micro sailing yacht

Yachting World

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Smallest boats: The bonkers world of Microyacht adventures

• Elaine Bunting
• November 28, 2022

What are the smallest boats sailors consider for crossing and ocean? For ‘microyacht’ voyagers, there's no limit. Elaine Bunting finds out why they put to sea in tiny vessels

Often the smallest boats to cross oceans look much like a child’s crayon picture of a little boat on a big sea, certainly Yann Quenet’s Baluchon does. Baluchon is only 13ft 1in (4m long), with one simple sail and a stubby, blunt-nosed hull painted cherry red and ice cream white.

Baluchon is no toy, though. When Quenet sailed it back to Brittany in August, he had fulfilled his childhood ambition of circumnavigating in a tiny boat. Its simple appearance is emblematic of his philosophy. “I have loved little boats since I was a child,” he says, “and I am still a child at heart. Sailing round the world on a little boat is something I have dreamed about since I was a teenager.”

Quenet, now 51, has dedicated much of his adult life to designing, building and sailing microyachts. Whereas most of us progress in incrementally larger boats, Quenet’s craft have always been minuscule. He has created numerous self-build designs for plywood construction from a 9m gaffer to a 5m trimaran and a 6.5m gaff yawl (see them at boat-et-koad.com ).

In 2015, Quenet attempted to cross the Atlantic in a 14ft 1in (4.3m) plywood scow, but it capsized in a storm off the coast of Spain and he was rescued by a ship. After that experience he resolved to come up with a bulletproof self-righting microyacht suitable for ocean sailing, and went back to the drawing board.

His solution was a pram-style design that could be built in plywood in under 4,000 hours and would cost no more than €4,000. Baluchon is the result, a tiny boat to be sailed by one person for up to six weeks at a time and resilient enough to take anything the oceans throw at it.

Yann Quenet’s 4m long Baluchon

Smallest boats getting smaller

The history of sailing across oceans in the smallest boats is a surprisingly long one. With a few exceptions (of which more later), it is not about breaking records. This is about stripping away everything complex and extraneous – including other people.

One of the most famous small boat voyages was nearly 70 years ago when Patrick Elam and Colin Mudie made several ocean passages in Sopranino , which was only 17ft 9in (5.4m) on the waterline. Elam observed: “I would not pretend that Sopranino is the optimum size. At sea she is near perfect, but could with advantage be a few inches longer to give a slightly bigger cockpit and a separate stowage for wet oilskins below. In harbour, she is too small (for comfort) and too delicate and vulnerable.”

Also in the 1950s, John Guzzwell consulted Jack Giles about the smallest boat practical to sail around the world and Giles drew the 20ft 6in (6.2m) Trekka , which Guzzwell built and circumnavigated in twice. Smaller still was Shane Acton’s 18ft 4in (5.5m) Shrimpy , a Robert Tucker design which he sailed round the world in 1972 despite having very little sailing experience when he left.

Tom McNally planned to retake his small-boat Atlantic crossing record in Big C. Photo: Ajax News

In 1987, Serge Testa beat that by sailing round the world in his self-designed 11ft 10in (3.6m) aluminium sloop, Acrohc Australis . He broke the record for the smallest yacht to be sailed round the world, one that is still standing 35 years later.

This feat, together with Acton’s well-publicised voyages in the 1970s, ignited a lasting interest in small boat or microyacht voyages. Money is usually a factor in the choice of such small craft but overlaid by a streak of determined romanticism, the almost spiritual challenge of sailing a nutshell craft across a vast ocean.

Yann Quenet is not alone in creating self-build plans for aspiring micro-voyagers. New Zealander John Welsford also specialises in small boats such as the 18ft (5.5m) junk-rigged Swaggie – ‘a mighty, miniature long range cruiser’ – and a sturdy oceangoing 21ft (6.5m) gaff cutter, Sundowner (see jwboatdesigns.co.nz ).

As with Quenet’s little boats, Welsford’s designs are for plywood construction. The plans, he says, are detailed for “real beginners with very basic woodworking skills and a good attitude… the other skills will come as the project progresses.”

In his thinking, people can experience a deep sense of escape even through the process of building such a boat. “I anticipate a lot of builders will be people who find themselves trapped in a soulless desk job which condemns them to commuting for hours in heavy traffic, living in a thin-walled and crowded apartment and dreaming with longing of the freedom of the seas, golden sands and warm breezes.”

John Guzzwell’s Trekka. Photo: Historic Images/Alamy

Perhaps unsurprisingly the small boat community attracts a mixture of adventurers, inventors, idealists and eccentrics. One of the less successful was the self-styled ‘Admiral Dinghy’, a former Hollywood B-movie star and retired dance teacher from the US whose longtime aim was to sail round the world in a 9ft 11in (3m) boat. He had scant ocean sailing experience and no money. He’d been building and tinkering with his tiny junk-rigged boat since 1975 and began preparing for a circumnavigation in earnest in 2009. But he had problems with his boat, never went offshore and has since vanished from the radar.

A small boat living legend

A mixture of naïve courage and inexperience appears characteristic of many of the smallest boat sailors. It’s easy to imagine a dichotomy at the heart of it: many of the ideas could be perilous in hands of someone inexperienced, yet how many seasoned sailors would contemplate voyaging in a tiny craft?

Someone who has, numerous times, is Sven Yrvind. A Swedish sailor and boatbuilder, now aged 83, he has been designing and sailing tiny yachts for more than 60 years. He built his first tiny open boat in 1962, and decades of experimentation and voyaging followed.

In 1969, he built a 15ft 7in (4.2m) boat and sailed to Ireland. In 1971, he built his first Bris (or Breeze) in his mother’s basement, its size dictated by the dimensions of the cellar and the door it would have to be taken out through. He sailed this 19ft 8in (6m) cold moulded epoxy double-ender across the Atlantic seven times in four years and went as far as Argentina and Tristan da Cunha. (I highly recommend reading his fascinating and entertaining account at yrvind.com/my-life-texts ).

Yann Quenet completed a three-year world tour on his 4m Baluchon. Photo: Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty

In his next boat, the 15ft 9in (5.9m) Bris II , he went much further, sailing south to the Falkland Islands in 1980, before rounding Cape Horn and going north to Chile.

Over the decades, Yrvind (his birth surname was Lundin but he changed it to the Swedish term for a turbulent wind) has continually experimented with tiny yachts. In 1986, he built a 15ft 8in (5.76m) double-ender and sailed it to Newfoundland. In his most recent boat, Exlex (Outlaw), he sailed to the Azores in 2018, and in 2020 from Norway to the Azores and Madeira, returning to Ireland, a voyage of 150 days.

Right now, he is working on Exlex Minor , a glassfibre sailing canoe design of 20ft 4in (6.2m) which he intends to sail round Cape Horn to Valdivia in Chile. This new boat has twin keels and 12m2 of canvas split between three square sails on freestanding masts.

His food, water and all his possessions for up to 150 days at sea amount to around 1 tonne. He stores 111 litres of water on board as he “doesn’t trust desalinators. They can break down.” At sea, his diet is a simple mix of oatmeal and almond flour – “like muesli” – and sardines. “I eat the same every day,” he says, “and at lunchtime, not any other time.”

