Description:
The Cabin Boy is a beloved 7 feet wooden skiff originally designed as a tender for auxiliary sailboats. It gained wide recognition after being featured in Building the Skiff Cabin Boy by Clemens C. Kuhlig (International Marine), a comprehensive guide that inspired countless boatbuilders around the world. Compact, seaworthy, and beautifully proportioned, the Cabin Boy offers both simplicity and elegance in a small-boat form.
Our factory faithfully recreates the Cabin Boy using premium woods such as Western Red Cedar, Teak, Mahogany, and US -made Hexcel fiberglass with System Three marine spar varnish. Each model is entirely hand-built using the traditional plank-on-frame construction method, requiring 4–5 months of meticulous craftsmanship. Customization is available for size, wood type, finish, rigging, and interior detailing to meet individual preferences.
Measuring 7 feet, Cabin Boy’s hull is sturdy. Her sprit rig setup, combined with a daggerboard and rudder, easily converts her from a simple tender into a delightful little sailing boat. Despite her modest size, she offers stable handling and a surprisingly smooth performance, perfect for leisurely sailing in calm harbors.
Key Specs & Features:
Length Overall (LOA): 7 feet 6 inches.
Beam: 3 feet 10 inches.
Draft: Approximately 3 ¾ inches.
Weight: ~70 pounds (if built with cedar).
Construction: Flat-bottom, plywood construction for simplicity.
Rig: Sprit rig with a daggerboard and rudder.
Use: Ideal as a tender for larger boats or for rowing/sailing fun.
Every wooden boat crafted by us is built from Atkin Design, with full credit given to the original designers. For each custom commission, we acquire the appropriate plans and construct the boat to order—offering both full-size vessels and finely detailed scale models.
Contact us to discuss specifications and customization options now!
History:
Cabin Boy, a 7'6" flat-bottomed skiff by John Atkin, became widely admired after an entire book—Building the Skiff Cabin Boy by Clemens C. Kuhlig—was published about her construction, sparking strong interest among home builders. Designed with modest dimensions yet a surprisingly burdensome hull, she makes an ideal tender for the average auxiliary and offers a satisfying, achievable boatbuilding project. Fitted with a simple sprit rig, daggerboard, and rudder, Cabin Boy easily converts into a capable little sailing craft, perfect for enjoying quiet harbor breezes. When built in white cedar as specified, she weighs only about 70 pounds, making her both practical and charming for sailors seeking a compact, versatile tender.