Skunk 11 Explained

Skunk 11
Image Boat:Skunk 11 Sailboat on Portage Wheels.jpg
Image Caption:Skunk rigged on portage wheels
Designer:Hubert Vandestadt
Location:Canada
Year:1969
No Built:1200
Builder:Vandestadt & McGruer
Role:Dinghy
Draft:2.5feet with centreboard down
Displacement:1900NaN0
Hull Type:Monohull
Construction:Fibreglass
Loa:11.08feet
Lwl:9.5feet
Beam:5.42feet
Rudder Type:transom-mounted rudder
Rig Type:Gunter rig
Sailplan:Gunter rigged sloop Masthead sloop
Sailarea Total:70square feet

The Skunk 11 is a Canadian utility dinghy that can be rowed, used as a motorboat, fishing boat or as a sailing dinghy. It was designed by Hubert Vandestadt and first built in 1969.[1] [2] [3]

Production

The design was built by Vandestadt & McGruer in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, but the company went out of business in 1987 and production had ended by then.[1] [3] [4]

Design

The Skunk 11 is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fibreglass, with wood trim. It is a Gunter rigged sloop with a free-standing mast, aluminum spars, a raked stem, plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder made from mahogany controlled by a tiller and a retractable fibreglass centreboard. The rudder and centreboard are "kick up" designs. It displaces 1900NaN0.[1] [3]

The boat has a draft of 2.5feet with the centreboard extended and 0.5feet with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer or car roof rack.[1]

The boat may also be rowed and is equipped with oarlocks for that role. The transom is reinforced so the boat can be fitted with a small outboard motor of up to 50NaN0 for employment as a motorboat.[1]

The recessed foredeck has a storage area.[3]

Variants

Skunk
  • This model was introduced in 1969 and has a gunter rig and a sail area of 70square feet. The gunter rig mean all three spars are short and will store inside the boat's hull.[1]
    Super Skunk
  • This model was introduced in 1981, has a conventional sloop rig and additional sail area, totalling 88square feet.[1]

    Operational history

    In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, the "Skunk is a light, easily transported boat. Because of the gunter rig, all spars will fit inside the boat. There are no stays. The Super Skunk is Marconi rigged and has an extra 10 square feet of mainsail. Besides sailing, the Skunk may be used for fishing, as an outboard, or as a rowboat."[3]

    See also

    Similar boats

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Skunk 11 sailboat . 9 June 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200606171123/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/skunk-11. 6 June 2020. live .
    2. Web site: Hubert Vandestadt. 9 June 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190120144424/https://sailboatdata.com/designer/vandestadt-hubert. 20 January 2019. live.
    3. Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 8-9. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994.
    4. Web site: Vandestadt and McGruer Ltd. (CAN). 9 June 2020. McArthur. Bruce . sailboatdata.com. 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200606171100/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/vandestadt-and-mcgruer-ltd-can. 6 June 2020. live.