“I am a health nut. I believe in running and eating once a day for a long life.”

small-boat sailing legend Sven Yrvind. Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty

Yrvind’s way of life divides opinion. Many casual followers think his choice of yacht slightly mad, but the tiny boat community reveres him as a living legend. To him, it just makes plain sense. “My boats are very functional. If you go back to old magazines from the 1950s and 1960s, boats were not much bigger. Back then, a 30ft boat was quite a decent size. The Hiscocks sailed twice round the world in such a boat. Now 40ft is too small; it must be 50ft.

“And what is big enough? With a small boat, you don’t have a lot of problems with money. You go back to first principles. You also have a boat you can tow behind a car. I have been doing that down to France and Ireland. Or you can put it in a container. So small boats are really handy.”

Yrvind in his 15ft 8in Exlex. Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty

No room to stretch out

Smaller even than Sven Yrvind’s vessels are the record breakers’ boats, no bigger than a bathtub.

For many years, the record for the smallest yacht to cross the Atlantic was held by Hugo Vihlen, a former Korean War fighter pilot and Delta Airlines captain from Florida. In 1968, he crossed from west to east in the 5ft 11in April Fool . In 1993, his record was broken by Tom McNally, a fine arts lecturer from Liverpool, in his 5ft 4 1/2in (1.6m) Vera Hugh .

That prompted Vihlen, then aged 61, to go back out a few months later to recapture his record in Father’s Day , which was half an inch shorter than Vera Hugh . Vihlen crossed from Newfoundland to Falmouth in 105 days.

Andrew Bedwell intends to take former record holder Tom McNally’s modified 1.1m Big C to a new Atlantic record. Photo: Paul Larkin Photography

Not to be outdone, McNally designed and built an even smaller boat for the record, the 3ft 10in (1.1m) Big C . His plans were shattered when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer and he was unable to sail it before he died in 2017.

Next year, British sailor Andrew Bedwell hopes to break Vihlen’s 30-year record. As a sailmaker and experienced sailor, he knows exactly what he is getting into. Bedwell has previously sailed a Mini 6.50 to the Arctic and been round Britain in a Class 40 .

In 2018 he started reading up about small boats. “I had always had an interest in unusual challenges and things that were raw. I saw these boats and was amazed by them, and I started designing a vessel.”

He contacted Tom McNally’s daughter and was amazed to learn that Big C was still lying in her garden. “It had never been in the water, or fitted out. Sails had been made for it, but they had never been used.”

Lorraine McNally agreed to sell, and Bedwell worked out how he could modify it for him to sail across the Atlantic. He calculates that it will take him around 60-80 days to cover the 1,900 miles from Newfoundland to the Lizard, sailing at an average of 2.5 knots. It has twin headsails set on one furler, and external floats, or pods, that make it behave a little like a trimaran when heeled. Freeboard is only 35cm and “she really does bob like a cork”, Bedwell says.

The boat is so tiny he cannot stretch out in it. “When in there I have to sit. It is dead flat in the bottom and in calm conditions I can just about get into a foetal position – and I mean just. I’ve modified the hull so my hip can just fit into a recess.”

Big C is a tight squeeze for British sailor Andrew Bedwell, and he could spend up to 80 days in it crossing the Atlantic from Newfoundland to the Lizard.

With the hatch fully shut the boat is watertight and airtight, but has only 40 minutes’ worth of air, so Bedwell is making two rotating air scoops at the bow.

When conditions allow, he might be able to stand up, or even go for a swim, but mainly “there is very little you can do with the lower body at all.”

Muscle wastage will be a major issue. To offset this at least partially, Bedwell will use a manual desalinator to make water. “We looked at putting in a generator to pedal but there isn’t space.”

His rationed food will amount to only 1,000 calories a day, “so I will lose weight and muscle mass, but I want a slow, slow decline.”

The food will all be the same. “It is a protein food similar to Shackleton’s pemmican, a clever nutritional bar made of fat and protein, salt and honey, with a little bit of paracetamol to thin the blood and ascorbic acid to preserve it and prevent scurvy,” he explains. “I will eat that for at least a month before I go, to get used to it.”

All 12 of the boat’s watertight compartments will be filled with it. “It will be moulded in bags and pushed into the hull. I will take food from the external pods to start with and work inwards, so increasing stability as we go.”

Italian skipper Alessandro Di Benedetto returns to Les Sables d’Olonne in 2010 after a non-stop circumnavigation with his 21ft Mini Transat 6.50. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty

Bedwell’s planning sounds scrupulous. But… isn’t it the definition of suffering?

“Yes, very close to it,” he replies cheerfully. “If you said you were going to do this to prisoners, you wouldn’t be allowed to, it’d be against human rights.

“There’s not going to be any comfort in it whatsoever. Food and navigation equipment are the absolute keys. There’ll be no changes of clothes, for example, as there’s no room. It’s so tight. I can use some water to wash but it will be a flannel wash. l’ll do what I can to prevent saltwater sores but there’s not going to be any soap.”

When close to the finish of one of his voyages, Tom McNally was hit by a ferry. The hull of his boat split and he had to be fished out of the water almost by the seat of his pants. Bedwell says: “If I’m hit by a tanker I’m not going to survive that, but tech has changed. Tom didn’t have AIS but we have a standalone Class B transponder as well as a VHF with AIS receiver . I have a masthead light – the boat is so short it doesn’t need to be a tricolour.”

Bedwell says: “Planning this keeps your mind completely occupied as every single little detail has to be completely thought through.” He rejects any suggestion that he is ‘making a bid’ for the record or similar phraseology. “I am not attempting it. I’m doing it. My theory is if I’m just trying, I’m not really pushing myself.”

Matt Kent’s 2017 solo Atlantic crossing attempt in the 42in Undaunted ended in failure.

Smallest boats, smallest problems

The micro-voyagers seem to share a different way of looking at the world, a can-do attitude galvanised by their repudiations.

“Human beings are very adaptable,” says Sven Yrvind. “Lawrence of Arabia lived simply in the desert and said wine takes away the taste of water. It is the same with comfort. It depends on your mindset and how you think, how you look at life. Some people go on holiday on bicycles and put up a tent. Some want a car and a caravan. I think when they get back the man with the bicycle is happier and has more to think about.”

“You can get spoilt,” he argues. “If you get something without fighting for it, you’re not so happy when you get it.”

Returning after 31,000 miles and 360 days under sail in his little yacht, Yann Quenet insists that a small boat is the best. “Small boat equals small problems. When there is no engine, there is nothing to go wrong, just a simple boat that is simple to sail.”

Andrew Bedwell explains how he gradually dismissed fripperies. “I’d had plusher boats, but hated it – all the cushions and wiring hidden behind panels. It’s just not me. I kept coming back to the simple things.” Like Sven Yrvind and Yann Quenet, he made the realisation that his sense of achievement might be in inverse proportion to boat size.

When people ask now about what he is doing with Big C , he tells them, without a hint of irony: “Everyone is different. I need something really big.”

If you enjoyed this….

