The XLNC utility skiff, William and John Atkin’s design No. 681 of June 1951, was drawn up for a “How to Build” article in Motor Boating, part of a monthly series the magazine ran for several years. My boat, RAVENSTRIKE, is true to the plans as to the LOA of 19' 2", LWL of 18', maximum beam of 4' 4" and maximum draft at the rudder (which we protected by a stainless-steel bracket) of 14" including the bracket.From the basic plans, however, I departed somewhat and installed fore, side, and aft decks with fore and side coamings, which added some weight. I also installed a side steering wheel in lieu of a tiller. Given that I grew up with fast outboards and racing sailboats, I long ago gave up on the quest for speed, so with the extra weight, instead of the designed 13½ mph, I reach somewhere, with the boat’s present engine, around 10 mph with one person aboard, but I usually run at a pleasant cruising speed of 6 or 7 mph.What I seem to have created is a rather elegantly disguised flat-bottomed skiff, although on a trip to a giant cypress swamp in the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana, we set catfish trot lines and generally made a mess of the boat while we were there. It served its purpose well, however, in addition to attracting a lot of attention.
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A lovely example of a good, honest boat. But I should like to know why she carries what looks like an Albanian flag.
OK, you stumped me…what are the 2 thingamajig white things sitting on the side decks? Thingamajigs-yes, I like to be specific in my use of nomenclature…ha ha
In the on-the-water picture, there are two white panels on the side decks. They are shaped like they might be floor boards, but they have cut outs and lanyards like they are designed to be mounted where they are. What are they?
G McGee
My guess is that they are for cleaning fish. The lanyard makes them easy to rinse overboard.
They’re leeboards, for sharp turns.