"The April 2001 issue was worth a year's subscription. I love anything abouth boat building, and Kilburn Adams Meandher hit the spot ["Boat Review", page 44]."....

Bob Forgensen Memphis, Tenn.

* Letter from a new boat builder

Most great inventions come from a single mind with vision driven by passion.

I have seen the SkiffAmerica 20 in person! I drove 300 miles to the Midwest Homebuilt Messabout at Rend Lake in southern Illinois to see if she was real. Yes she is! For you planholders (or prospective planholders) who haven't seen the boat in person, here is my testimonial. I had to wait a couple of weeks to calm down before I could write this, or else I would sound like a 12 year old girl after meeting Michael Jackson. Pardon my enthusiasm.

I have been looking for years in all the right places for a river cruiser design that would fit my needs. I saw the SkiffAmerica in Wooden Boat Magazine's "Launchings". She was nice looking. When I found the web site (www.stlmusic.com/SkiffAmerica) I took a very serious look—too good to be true?

With respect to all the great designers who we all know and love, Kilburn Adams has designed the perfect boat ! He has combined some of the best attributes from other designs and blended them into a remarkable craft. Mr. Adams 20 design goals (see website) were met in splendid fashion. I am amazed at how Mr. Adams put so much utility and economy into such a beautiful package.

My first glimpse of the boat put a lump in my throat. There they were, boat # 1 and #2 nestled in a cove along with a Bolger Birdwatcher, Sam Devlin's Nancy's China, and Jim Michalak's Caprice among others. I scrambled to the beach and Mr. Adams invited me aboard. When I put my hands to the bow to shove off she just felt right. Light enough to easily handle by myself. Strong, this hull is built like an aircraft. There is no wasted timber in this vessel, the only wood which is not structural are the cabinet doors and seat lids. The triangular gusset/step/seats at the transom are very comfortable. I had seen a photo from the bow and thought she may be a bit narrow. She is narrow only at the waterline and the cabin is very comfortable. She is a very spacious 20 footer. The walkthrough cabin is one feature that sold me. The aft hatch is very wide and allows easy access for conversation with those in the cabin on the occasion when a number of people are aboard.

I also wanted to see how the 25hp Yamaha 4 stroke performed. Just as Mr. Adams stated, SkiffAmerica is a very easily driven hull. We made some tight turns, cut clean through some large boat wakes and skimmed over a little chop with no problem at all. We don't have to wait to climb out of the hole....she is on plane sitting still. I plan to stick with the very quiet, smooth Yamaha, and I probably won't bother to build the motor cover.

Bill Dulin, builder of boat #2 carried my son in his boat alongside Kilburn and I. I got to watch what his boat was doing while at the helm of #1. What a wonderful way to check out a boat.......Thank you Kilburn and Bill from the bottom of my heart.

I bought plan set #24. I have never built a boat before–I've been waiting for this one. The plans are very detailed, filled with nice little surprises, and are a bargain. I am not afraid of building her as Mr. Adams has done most of the work for us. This design is sophisticated and elegant, not at all your typical shapeless shoebox. It is an answer to my quest for an appropriate, comfortable cruiser that won't have to live at a marina. But one that will light up any marina she passes through.

SkiffAmerica would be at home on Lake Powell or Lake Geneva. On the Amazon or the Appalachacola. Some time in the near future you will be able to see her on the Tennessee River adding a touch of quiet elegance to a waterway filled with the fumes of the Clorox cruisers and pontoon patios.

Thanks again Mr. Adams!

* Letter from a boat builder

Kilburn,
Just came back from an overnighter with my youngest son. We went locally here in south Puget sound, and although the San Juans are beautiful, I almost prefer the quiet beauty of this part.

My son and I had a wonderful trip. Slept under the full moon last night and had a wonderful day swimming/ poking around several islands and looking at mount Rainier. Watched seals sunbathing and catching salmon. What a great time we had, and the boat/motor all worked flawlessly. The anchor out system really makes stopping at islands a snap.

I'm very excited about your ideas for a windshield, and anticipate tackling that this winter if that works with release of your plans. Will you charge for your plans? (I assume so...you give so much free and generous help!)

Started to build the swim ladder but could not find 1/2 inch ply scraps left over...not sure what happened! There is some 3/8 expoxied ply left over, but I assume that is too light. What do you think?

Where does the handle go on the motor cover....(Is that the handle I see on the top rear in your photos)?

We covered a lot of ground on this trip and I appreciated your math/ thinking about time/speed/distance. 15mph is perfect!

Got lots of comments on the boat this trip from folks. One fellow passed me and did a u-turn to come back and check out the boat...asked if it was a Skiffamerica, and had seen your website. Launching also brings lots of questions, and people looking. Don't forget about those business cards....I could really pass a lot of them out around here!