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Crazy or sane? Record attempt for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic

• Katy Stickland
• May 18, 2022

Andrew Bedwell is planning to smash the record for sailing the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic. His vessel, Big C is just over 1m/3.2ft long

The smallest boat to cross the Atlantic was 5ft 4inches, sailed by American sailor, Hugo Vihlen in 1993.

Many have tried but failed to break this record. But sailor Andrew Bedwell believes he can regain this most unusual of crowns for Britain.

The 48-year-old solo skipper is no stranger to sailing in small craft or pushing the limits.

In 2015, he finished the Jester Baltimore Challenge aboard his 23ft Hunter 707, Outlaw .

The following year, Andrew sailed around Britain singlehanded in his 6.5m (21.3ft) Mini Transat 241 Blue One.

Big C will be sailed using dual furling headsails, outriggers and an A frame mast. Credit: Andrew Bedwell

This was eclipsed by his most extreme challenge to date – sailing 241 Blue One from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Iceland and into the Arctic Circle and back in 2019.

The yacht has no creature comforts – which Andrew actually prefers, being of the Roger Taylor school of ‘back to basics’ sailing.

He slept no more than 20 minutes at a time on a beanbag (the boat had no bunk) and had a bucket as a toilet.

In May 2023 he plans to push himself further and attempt the record for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic.

The 1,900 mile voyage will start in St Johns, Newfoundland and finish off Lizard Point in Cornwall.

He expects it to take 60 days (that is what he has told his wife) but admits it might take longer, as he will be at the ‘mercy of the weather ‘.

‘There will be days when the wind s are not favourable and I just have to chuck out a sea anchor which is mounted on the bow and just furl everything in and sit there. These will not be the pleasant days,’ he noted.

For now, Andrew is concentrating on finalising his vessel – Big C, which was designed and built by Liverpudlian sailor Tom McNally, a legend in micro-yachting who died in 2017 from cancer.

Tom McNally with his boat Big C which he planned to sail across the Atlantic and back. Andrew Bedwell has now modified the boat to make his own record attempt. Credit: Lorraine McNally

Tom set the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic record in 1993 in his 5ft 4.5 inch boat, Vera Hugh . It was broken by Hugo Vihlen.

Andrew, who has run a boat repair business, has modified Big C himself. The boat is built out of GRP with a foam core. He has modified McNally’s plans, making the boat smaller and essentially custom building the vessel for his height.

Even so, at 6ft tall, he still can’t stand up in the craft when the dome is down and will have to follow exercises provided by a physiotherapist to keep his legs functioning.

‘When my backside is sitting on the floor, my head is literally an inch away from the dome at the top and being just over a 1m long, I can only stretch my legs out about two-thirds of the way,’ explained Andrew.

‘I do appreciate the nice things in life but I prefer to rough it and making my life harder for myself; this seemed the ultimate challenge, especially as it is my 50th birthday next year. There is no toilet on board so in fact my only comfort on board Big C will be a flannel, which will be heavily tied on to the outside and hanging overboard.’

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The boat has 12 watertight compartments – eight internally and four externally – as well as open and closable vents. Once fully sealed, Big C only has 40 minutes of air inside before Andrew would pass out.

Food has been worked out by a nutritionist and will be made by Andrew’s wife, before being packed into the craft.

‘I don’t want to say vile, but the food is not the most flavoursome. We will pack it outside of Big C in the external tanks to increase stability and internally, using the external food first.’

Big C ‘s keel will hold 5 litres of drinking water and there is a manual watermaker to top up the tank which will be operated by Andrew’s right hand.

Power will be provided by solar panels on the back of the craft, and there will be a hand-cranked generator which will be operated by both Andrew’s left and right hand.

The main compartment will have AIS, VHF radio and a small chartplotter to keep power consumption down.

Big C will begin sea trials in mid-June ahead of the challenge in May 2023. Credit: Andrew Bedwell

Big C is a ‘downwind, tradewind vessel’. She has twin rudders (in case one breaks) dual furling headsails, outriggers and an A frame mast.

‘We have twin furling headsails, you can furl them or unfurl them. I can unfurl them from inside, I can sheet them from inside. We will be relying on the tradewinds,’ said Andrew, who is from Scarisbrick, Lancashire.

In heavy weather , Andrew will use a full harness to strap himself to Big C . He will also have a full support crew to track and guide his passage.

Andrew Bedwell will be trying to break the record set by American sailor Hugo Vihlen in 1993 in his 5ft 4in boat, Father’s Day . Credit: Tom Meaker/Alamy Stock Photo

Big C will start sea trials in mid-June, and Andrew has several longer passages planned before the record attempt.

He is also looking for sponsors. He had hoped the drinks firm, Red Bull would back him but the firm declined saying of the challenge it was ‘inspirational, but mad’.

‘My 9 year old daughter thinks it is incredible. I hope she is proud. My wife thinks I am absolutely crackers,’ said Andrew. ‘But you have to push yourself. Life is about challenges and there are an awful lot of people going through life thinking ‘I wish I had done…’ I’ve gone the other way and say I will do it.’

The Big C Atlantic Challenge will be raising money for Cancer Research in tribute to Tom McNally.

Who was Tom McNally?

Liverpudlian Tom McNally was intent on setting records for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic.

He achieved his goal in July 1993 when he sailed the 5ft 4.5 inch boat, Vera Hugh , from Lisbon, Portugal to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida via Puerto Rico, despite a cracked hull and having run out of water and food.

The boat was partly built out of an old discarded wardrobe and the hatch was made out of an old washing machine door.

Tom beat the world record set by American sailor Hugo Vilhen in 1968 after he crossed in April Fool, which was 5ft 11in.

But Tom’s glory was was short lived when Vilhen sailed the 5ft 4in Father’s Day from Newfoundland to Cornwall in 105 days, reclaiming the crown in September 1993.

Tom McNally designed Big C himself. Credit: Ajax News & Feature Service / Alamy Stock Photo

Undeterred, Tom tried to take it back.

In 2002 he attempted, but failed, to cross the Atlantic in the tiny 3ft 10.5in Vera Hugh – Cancer Research. Having sailed 800 miles from Gibraltar to Gran Canaria, the boat and all his equipment was stolen from the harbour at Mogan.

In 2009, he planned a double Atlantic crossing in his purpose-built 3ft 10inch boat, The Big C , to raise money for Sail 4 Cancer.

His route would have seen him sail from Cadiz to the Canary Islands, and on to Puerto Rico. Tom was then planning on sailing north along the eastern seaboard of the USA before heading back to him home port of Liverpool.

Sadly, illness thwarted his plans.

After battling cancer for more than eight years, Tom McNally died on 12 June 2017 at the age of 77.

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Micro-Cruising: Small boat comforts

• September 24th, 2020
• Cruise Report

Another big step towards my own new boat has been made: As part of a sea trial-week in the Southern part of Germany I spent 10 days on board and with the Beneteau First 24 (which is essentially a Seascape 24). Hosting guests and potential clients aboard with frequent sea trial-action was boosting our sales but also opening up the chance for me to gain more intimate insight into small boat-issues which I´d like to address in a few upcoming articles. This first article will deal with small boat comfort. And I can tell you: There´s plenty of it!

