| Fish Hawk A 21' Seabright Skiff By William Atkin |
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| A Little Boat for Rough Water Use | |
"Thus Ends," closes Billy Atkin in the manner of whalers at the bottom of the day's log. Prophetically this time, for Billy Atkin died soon after completing this design for us. His boats are well known. They are boats in which a man can go to sea. And come home. They are boats built of salt and soul, solid and unyielding. We are happy to be able to bring to readers this last of Billy's designs. No cockle-shell this husky, bold-sheered, shipshape 21-foot Seabright skiff. A summer's squall or a howling "easter" are to Fish Hawk just part of the day's work. And this, Shipmates, when the going is rough, is a comforting thing. This kind of character, unfortunately, has become lost in the progress of the times. Unfortunately, for there is a lot to be said for a plodding, dependable, wholesome open motorboat -- without glitter, perhaps, but with character and stamina showing from stem to stern, from thwart to keel; just a plain little boat, practical, useful and worthwhile. | |
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| The design is based on those astonishing fishing boats that for many generations have been developed for running the surf the length of the Jersey coast. And how safely they manage this! Designed to be launched off the beach into breaking seas, these boats continue today to perform perfectly on the open sea. These boats have always been called Seabright skiffs, perhaps because the first of the type were built long before the Civil War in the lovely New Jersey seashore town called Sea Bright. Large or small, all have the same characteristics: a flat, wide double-ended keel, a modest overhang forward and aft, plenty of topside flare, ample sheer, a well balanced fullness of the deck contour forward and aft, and shallow draft. All are lapstrake planked. This latest design for MoToR BoatinG, Fish Hawk, follows the long proved sea-safe features of the genuine Sea Bright skiff quite without the many furbelows which supposedly adorn but often "uglify" (if I may borrow a word from the works of Lewis Carroll) some boats. | |
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Fish Hawk's overall length is 21' 0"; she is 19' 6" on the waterline, 6' 8 1/2 in breadth, and 1' 7" in draft. Her freeboard at the bow is 2' 11 1/2" and at the stern 2' 1/2"; the least freeboard is 1' 4 1/2". Hull depth at station 6 is 2' 7", indicating roominess and comfort. Her interior provides comfort and safety for a party of four. The two simple thwarts forward of the motor house are both well down in the boat. The after cockpit, not self-draining, is handy for the day's catch. It is also an ideal place to just sit and watch the wake trail astern. The best engine for Fish Hawk is an 8 to 10-hp Universal Blue Jacket twin with magneto ignition. Turning at 1600 rpm, boat speed will be close to 8 mph. The engine is installed beneath the wide sunken thwart amidships and has a raised, removable box over the cylinders. The flywheel protrudes an inch through the fore end of the house, making it bandy to start the motor. This, by the way, is a sure-starting piece of marine machinery, desirable on a hardy open boat of any kind. An oak tiller simplifies steering in close quarters, in open water, and most of the time. | |
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| Plans for Fish Hawk are $100 MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM SHIPS PLANS STORE https://store.mysticseaport.org/ships-plans/ shipsplanstore@mysticseaport.org
+1 (860) 572 5360 | |
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