* Letter from a boat builder

Kilburn,
My wife and I had a great time on the trip. We were out for 4 days and had great weather in the San Juans. It was a bit crowded, but we could always find a quiet place to anchor by ourselves because of the shallow draft. I used the anchor out system described in Wooden Boat and it worked really well for going ashore without worrying about waves and tides while hiking, exploring. This was her first time cruising in a boat, and she had a ball.

The boat caused quite a stir wherever we went. We stayed at Deer Harbor Marina on Orcas Island the first night and had non stop visitors asking questions. I particularly noted that the people with the most interest and thoughtful questions where "old salts"/ experienced boaters, and most often were sail boat people.

Everything about the boat worked better than expected: Sleeping was a pleasant and a comfortable surprise. The bunks are very roomy and the cabin layout is very satisfying.

We cooked with a gimbaled stove (Force 10) from Fisheries Supply in Seatte that worked really well. I'll send details if you are interested.

The boat is really wonderful for what it is designed for: cruising. It handled all the water/current/ rip tides and big water very well. We had really nasty conditions making the crossing at the end of our trip back to Anacortes where we launched. You have to cross a large potentially dangerous strait (Rosario Strait on the Map) and we had 15 knot winds that weren't going to let up for a few days so we braved the crossing. Scariest stuff I've ever been in, but the boat handled it really well. Had both confused/ "bathtub" seas (wind waves 3-4 feet) and also a rip current combined with following seas. Had one moment were we surfed down a wave and started to bury the bow (do you know that situation?) and then I got the hang of powering back as the roller goes by so you don't surf down to the bottom of the trough. I've run into that before , but usually with much bigger and slower swells. Anyway, it was very difficult boating and not the kind of stuff for a light 20 foot boat, but the boat handled superbly.

That said, the rest of the trip was very pleasant/ easy boating. the boat cruises beautifully at about 4,000 rpms and also at slow displacement speeds. We burned about 7 gallons of fuel on the entire trip! The Yamaha didn't miss a beat. What a wonderful motor!

A performance question: I switched to the 11 1/4 prop and it tops out about 5500 rpms. My top speed is around 20 mph as measured by GPS. I haven't had a calm situation with no current to really be precise yet, but wondered if this sounds about right (2 people plus camping gear).

The running lights work great! (I opted for seperate lights on port/starboard) The Davis light is perfect, I mounted on a pvc with a 2 clips that put it high over Bimini. Davis also now makes a nice cockpit light (similar design) that has nice on/off switch and can be turned to red (or yellow) LED for helping with night vision/chart reading etc. Will take a photo if interested.

Kilburn, Thanks for creating such a great design! The boat is exactly what I hoped it would be and more. And...we still have a few weeks before heading back to school, so will keep you posted!

* Letter from a boat builder

Kilburn, Thanks so much for your helpful response. Like your boat design/ it stems from a common sense/ practical approach.

As I mentioned, I'm very happy with the speed, was just curious about top speed. I agree that 15mph is just right. I'm amazed at how much distance can be covered at that speed versus that 5mph in my dory. It has opened up so many possibilities. The quiet/ smooth ride is such a pleasure...it makes the whole outing a joy.

The Force 10 stove is mounted ( when used) on the bulkhead in front of the passenger's seat. This area seems ideal...out of the wind, plenty of swing area for the gimbaled mount, etc. I think West Marine carries it (at a higher price). It is designed mounting to the bulkheads of cruising sailboats. I added a backing plate under the port cabinet to help beef up the area. I'm really pleased with how it works and that it can securely hold a pot without tipping. I agree that the butane stove is a great solution, too.

About wild conditions: we actually did turn back and dropped anchor waiting for the tide current to ebb and headed across later in what looked like a reasonable sea., The wind picked up and things got nasty before we made it across....so I learned a lesson about erring on the side of caution, rather than underestimating and "hoping"... I'm sure your experience sailing and in airplanes has taught you much about this. I definitely learned a lesson.

Will be curious about your ideas for side curtains. Will you use a similar design as the photos you sent?

Have started fishing with the boat for salmon here in the South sound and the boat is superb. It idles down slower than needed and is so quiet, you can hardly tell it is on. Will be all set for the Fall salmon as they head into our area. You might have noticed from the photos, I added forward bimini support poles (adjustable...Taylor made) for 2 reasons: I needed to stabilize the bimini a bit (side to side motion) and mostly, to be able to comfortably store the bimini forward for fishing ( need an open cockpit). The support poles work great. I use them in conjunction with the existing forward straps. It doesn't seem to put much pressure on the roof. Thoughts/concerns?

I've been using a rope ladder from the dory and will start making the stern ladder you designed next week. I really like your design, and actually it helped sell me on your boat design. I thought ..."that is such a smart, elegant solution to a really important feature...it he thought of that , then."...

The anchor system is described in April, 2003 of Wooden Boat. Also described in an edition last year (not sure which) of the fellow that built the nice double ended camp cruiser sailboat that he covered with a tent at night when cruising the Bahamas...did you read about that? Nice , simple design.