Mooring at the pontoon in between the client-appointments there was quite some time for me to roam the boat and spend time enjoying the treats offered by it. Small boats like the First 24 or my upcoming First 27 may not be as glamorous and stunning as a beautiful Solaris or Oyster and of course the variety of amenities offered are much, much smaller and way more limited, but as life is in one´s head and happiness is a state of mind, let´s draw the most out of it and get started.

First thing I noticed which is a lot contributing to the comfort-factor of a small boat like this one was the fact that it was so small in the first place. Sounds ridiculous? Well, not so much: A small boat is way much easier to handle, to maintain, to rigg, to clean, to deal with. All the hazzle and bristling of big yachts is not to be found on a small boat. Rowing to the buoy at which my MADCAP was tied to it took me exactly 8 minutes to clean the boat from morning moisture and leftovers of the sleeping ducks from past night – and I was ready to go. Very satisfying.

A key element: Energy management

For most boat owners I know one big point for comfort is closely connected to energy. Big battery bunks on the yachts for powering all these multiple gadgets. On a small boat like the First 24 we of course have a very limited range of energy consuming appliances: LED lights in the cabin and navigational instruments. That´s all. The small battery though will be re-charged by a 50 Watts solar panel:

Which is very, very convenient. This small panel manages to sustain a constant charging of the board-battery even via indirect lights. Solar power in my view will become a much more important part in boating in the coming years with very, very interesting solutions like custom made flexible panels , solar cells on sails and various other solutions in the pipeline. For now on MADCAP I was astonished how efficient a even a small panel like this one in the end can be.

Of course, for some gadgets we need more power: Recharging the Torqeedo E-drive batteries unfortunately cannot be done via solar-powered 12 Volts plugs (smartphones on the other hand are recharged) so you need the occasional visit to a marina with shore power. MADCAP as well as many other small boats offer at least as an option the shore power plug and charger, which is a box I definitely would tick when considering buying a boat.

Getting up and down of the swing keel on MADCAP is a pain in the ass (not because it’s a heavy thing to do but tiring) so that one might use the electric winch. After approximately five times getting up and down of the keel, the winch´s battery was nearly empty and needed a recharge: This can be done via 12 V charger or – much faster – when utilizing 230 Volts. Name it: shore power! Same goes for portable ceramic heaters and other appliances. So I would reckon that solar and shore power options are a premise for enjoying small boat comforts.

Enjoying simple luxury

Once you have made up your mind and the decision for going for a small boat is made, you will see that the level of comfort even on a boat as short as 24 feet is amazing. On MADCAP two adults (a young couple heavily in love maybe) will find that there is no shortage of seating and lounging space on deck and down below either. Let´s take a look at the boat´s interior:

Of course one should be arranging the legs to fit into the spaces not occupied by the keel-housing and the spars, but once you´ve found your position you can spend a full evening down there, for example on a rainy day at anchor. There is enough headroom when seated and the benches are long enough for stretching out. I became a huge fan of the clever table offered as an option by seascape.

It´s a simple but very effective solution: A big plastic screw holds the table in place when folded away – but if unfolded it can house a proper dinner for two! Also, if the seating benches are taken out, two more persons can have a comfy seat at the entryway and join in for breakfast. The table is made from plywood with a simple folding mechanism – if damaged it can be repaired very easily.

An extension can be screwed to the cockpit flooring and this very same table is used outside and can also host a cockpit-dinner. Of course: One shortcoming of small boats now immediately is in the spotlight – the absence of a proper galley . For MADCAP the solution would be to have mobile BBQ or stoves (of which I will test the Jetboil cooking system soon) – same goes for my new upcoming First 27 which at least offers a gimbal mount to fit a Jetboil to it. Other small boats will come with a galley – in this a potential buyer can scale up or down the amount of amenities and gadgets needed.

A good night´s sleep in a small boat

Obviously a WC and a sink for personal hygiene is much appreciated on a boat. MADCAP is too small to offer either of them – and as a thoroughbred racing boat it is simply not the concept of that boat too. For taking a whizz there is an option to fit a portable camping toilet, washing yourself must be done by using fresh water from canisters and a simple bowl, which fits to the “camping on the water”-concept of the boat. Another aspect of comfort of course is the question if a good night´s sleep can be provided.

I must say, it works absolutely fine! I did have my sleeping bag and a comfy blanket with me to spend a night aboard and test how it feels. After I finished my dinner in the cockpit, reclining fantastically cozy in the stylish bean bags in the cockpit, I killed a couple of beers and when sun was finally down after brushing my teeth went down below. The First 24 comes with adequate LED lighting for the salon. There is more than enough options for finding a berth for the night.

In the bow of course two adults would be sleeping comfortably although the bowsprit might be in the way if you want to start some love action. As I would put it: There is only room for one pipe in the bow … Aft two more adults can find a berth, additionally widened by the extractable seating-extensions offered as an option. So 4 persons in a 24 footer? No problem! I absolutely look forward to my First 27 where the same concept is applied but a forward bulkhead with magnetic swing doors will make the forepeak separable from the aft section for more privacy (and a proper toilet is mounted as well).

How much comfort do you need?

Being 10 days on MADCAP, enjoying an uncluttered and easy boat which is so much fun to sail (that´s another article) was very helpful in defining my own way to become a “micro-cruiser”. The question of how much boat one needs has been answered more than impressive: From an energy-standpoint to maintenance and time spend for cleaning and setting up the boat, I cannot find any shortcomings. Of course, one needs to find a solution for hygiene, cooking and heating. This is a question of cleverly choosing the right products offered on the market in the first place.

I loved being aboard MADCAP: A perfect test for my own boat. Spending more time sailing and enjoying the boat while cutting time needed for setting up the boat and having it ready. The maximization of sailing fun and pleasure at anchor. As much as I love being aboard the big cruisers and indulging the gadgets provided as well as the massive volume created – it´s the easiness and therefore independence experienced aboard MADCAP that fascinated me the most and makes me much more looking forward to receiving my 27 feet sailboat.

You may also be interested in these articles:

Go small – go now!

My decision for a small(er) boat

Pogo 36 at Boot Duesseldorf Boat Show 2019

• MICROCRUISING

Cruising Forum

Famous boats, little cruiser, matt's boats.

Mindy and David have a passion for small sailboats called micro-cruisers, and they have been cruising in their tiny boats for 30 years. Their favorite destinations have been the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Florida Keys and the beautiful islands of the Bahamas. 

Home » Ocean Explorer – a micro cruising sailboat for inland waters from Perttu Korhonen

Ocean Explorer – a micro cruising sailboat for inland waters from Perttu Korhonen

Plywood microcruiser for rivers and lakes – cabin and cockpit fitted into a tiny 8 foot sailboat which sails pretty well – see the video below!

Owning “yacht” – you don´t have to be rich – only little playfully attitude. Perrtu Korhonen

This is the story of an actual three day trip of Perttu and his nephew in Finland.

Plans $40 from Duckworks  and is complete with all details from making the hull to making the sail from a polytarp. I wonder if it qualifies as a tiny house. Maybe a tiny house … boat.

