The St. Ayles Skiff (pronounced Saint Isles) is a 4 oared rowing boat, designed by Iain Oughtred and inspired by the traditional Fair Isle skiff. The boat’s hull and frames are built using clinker plywood and it measures 22’ with a beam of 5’ 8”. It is normally crewed by four sweep rowers with a coxswain.
The boat design was commissioned by The Scottish Fisheries Museum in 2009 as a vessel for use in The Scottish Coastal Rowing Project. It is suitable for construction by community groups and amateur boat builders.
Over 250 boats have been built worldwide, mostly by communities around the Scottish coast but increasingly by groups elsewhere, including England, Northern Ireland, The Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, France and New Zealand.
St Ayles Skiff Origin
In 2009 as part of The Scottish Fisheries Museum’s strategy to stimulate boat-building activities, discussions were held with Jordan Boats to develop a new kit. Alec Jordan and Museum Trustees were inspired by the community involvement and participation in the historical tradition of Fife miners’ rowing and sailing regattas and looked to develop a boat that could engage communities in the same way. It was proposed that The Scottish Fisheries Museum develop a project to re-introduce coastal rowing to the Fife Coast, so with the aid of funding from Museums Galleries Scotland, the Scottish Fisheries Museum commissioned renowned designer Ian Oughtred to produce a new design based on, the Fair Isle Yoal. North Berwick rower and enthusiast Robbie Wightman had, simultaneously, considered a similar scheme and supported the development of the project to spread beyond Fife to become a national initiative. The Scottish Coastal Rowing Project was subsequently launched by the Scottish Fisheries Museum with the intention of re-starting the moribund inter-community rowing competitions, which had formerly taken place between the coastal towns in Fife, the Lothians and elsewhere around the Scottish coastline. The Project sought to re-connect coastal communities with the sea by encouraging the communities themselves to build their own rowing boats, which would then be rowed socially and in competition.
Design and construction
The design of the St. Ayles skiff is inspired by the traditional Fair Isle skiffs, small and relatively lightweight fishing vessels suitable for use in rough sea conditions. The name is a reference to the medieval St. Ayles chapel, which stood on the site of The Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther.
With a double-ended hull and relatively wide beam the St. Ayles skiff is a stable and seaworthy boat. The marine plywood planks and frames can be purchased in kit form, together with a plywood mould upon which the hull can be formed. Other parts of the boat, including the rudder, seats (thwarts), keel and gunwales, may be built using suitable timbers. Most of the timber elements, including the planking and frames, are jointed and connected using either epoxy resin or Polyurethane glue.
Oars for the St. Ayles skiff must be built using timber and, for competitive use, must not be spooned or asymmetrical. The original designs show oars of 12' length but builders may experiment with alternative designs and lengths. Metal rowing pins or rowlocks are not allowed in competitions.
St Ayles Skiff Class Associations
The first prototype boat (Chris o’ Kanaird) was supplied by the kit manufacturer Jordan Boats and launched in October 2009. By May 2010 five more boats had been built by communities around Scotland and the first St Ayles Skiff Regatta, which was attended by all six boats, was held in Anstruther on 29 May.
The Scottish Coastal Rowing Association (SCRA) was formally constituted as the class association for the developing sport at the first Anstruther Regatta. The Association subsequently became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is now the governing body for fixed seat rowing in Scotland, as well as retaining its role as a class association. SCRA continues to encourages community involvement in the construction and rowing of the St. Ayles skiff and maintains a Craft Register.
In October 2013 the St. Ayles Skiff was adopted for use by The New Zealand Coastal Rowing Association, the first such Association to be formally established outside Scotland.