Bolger Surf Crabskiff no.287
Description
The Bolger Design No. 287 — Surf (commonly called Surf Crabskiff or Surf) is a classic "Instant Boat" from Philip C. Bolger, dating to the mid-1970s as part of his early plywood-panel series. It's a 15'6" sharpie-inspired daysailer/utility skiff, evolved directly from his Elegant Punt design: Bolger extended the lines forward to a raked stem and aft to a narrow dory-style tombstone transom, creating a pointed, double-chined hull that's simple, lightweight, and beginner-friendly to build. The "Crab Skiff" name reflects its practical roots — intended as an easy-to-construct workboat for crabbing, fishing, or light utility in shallow waters, while still capable under sail or oars. It's one of Bolger's most accessible designs: no lofting, minimal framing, and built from a few sheets of plywood using tack-and-tape (or fasteners-and-glue) methods popularized by Harold "Dynamite" Payson in Instant Boats (1979). Many novices have successfully built and launched it as their first boat.
Construction Details
| Designer | Bolger, Philip C. |
|---|---|
| Builder | Home Built |
| Length | 15.500 ft |
| LOA | 15.500 ft |
| LWL | 24.000 ft |
| Beam | 3.583 ft |
| Displacement | 200 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.330 ft |
| Year Built | 1975 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 40 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 11.25 ft |
| p | 34.50 ft |
| e | 11.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 ft | 11.25 ft | 34.50 ft | 11.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Bolger Surf Crabskiff no.287 - LEG-O-MUTTON
| Luff | 14.25 ft - (4343 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9 ft - (2743 mm) |
| Leech | 13.62 ft - (4151 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 67.14 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | 13.58 ft - (4139 mm) |
| Head (Inches) | 1.5 |
| Area | * 59.9 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.