Perttu in Finland built one of my OZ PDRacers (now OZRacer) last year as well as building a Quick Canoe that he built in the snow during the last winter and used for camping and daytrips.

He is an adventurin’ sort of guy.

During this last winter he had a secret project.  Most of the Duck community fell over with surprise when he introduced his really nicely resolved Ocean Explorer – an 8ft long cabin boat.

It uses the sail, foils and spars from his OzRacer/OZPDRacer.

It makes a lot of sense for colder climates where it can be hard to find a warm and windless place to sleep.

He’s had it away on a couple of trips – he made this neat video of one of the trips.

I couldn’t decide if it was the most crazy thing or most wonderful thing I had ever seen – but was sure it was great!

Ocean Explorer.

He used the spars, sail and foils from my OzRacer.

So we got together via the net and worked it all out to produce a really good set of plans.

About 80 pages.  It includes all the methods to build the hull, centreboard and rudder, make the polytarp sail (though you can use regular sailcloth if you like) and make the spars.

A low cost professionally made dacron/polyester sail designed by Michael Storer is available from Duckworks .  It is labelled as the Oz Sail.

Perttu spent hours doing really cool perspective drawings of the construction, I fiddled through my Oz stuff to grab what was needed for his plan. He made some suggestions for the Oz stuff and I made some suggestions for his hull – it is really very simply constructed for a boat with so much surface area.

A nice collaboration despite being about 10,000miles apart. The new shape of the world – or size – or something.

Perttu headed off on the boat for several days with a compact crewmember.

Looking aft in the cabin – adult legs go under the cockpit seats.

There are two very important things with this boat.

One is that the boat is designed to be sailed with the hatch SHUT in all but the best weathers.

Also to make progress upwind in choppy water it is important to the weight of loose gear next to the centrecase in the middle of the boat to help keep the boat on its lines.

Perttu on the building

Last winter was quite busy for me. I lost my sense of realism when my girlfriend was going to Africa for four weeks. I had bought plans for two kayaks and I was focused of building them for both of us. Then Mik´s Quick canoe came on marked and I could not resist buying plans and building one. And then I get the idea of Ocean Explorer and I started to draw sketch of it. I liked it immediately and when Hanna left to Africa I started to build it in our living room – ( I forgot to tell her – now we are repairing our living room… ). oh1 | Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Idea was to make small, cheap and light “yacht looking boat” with good performance. It´s cheap to build, light and sails good – the look of boat is little odd on front view, but I still like it. loma3 | Flickr – Photo Sharing!

In end of last summer I made three days exploring trip with it. Maybe I have lively imagination, but I felt like real sailor- sleeping inside cabin – on boat which I have build by myself – feeling how waves moves the boat… loma2 | Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Scotty on my forum

Scotty went ahead and did some great google sketchup drawings of the boat and some of the parts on my forum .

Perttu’s Cruise in Finland

Yes a real multiday cruise in a tiny and cheap boat.  I Launched my boat in Porosalmi Harbour.

I had three days to explore Linnansaari National Park in lake Saimaa Finland. The harbour was in sheltered bay and the wind was behind me. When I sailed on a reach, open lake area winds picked me up and I reefed the sail one step down. It was fun sailing. I was moving windward and the waves started to grow bigger and bigger. My boat name is iSo (big), but she started to feel small. It was a little scary and exiting at the same time. I started to look for shelter behind the islands and soon I reached a sheltered bay on one small island. I was so focused on sailing and taking photos, that I wasn´t sure in which island it was. I don’t have GPS– with maps there is always possibility to get lost! In the evening the winds are usually gentler. I had time to make coffee and refit the wind indicator, which had dropped into the cockpit. The bay was only 50m wide and it was a little battle to sail out to open lake. In the evening the winds were nicer and the sun was shining – not a trouble in the whole world.On one island there were 15 canoes and a group of young germans singing Kumbaya my Lord – I thought I must sailed too far south. The first night inside the cabin. The boat moves little with waves. I was reading a book and listening to the radio. Nice feeling – dawn comes and I fall into sleep. 12.8. 07:00 – Holiday – Why wake up at 7 o’clock? 09:30 – Stuck in calm. I miss yesterday´s winds and surfs. History knows greater sailors and explorers than me, maybe we still share something common – moments like this? That spirits up my mind and I start reading and let the sail up. 11:00 – Water supply showing alarming low. Sun is burning hot. In these latitudes the sun can be an enemy – am I gonna survive?My boat carries Michael Storer’s lugsail and it picks up even the littlest whisper of wind. I am actually moving slowly. My destination is Linnansaari Island´s north edge. The map says it has a dock for small boats. My boat has berth´s for two – is that dock going to be too small? 11:50 – A bird. Sign of land, binoculars! coconuts – whiskey for all! 12:00 – Back to reality (at least half of reality) – no whiskey for sailors! – Maybe a little in the evening? It´s time for lunch break. Tuna and pasta. (I caught the tuna earlier this morning.) When I moored, the winds started to blow. Luckily they died as soon as they appeared – I had time to eat in peace and take a small nap. 14:15 – In Linnansaari Island small boat’s dock. My fear was unnecessary. The boat just fit the dock. I hiked to a cliff which gave a great view of the lake. 17:00 – Moored to rocky island. Coffee break and swimming – feeling free. You don’t have to be rich, (with money) to complete your dreams! 16:00 – Nice steady winds – not big, but keeps us moving. 20:45 – Found nice place between two small islands. I took a couple of photos, set up the boom tent and slid into my sleeping bag. Later I watched the sunset through the cabin window.

13:08 – Friday the 13th. Beautiful morning, no clouds and the sun warms nicely. After breakfast I headed back to the harbour where I started. This trip is going to end soon. It´s time to start planning the next one. Any questions or comments: Plans are $40 and include Perttu’s hull and Michael Storer´s Lug rig, spars, sail design for home sailmaking,  and foil shapes.Plans for this baby are available from Duckworks or BoatCraft Pacific and soon all storerboats agents.

26 thoughts on “Ocean Explorer – a micro cruising sailboat for inland waters from Perttu Korhonen”

Hi….Michael…the new SkechUp for the 12ft design .is i think the very practical One….love that it has mor space..and payload.. hope to see that…i was playing micro sail boat for quit some times…..!!!have tons of adventure ..on that type

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22625264@N04/sets/72157622492439800/

the 8″ is too short for me (space), the 12″ is too long (car). i guess i’ll have to “stitch” the 8″ read to the 12″ front. otherwise i can’t roofrack that one on my compact car… (volkswagen rabbit, roughly 10″ long) also i need less height than the 12″ one…

what do you think – could be done in glass fibre with no wood for 30 kilograms ? (building a outer form, laminating in carbon or metal struts and using baloon pressure lamination techniques)

what about a 5hp suzuki engine (we have very few wind) ?