Anyway, here's how it works:

In the sound, the tide and wind make going ashore problematic. If you leave your boat unattended on the beach for more than a few moments, it will be high and dry, grind itself on rocks, etc..get turned sideways from a passing wave, etc. so an outhaul system is really helpful. Many of the islands have great hiking, berry picking, getting water, etc, and have gradual sand or gravel beaches.

I purchased a spool of 400 feet of yellow ($12.50 at Boater's World) rope used for crab pots and cheap ski ropes (I think it is 1/4 inch or 5/16). This rope works well for several reasons, it doesn't stretch (good for this application), it is visible to other boaters, it floats and most importantly, it doesn't "spiral" when going through a pulley.

I took 300 feet of the rope off the spool and coiled it neatly into a bucket. I tied a brass, swivel snap hook to the tag end before coiling it in. The anchor is light (I think about 4 lbs) Danforth type with 5 feet of chain. At the end of the chain I attached a galvanized pulley on a swivel (swivel is important). The front end of the rope goes through the pulley and also gets a brass swivel snap hook.

Like most things, the description sounds complicated, but actually is very simple. Here's how it works: I keep the bucket in the stern of the boat for going ashore applications (this isn't my main anchor). When I'm in about 15 feet of water, or about 60 feet from shore, I attach the front snap hook to the stern of the boat and slowly drop the anchor to the bottom. The rope coils out of the bucket and creates a "loop" from the stern, through the pulley on the anchor back to the bucket. Then I slowly motor (or paddle) ashore and beach the boat while the rope pays out from the bucket. When ashore, tie the end of the rope to the bow,, or just use the snaphook on the tag end of the rope. I now have a "clothesline" pulley system from the stern of the boat, throught the anchor pulley to the bow of the boat. I pull the boat out to the anchor, and then secure the line on shore. When its time to go, untie the rope from shore, pull the boat back to shore, and launching is also a snap...get in the boat, untie the rope from the bow and put the bucket in the sern seat. Pull the boat back out to the anchor while coiling the rope back into the bucket, pull in the anchor and you are in business! All those big yachts with their little dinghies for going ashore stand there amazed while you do this!

Anyway, it is a simple, practical rig and is possible because of the shallow draft/ beachability of the skiff.

Another nice feature for this is it doubles as a stern anchor for keeping you from swinging at anchor at night. Just clip (or tie) the front end back to itself, and then you use it like a regular anchor.

Kilburn, my appreciation for the boat grows everytime I take it out.

Have you received any inquiries from the Olympia area? There have been so many questions from folks, I wouldn't be surprised. Don't forget, I would be happy to hand out your business cards.

* Letter from a boat builder

Kilburn, Thanks for the ideas about insurance. To answer your questions: First, My wife loves the boat. She is the main reason we built the boat. She is happiest on the water, but the dory was a little too spartan for her. We have used the open 16 foot dory for years, so for us, this is really a luxury. To respond to your friends concerns about the San Juans: I have kayaked and boat camped for years in the San Juans and Canada and so, it is all relative. If you are used to an RV, then tent camping is horrible, etc.

Also, one of the most respected designs around here and Alaska for fishing/ cruising is the C-Dory and as you know, there are many similarities to the designs (except the cost!)

What is interesting about this response, is that some boats isolate you from your surroundings. Big heavy boats (like an RV) let you walk around oblivious to your weight, impact on handling, etc. What I love about this design, is that it doesn't isolate you from the water and is so responsive. ANyway, will let you know how it performs on the trip.

I ordered the prop and it should arrive today, so have been waiting to do full throttle tests until then. Same with sharp turns. Will let you know!

The boat gets constant comments and head turns (both off and on the water). The most common question (here in Olympia) is that people ask if it is a Devlin boat. Sam Devlin is kind of a legend around here, so if people see a beautiful wooden boat, they assume he must have built it. This is a huge compliment around here!

The most common question from people that don't know boats is about the walk-through cabin. "What will you do if it rains?...etc.

People that know boat desgns are very impressed and take the boat in very carefully. All of your design goals become quickly apparent. The weight to power/performance is the most interesting part of the discussion. This is the problem that you have solved so well: People are stuck in thinking that boats have to either be sailboats or big heavy gas guzzlers. This is the only design I know that has solved this issue so elegantly.

Anyway, the design has received a lot of respect from people that know boats, and I think this is the highest compliment of all.

Thanks again for all the helpful info.

Woodenboat had a nice article a few months ago about anchoring off a beach. Did you see it? Will try out some of their ideas. Do you have any thoughts? The issue is about tides...You can't just beach the boat....What do you do when you go to Florida?

* Letter from a boat builder

Kilburn, every time I use the boat, I admire your sense of engineering and function. You really have created something remarkable with this design!