Description
The Glen-L 15, a versatile 15-foot utility skiff designed by Glen L. Witt in the mid-1960s as an entry-level offering from Glen-L Marine Designs, exemplifies the firm's early ethos of simple, affordable plywood boatbuilding for fishing, rowing, or light motoring in protected waters like lakes, rivers, and coastal bays. Measuring 15 feet LOA with a 5-foot 6-inch beam and 6-inch draft (flat-bottomed for shallow-water stability), it displaces a mere 250 pounds (no ballast, relying on crew and gear for righting), making it a snap to trailer behind any car and launch solo; the optional cat-rigged sail deploys 50 square feet of sail (SA/D ~20 for gentle planning in 8–12 knots, hull speed ~5 knots) with a sprit boom and kick-up rudder, though most are built as oar-powered tenders or with a 5–10 hp outboard well for 8–10 knot puttering. Constructed via stitch-and-glue ¼-inch marine plywood over minimal frames (fully sheathed in fiberglass/epoxy for durability), the design requires just 100–150 hours for a novice builder using Glen-L's full-size patterns, featuring a self-bailing cockpit, bow and stern lockers, and two thwarts for seating 4–5 adults comfortably—perfect as a yacht tender or family runabout. Over hundreds have been completed worldwide since its debut, with variations like the sailing version or hardtop fishing model.