It is a common misconception, but modern wood construction is much lighter than fibreglass. Even with carbon you would find it difficult to get close to the weights of the same structure in premium plywood such as the gaboon species. Sometimes called Okoume. Still much cheaper than Carbon particularly when considering the cost of moulds and materials that won’t go into the boat

Fibreglass will be about 60 to 100% HEAVIER than wood. Glass specific density – 2.5gm/cm^3 Resin specific density – 1gm/cm^3 Okoume wood specific density – 0.35gm/cm^3

About 3hp would be more than enough for little boats like this. More will just make the boat stand up with its nose high in the air. Sensible speed is about 5knots (nautical miles per hour)

Best wishes Michael

What is the approximate dry weight of the OE with and without sails/rigging? I’m wondering if the boat is (at least in theory) car-toppable.

Cheers! ~Rob

I will forward this to Perttu and ask him for an approximate figure. It will vary a lot depending on the plywood and timber selected.

One thing to be aware of is that BULK can be as big a problem as weight when roofracking.

I calculated the approximately weight for hull and it shoud be around 45 -55 kg ( birch plywood ) Approx 130 lbs. and 5.5 kg for spars ( pine ) Thanks Perttu

(Comment from Michael … the hull weight looks about what I would expect but would depend on the timber. The whole rig for the OzRacer (the first two Oz PDRacers we built) was about 18 to 20 lbs (7kg) for the sail, rig and the few fittings and ropes).

Perttu and Michael, thanks for the response! That’s certainly an impressive weight and well within the 75kg limit of my roof rack (all bulk concerns aside …). I think it may be doable with speed restrictions and short trips.

Hello everybody, this boat is wonderful :-).

I have some question: is the ocean explorer a good boat for two persons?

What do you think to use that in the mediterranean sea? Do you think that the ocean explorer can works well in the normal waves of that sea?

Thank you very much

Paolo, Italy

Sorry, I forgot one thing.

The “Stitch and glue” is the construction tecnique?

No, it is not stitch and glue. It uses timber with square cross section in all the corners.

This requires fewer building steps than stitch and glue because the hull shape is so simple.

I would not recommend the Ocean Explorer for the Meditteranean. If you know it already, you know there are many beautiful sailing days when you could sail any boat, but then the screaming strong winds come from the mountains or the deserts. I don’t think it would be safe. It really is a boat for rivers and lakes with good sailing conditions because it is such a tiny boat.

As far as two people … It depends on the two people. I have slept in a very small tent with another person and it had been fine. I have slept in a much bigger tent with one person and they found it difficult. It is a small space with a small vertical dimension.

Not everyone will like it, but some who have the spirit of adventure will think it is cute and fun.

Excellent pictures, and funny story of the holiday trip. I especially like the shots on flicker of your living room co nstruction. If my wife was away, I would likely do the same if I had to, knowing she would HIGHLY disapprove. I love the final product, and am considering making one when I get home from West Africa rotational work.

I surfed the web and love the videos of your boat under sail. Post more to Youtube if you have any. I just restored an 18ft 1972 Folbot sailing kayak and had a blast learning to sail it last month while at home on days off. My wife said not to come home with another project that kept me up all hours of the night in the garage …… I think I will be in hot water when I pull in the drive way with the plywood in my truck :)

Bill, Surette’s Island, Nova Scotia

This is exactly what I am looking for! When do you think these plans will be available?

Plans are for sale now!

Ooze Gooze plans on Duckworks

I didn´t draw boom tent for this boat, same type boom tent like Ocean Explorer can´t be use, because cockpit is longer than boom. Boom tent is so nice equipment, that I would miss it, so that may come in future as add on – and curtains for sure – ha!

Now there is optional plans for outboard mount and some another small things, but that boom tent needs some thinking — Thanks

This is fantastic!

My wife (Finnish, coincidentally!) and I currently enjoy infrequent weekends doing minimalist canoe camping in the hidden lakes of the Canadian Shield (we’re not much for crowds). Our children are very near the age where they can be left on their own, so for over a year I have been conspiring to build a PD Goose for “luxury” camp cruising. My new home with double garage was completed over the winter and I came back to this page to visit the Goose plans when I saw this!

I intend to check back frequently and be one of the first in line when the 12ft plans are ready.

All the best from Canada,

Guess what Darren,

We finished the plans yesterday. Plans are for sale now!

More pics of the Ooze Goose sailing micro cruiser will go up here as we get them together.

Perttu’s computer drawings are a wonder.

Wow!…..How exciting!

Not only am I enticed about about this microcruiser’s sailing performance, but I am already being flooded with dreams of my sweetie and I on ultra-romantic wekkend and long-weekend getaways….I can picture us anchored up in some of our favourite private gunkholes – her stretched out sunbathing in the cockpit; me sitting on the bow catching supper; swimming; an ice chest full of cold ones; and the best part – no hauling camping gear ashore and back again!

Is this plan set also going to come with all the extra goodies – boom tent, curtains, blocks, etc?

The plans come with some of those accessories drawn up just like the smaller version. I will dig up Perttu for comments about what is there exactly – he will reply here and the reply should be forwarded to you automatically.

We are really interested in the performance too and how it handles different conditions. It is not really an “open water” boat, I would probably think of it like an open boat in terms of seaworthiness. If you keep that in mind and gradually extend what you do I think it will be very good fun.

Plans are for sale now Darren.

I’m loving this design. I really think there is genius in it. Great collaboration. I don’t think I can resist building one…I’ll send pictures

Most of the Genius is Perttu’s. I just supplied the running gear to make it go nicely.

I’m quite taken with your Ocean Explorer. My only problem is my wife always comes sailing with me, so the boat would have to sleep 2 adults. I’m 5’10” and my weight is 210 pounds; my wife is 5’3″ and her weight is 110 pounds. Could you design a larger Ocean Explorer that would sleep my wife and I? I sure hope so. We tent camp in a two person pack tent that weights 6 pounds. Good protection with a bit of comfort would be fine for us. Thanks so much for your help. We hope you have a great year.

Perttu and I are working on a 12ft version. It is a lot of work so it might take some time to get it ready.

One of the best ways to monitor what is happening is to join my forum as well as this website.

auch ich denke übereine 10 ft version nach- gegebenenfalls 12 ft-,auf keinen fall größer oder schwerer. habe großes interesse an neuesten informationen.

Thankyou Roland,

I work slowly when creating new plans. But I will write something here when it is ready.

12ft is a good choice. 10ft makes it difficult to get good performance when there are two people on the boat.

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Study Plans are available for these designs - remember a study plan gives you more details and a wood materials list usually on two A1 sheets, so that you can cost out a project before ordering the full plans. When you order the full construction plans you do not need to order the study plan as well, as all the study details are on the full plans.

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Design number: 18 Year: 1977

The elightened staff of Paris-based BATEAUX magazine considered that the Mini Ton level was too expensive an introduction to what one might call cruiser-racing, and as an alternative dreamt up the rule for what they called the Micro Cup, a very exciting restricted class. This was very sensible and immediately successful, and not just in France.

In Britain Brian Carvill commissioned Humphreys to design what he codenamed Le Weekender, but which the latter proposed should be called the Gem class. Although designed to the Micro rule the boat was intended as much as a sporty family fun boat with reasonably adequate overnight accommodation, albeit in a camping sort of way.

