The Tolman Skiff
 

2 to 3 hundred of these boats have been built.
lately i been reading about an inboard stern drive diesel put in one of these skiffs...
this light weight home built 24 ft boat gets 6 to 7 mpgs and i want one

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1...lerboatdu6.jpg

cummins/merc cruiser diesel 130 hp
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/4...cdieselsg3.jpg

more pics of different configs of the boat, one has a walk through windsheld.
http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/tol...f5?b=1&m=f&o=0

at this point, i'm just dreaming cus wifey says no way,
to touring the the intercoastal water ways of the US.

here's a pic of the diesel boat builder and his girl friend....
notice i said "girl friend".... gals will travel anywhere with you
prior to marriage.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/3312/img9619ah6.jpg

his web site shares his complete 2 year build of his boat.
fun read, if you're a dreamer.

http://www.backporchboat.org/

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if you have plenty of money and don't feel like building your own boat.
80 to 100K will buy you a diesel version of this boat.....
about twice the weight of the Tolman.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/5412/orcacm8.jpg

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if you're going with the heavier fiberglass boat you might want
a little more power.. maybe something like this...

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7133/d3160177ksu7.jpg

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good discussion regarding Gas Versus Diesel in small boats.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/GasDiesel.htm

.....or about 25 grand and the ability to drop in your own engine and fix some holes & cracks. (wink wink)



Those homebuilts look cool, very nice hulls. I wonder how the light weight compromises (if any) the strength to handle heavy pounding?

just in case somebody is curious about Radio Flyer's comment, i sent him a PM about an ebay 2005 Orca auction.... the boat was dropped from a crane and seriously damaged... when the boat fell, it must have hit the stern first because both outboards were damaged and the fiberglass laminate was torn back about 12 feet.... i thought the boat was completely totalled, but it sold for i guess about 25K at auction..


i was hoping you knew something about the tolman skiff... they were first used and designed for some heavy seas in alaska and from what i've read they stay pretty dry.... the hull has some great lines and heavy duty stringers so i guess it should be able to take a beating.... one builder of the boat referred to it as the "pick-up truck" of boats meaning that it is a tuff little utility boat.


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I've been to Homer before and never even heard of Renn Tolman. :doh:

They've got the classic dory lines for sure. That alone would make them a seaworthy machine, but I suppose the end builder's talent would mean more for withstanding punishment than the original design.

1000 pounds just seems too light for a ~23' boat to take on big water and hold together....unless it's carbon fiber. LOL

Either way, they look cool and for the price a guy can't about beat it. Thanks for the posts!!! :c:


I don't know who bought that Orca off eBay, but they've got WAY more talent and ambition (or courage) than myself. Fixing gelcoat, floors, and repowering our 24 was bad enough, and it floated when we bought it.

Radio Flyer

my guess is that Roy's boat weights closer to 1600, maybe 1700 pounds.
which is still very light weight, because i have a 19 foot inboard fiberglass bow rider that weights about 3300 lbs... i also guess that a Skagit Orca weights maybe 6000 lbs.

the plywood patterns are cnc precut, but what you said about the boat builder skill says it all... i've seen pictures of how a few different guys have built these boats and they're all slightly different...

Roy beefed up his stringers with carbon fiber tape as well as woven fiberglass and epoxy... two part epoxy is stonger and lighter weight than polyester fiberglass that is used by most manufacturers. he also bolted a 1/4in. steel bracket to his stringers for mounting his inboard diesel..... he was on his own on all the inboard mounting procedures because it had never been done before....

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/2...ringersyh5.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5...bertapecp8.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8...bracketyp5.jpg

the perfect boat?
http://www.backporchboat.org/Begin001.html

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5500 pounds for a Skagit Orca extended cabin
http://www.skagitorca.com/24xlc.htm

Aaron Enstad's 24 foot Tolman Skiff Jumbo
start off with lots of plywood, 2 part epoxy, add a neat design, give tons of your time, and a couple of gallons of 2 part paint..... presto A WORK OF ART!!

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/790...nchzoomar3.jpg

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/480...7210009aw9.jpg

more pics:
http://www.fishyfish.com/aaron_enstad/index.html

it takes 1500 steps to make a tolman skiff...
average construction time is 1 to 2 years

Its not weight that makes boats strong. Marine plywood, covered with glass and epoxy is plenty strong. Ask some folks like Dave Gerr and many other very good designers.

The reason its not used in production boats are probably many fold. People associate wood with rot. People think Plywood and water - no WAY!. Everybody has seen rotted plywoo, and few know the difference between crap wood, exterior, or marine, or why they are differnent. Finally, production boats would be so costly because you cnat mass produce them in plywood.

I built a Tolman and let me say I have over 1000 hrs running on it and many offshore trips. You have to slow down in big seas or head on to a steep chop. But they are seaworthy as all get out, lightweight yes, but seawothy and strong.

Dave

Got any pictures of your Tolman?

You mention slowing up in big seas for steep chop....how big & how steep? Just trying to get a real-world feel for their capability.