small boats but I would say a boat with shallow draft and a flat bottom could be called a skiff.

[GoneFission]

A skiff is, by definition, a shallow, flat-bottomed open boat with sharp bow and square stern.  A flatback could be considered a skiff, but the semi-v and deep-v Aquasports are not really skiffs.  Neither are most Carolina Skiffs, cuz they ain't got no sharp bow!  But that's OK, cuz they are not made in Carolina either!  I guess today you can call a boat about anything and somebody will buy it.

[seabob4]

Remember CJ, if you catch a bass fishing from a jon boat, said jon boat can now be called a bass boat!  And will fetch a premium price!

[Aswaff400]

Remember CJ, if you catch a bass fishing from a jon boat, said jon boat can now be called a bass boat!  And will fetch a premium price!

just like said jon boat fishes the flats, it magically becomes a flats boat
http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/boa/3620530017.html

[126andy]

Remember CJ, if you catch a bass fishing from a jon boat, said jon boat can now be called a bass boat!  And will fetch a premium price!

just like said jon boat fishes the flats, it magically becomes a flats boat
http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/boa/3620530017.html

That guy covered all his bases, he called it a flats boat in the title and a Bass boat in the ad.

[Circle Hooked]

I've seen some ads in the past for 80's model tri hull boats and they were called flats skiffs  

[MarshMarlowe196]

The definition I found for "Skiff" on boats.com reads, simply:

"A small, simple, shallow-draft boat."

So what's simple?  Well, the rough unfinished interior (no inner liner) of a boat like a Carolina Skiff with few hatches and little to no bells and whistles is about as simple as it gets.  I think the Striper is of a better fit and finish with an inner liner, with a better layout than a conventional skiff.  To add to this, I believe a Jon Boat is basically the name for an Aluminum Skiff.

"Flats boat" definition from the same source:
"Type of small, inshore saltwater fishing boat with moderate deadrise and draft, usually equipped with a raised platform aft used by a guide pushing a long pole to silently maneuver the boat through shallow tidal water. "

Seems like any boat that could be referred to as a Flats Boat would at least have to have a stock poling platform to get away with the designation.  

A "Bay Boat" is what I would classify the Striper as, minus the rolled edge-
"Low-profile, inshore fishing boat intended for use in protected coastal waters, and frequently made with rolled-edge construction."