Carvill struck a deal with Mike Parry Yachts of Lymington and the boat was tooled up. The design was immediately successful and twice won the production boat prize in the Micro Cup in France. Over eighty of these boats were built and for a few years that class held a national championship in England. The Humphreys office is still taking calls asking where Gems may be purchased, and the answer is Australia where the moulds ended up. There is a strong following there and there and an active class association. Evidently the Gem is one of the top competitive trailer-sailers and seems to be perceived as a relatively new design.

A standard Gem, sailed by Mike Parry, Stephen Worf and Sylvia Pepin, won the Series Production Trophy of the 1979 Micro Cup, held at La Grande Motte on the Mediterranean in early September. With 42 boats competing it was a satisfying result bearing in mind the intensity of effort devoted to the Micro Cup by many of France’s top boatbuilders and designers. Jean Berret has two designs in series production; Jean-Marie Finot has a design built by Beneteau, andJacques Fauroux, originally a Moth designer but now well established in the smaller level-rating classes, had a number of boats, series-built and one-off, racing in his home waters. In addition, two new Stephen Jones designs were also competing but these were newly launched and relatively untuned.

The Gem has been in full production since February and the class has grown steadily since, with about fifty boats expected to have been sold by next February. The boat which Mike Parry took to La Grande Motte was an absolutely standard boat straight off the production line: indeed her moulders, Spectrum Marine, did not know she was destined for anything out of the ordinary. She was not sailed at all before her departure and was launched for the first timeonly two days before the first race of the important series. Called simply Gem she took three firsts, a second and a fifth in the production division, and in the overall classification she finished fifth behind two Fauroux one-offs (each of them almost 200 lbs lighter than Gem), a souped-up, non-standard Chellenger Micro and an over-grown 505.

As in Roller Coaster’s case, the Gem design concept was framed to produce all-round ability without incurring a compromised performance at any one particular end of the weather scale. Whereas the Micro Cup was sailed in almost exclusively light airs, the design has notched up some impressive results in very heavy airs.

PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS:

LOA 5.50m DWL 5.08m BEAM 2.41m DISPLACEMENT 455kg DRAFT 0.23/1.00m BUILDER MIKE PARRY YACHTS

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• Trophée BRETECHE N° 1 – 18 février 2024 02.20.2024 Une reprise humide ! Dimanche 18 février, le SNO Nantes organise son premier trophée Brétéché. Deux absents de marque pour cette première édition du trophée Brétéché. Michel DRAOULEC sur BEGOUDEN BLUES pour des soucis de santé et François CHRETIEN à cause d’un embrayage récalcitrant. Côté vent, une réussite, 5-10 nœuds voir 13 dans les rafales nous […]

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• Regattakalender 2024 01.21.2024 Die Regatten für 2024 sind geplant und in unserem aktuellen Regattakalender zu finden. Wir starten in diesem Jahr wieder mit der Frühlingsregatta in Zülpich (27.-28.04). Diese ist gleichzeitig auch die Landesmeisterschaft NRW für die Microcupper.

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Living small

She Wanted an R.V. He Wanted a Sailboat. This Was Their Compromise.

Instead of rolling down roads, their motorboat floats down rivers — and it’s as cozy as a woodland cabin. Think of it as a floating R.V.

A Motorboat as Cozy as a Woodland Cabin

View Slide Show ›

By Tim McKeough

Victoria Sass, an interior designer in Minneapolis, had long dreamed of owning an R.V. so she and her family could hit the open road with their living quarters attached.

“I grew up in Santa Cruz, California, with a Volkswagen van,” said Ms. Sass, 40, who had fond memories of traveling with her family in their mobile vacation home. She wanted her husband, Torben Rytt, and their three children, Duncan, 3, Irene, 8, and Walter, 13, to enjoy the same experience.

Mr. Rytt, who grew up outside Copenhagen, had other ideas: He wanted a sailboat.

“I’m from a boating family,” said Mr. Rytt, 45, a consultant for Nordic technology companies. “My parents met at a boat show, and we’ve owned boats since I was an infant. Every summer, we’d go sailing for five or six weeks.”

Mr. Rytt had no interest in an R.V.; Ms. Sass had no interest in a sailboat.

So Mr. Rytt offered a compromise: What if they bought a motorboat with a large cabin that held a kitchen, bathroom and sleeping quarters?

Think of it as an R.V. that just happens to float down rivers, he suggested, instead of rolling along roads.

Ms. Sass, who runs the design firm Prospect Refuge Studio , liked the idea, as long as she could customize the interior to make it as cozy as a woodland cabin.

It didn’t take long for Mr. Rytt to find their project boat: a 44-foot-long vessel from 1983 in nearby Red Wing, Minn., with a tiny kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and bunk room that needed some maintenance and love.

They bought it for $100,000 at the end of 2020 and moved it to their planned docking spot on the St. Croix River. The following spring, Mr. Rytt began taking lessons to learn how to pilot the boat, and they began their work to transform it.

They had the exterior of the boat repainted, changing it from maroon to sky-blue and white. They replaced the worn black awnings with new blue ones. Below deck, they tore out the grungy carpet, and Mr. Rytt spent an entire summer installing a new teak parquet floor. (There was existing teak wall paneling and cabinetry that they liked, so they cleaned and oiled the wood to refresh it.)

The more they worked, the more they realized that in such a compact space there was a reason for everything.

“Every picture and mirror on the wall was actually an access panel to something mechanical,” Ms. Sass said. “So if you replace something, it has to be replaced with something of the exact same size, which can be frustrating. It’s like every piece of trim is interconnected. Even the wallpaper is integral to the boat.”

Nevertheless, she was adamant about replacing the art on the walls. She was more flexible in the bathroom, where she kept the existing wallcovering, but recruited Kelsi Sharp, a graphic designer and sign painter, to give it tidy maroon-and-blue stripes.

For the kitchen, she worked with Kristen Falkirk to produce handmade black and mint-green ceramic tiles to resurface the counter and backsplash, giving the space a little wabi-sabi appeal.

For lighting, Ms. Sass mixed Danish nautical lights with a few designer favorites, including Rotonde X ceiling lamps with fabric shades from Roman and Williams Guild, which she mounted in the living room.

To furnish the boat, she mixed upscale pieces with budget finds, blasting everything with color and pattern. In the living room, she covered an Ikea sectional sleeper sofa with blankets from OddBird, piling on patterned pillows from Caravane, Goodee and St. Frank. For the floor, she bought a cushy wool rug from Beni Rugs.

“It’s super shaggy, which is totally impractical for a boat,” she said. “But I just think it’s fun.”

Because they were limited to working on the boat only in warmer months, it took three years to complete the overhaul, at a cost of about $250,000. They rechristened their vessel Freya, a play on the name of the Norse goddess Freyja that they hope is easier for non-Scandinavians to pronounce.

Now they use the boat not only on weekends, but also for multiweek voyages on the Mississippi River, traveling between river towns. It’s not quite the same as seeing sights from an R.V., but the whole family has fallen in love with life on the water. “Some days we just anchor out in the river, to get away from it all,” Ms. Sass said.

She no longer yearns for an R.V., and Mr. Rytt has abandoned all thoughts of a sailboat.

