Seaford Skiff

Description

The Seaford Skiff is a classic American wooden gunning skiff (a small daysailer/rowing boat) that originated in the shallow marshes and bays around Seaford, Long Island, New York, in the early 1870s. It evolved from traditional workboats used by local baymen for waterfowl hunting, clamming, fishing, and even market hunting in the late 19th century. Boatbuilder Samuel Gritman is often credited with developing the refined "Seaford type," though builders like Paul Ketcham (Amityville), Charles Verity, and Sidney Verity (Seaford) contributed variations through the mid-20th century. These boats are very similar to melonseed skiffs (from nearby New Jersey estuaries), sharing a shallow-draft, flat-bottomed hull with a plank keel that allows them to float in thin water, beach upright without tipping, and handle open bay conditions safely. They're shapelier and more elegant than cousins like the sneakbox, with a cambered deck (often canvased), high cockpit coaming for dryness, small side decks, and a raked transom for better downwind performance.