“The funny thing is that I actually prefer this over a sailboat,” he said. “It’s one of those things I don’t think I can ever get enough of. I could spend an infinite amount of time on this boat.”

Living Small is a biweekly column exploring what it takes to lead a simpler, more sustainable or more compact life.

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The State of Real Estate

Whether you’re renting, buying or selling, here’s a look at real estate trends..

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Developers across the United States are transforming clusters of old homes into micro restaurants  to cater to the needs of surrounding neighborhoods.

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The 16’8″ Beavertail Skiffs Micro takes its DNA from the 18′ Mosquito – one of the most popular technical skiffs on the market today and distills it down to the purest technical fishing platform Beavertail Skiffs has ever built. With a true 5″ draft when fully loaded with anglers, fuel, and gear – the Micro will take you to places that only kayaks could previously reach and bring you back with our signature dry ride.

There is a misconstrued assumption in the technical skiff world – that to have the perfect shallow water fishing platform you must sacrifice comfort, and in some cases, even accept a wet ride. But you can rest assured, that the Beavertail Skiffs Micro will get you back home safely and comfortably – even when the weather dictates “Get a bigger boat”!

The Micro is designed for the purist of anglers – who know exactly what they need from a skiff and more importantly, exactly what they don’t need. If you’re the kind of angler who wants to do more with less, the Beavertail Skiffs Micro is ready to take you places others simply can’t reach!

The Micro in Action!

Your Skiff. Your Colors.

At Beavertail Skiffs you can choose from a wide range of custom gel coat colors that make your skiff uniquely yours!

Choose your skiff’s colors from a selection as vast as a rainbow & unique as your taste!

Check out some of our most popular color combos!

The Gallery

Standard features, engine and rigging.

• Equipped with a Suzuki 30 HP engine and stainless-steel prop
• Offered with a tiller setup or side console configuration

Hull and Topside Deck

• Fiberglass and vinyl ester resin construction
• Vacuum infused
• Custom color hull and topside deck
• Nonskid included on deck and cockpit

Mechanical / Electrical

• Navigation and anchor lights
• Rugged AGM starting battery
• Automatic bilge pump
• Lenco Trim Tabs with switch

Fuel System

• 8-gallon EPA compliant fuel tank, easily serviced through forward hatch
• Fuel / water separator
• One bow eye and two stern eyes
• Rigid heavy-duty black rub rail
• One recessed bow cleat
• Stainless steel steering wheel with power knob
• Moonlighter push pole holders
• Thru-hulls and low profile deck drains

Storage / Maintenance Access

• Rod rack w/ SeaDek reel protectors and fly rod tubes which hold six rods up to 10’
• Large forward storage compartment
• Large aft storage with drain
• Dry gutters on all hatches with rubber gaskets on aft hatches
• Optional 10-gallon livewell
• Aft full length removable cushion seat with embossed BT Logo

Poling Platform

• Welded anodized frame
• Platform with SeaDek pad
• Ramlin Micro aluminum trailer w/ 13" wheels

Each Beavertail Skiff is custom tailored to your specific needs. Refer to the “Additional Add-Ons” below for additional options and selections.

Optional Add-Ons

• Click the camera icon to view a photo of the option

Color Options

• Powder coating (poling and casting platform, hardware, etc.) - gloss black, textured matte black and gloss white are available

Seating options

• Upholstery ‘Double Diamond’ quilted finish
• Backrest, fixed aft on poling platform with step-up and Sea Dek pad

Fish Finder/Chart Plotter Options

• Special electronics installation - prices available upon request
• Simrad NSX™ 3007 with Active Imaging™ and 3 in 1 transducer
• Garmin ECHOMAP™ UHD 74sv with GT56UHD-TM Transducer
• Garmin GPSMAP 743 xsv

Cockpit & Console Options

• Hook/line tie stainless eyebolt, console mounted (to tie line, knot tensioner)
• Steering wheel, Edson Comfort Grip
• Tilt steering
• Controls, two switch billet (black or polished stainless steel)
• Switches, flush-mount LED lit console switches
• Charger, dual 12 volt/USB, console mounted
• Cup holder, stainless steel (mounted in gunnel/poling/casting platforms
• Cup / rod holder combo mounted on gunnel
• Rod holder, 1-place aluminum, mounted on bulkhead
• Rod holder, 2-place aluminum, mounted on bulkhead

Lighting Options

• Poling platform LED light (underside poling platform - available in white, red or blue)
• Cockpit/under-gunnel LED lighting (available in red, blue or green)
• Storage compartment LED lighting (available in white, red, blue or green)

Poling & Casting Options

• Rod holder welded on poling platform
• Receiver tubes welded on platform (required for use with stand-up bars)
• Stand up /grab bar, removable (for poling platform & /or casting platform)
• Stand up bar w/ small cushion, removable (for poling platform & /or casting platform)
• Lean back bar w/ wrap around cushion, removable (for poling platform & /or casting platform)
• Fold up seat mounted on lean back bar ("Take a load off")
• Fly rod holder mounted on stand up or lean back bar
• Cup holder mounted on stand up or lean back bar
• Tibor Push Pole Caddy
• Casting platform w/ turnbuckle tie down
• Rod holder welded on casting platform

Sea Dek options

• Poling platform pad
• Reel protectors
• Full under gunnel protector pads (reel protector pads are standard)
• Casting platform pad w/ Beavertail logo (if casting platform selected)
• Fishing ruler
• ‘Beavertail Tarpon’ small fly pad - mount on console
• Cockpit floor, front deck or all top deck

Deck & Hull Options

• Flyline toe rails (available in black or white)
• Cleat, additional recessed (one standard on bow)
• Accon recessed push pole holder - no charge
• Moonlighter 22’ one piece push pole, carbon fiber
• Power Pole 6’ Pro Series II
• Power Pole micro anchor w/spike
• Power Pole micro spike only

Trolling Motor Options

• Pre-rigging for 12v trolling motor: includes one deep cycle battery, Minn Kota removable mount, 60 AMP breaker, plug & receptacle & built in recharging system
• Trolling Motor, 55lb 12v i-Pilot ‘Terrova’ Control Minn Kota Riptide
• Trolling Motor, 55lb 12v Hand Control Minn Kota Riptide
• Trolling Motor, 55lb 12v Rhodan GPS (White or Black finish)
• Power Pux quick release trolling motor mounting system with key lock
• Lithium deep cycle battery alternatives

Safety & U.S. Coast Guard Requirements

• Fire extinguisher (mounted in boat)
• USCG kit (includes four life jackets, throwable Cushion, flare & signal kit)

Trailer Options

• Ramlin ‘black out package’ (texture coating entire trailer)
• Spare wheel & mount
• Shortest possible setup (swing away tongue)
• Tie downs, retractable stainless steel mounted on trailer
• Tie down kit, removable quick release
• Mag/alloy wheel (available in black or polished)

BASE PRICE*

*Full package details and pricing available upon request .

Contact Beavertail Skiffs

Ready to take the next step towards joining our family of satisfied owners? We’d love to learn more about you, your style of fishing and how we can help make your skinny water dreams come true!

(941) 705-2090

4601 15th Street East Bradenton, FL 34203

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