Small Skiff for Curaçao

[TomTom]

My brother has just moved to Curacao - and he wants an easy to build boat that he can use for fishing and free diving around the island. He has a wife and a small daughter.

But would probably just go with one friend on fishing outings.

What is the smallest boat he could get away with?

I was thinking an FS14? Or is that too small?

[cape man]

Curacao is notorious for stiff and steady winds. I'd want something bigger.

[fallguy1000]

Well, not from Curacao, but the trees grow sideways. There are three seasons there from my reading. Rainy,summer,wind.

I have been in 14' skiffs and they are pretty scary in four footers..the bow tends to bottom and the sea comes in over the top in following or head seas

I'd build something much more substantial, so he doesn't end up as fish food.

Panga 20
C19
perhaps as small as OD18, but I'd want to hear more from OD owners.

Barraman build another design he might say is offshoreable there. Can't recall it at this hour.

These are sort of minimums by my standards. Get any smaller and you start to limit days out to one footers or trailering to windless coves, etc. The boats I am suggesting don't open it up for significantly rougher seas, but waves 2-4 send you in and you feel much safer.

I've been in a 16 foot skiff in three foot rollling and following seas with a fast chop and it is also a bit scary for even a seasoned boater. The one thing that is important to me is a full transom.

Another thing is head seas suck in most planing skiffs, so when I fish big waters, I look at the wind forecast before I leave port. And I head into the wind early so I get following seas home. This avoids getting soaked by friggin ice cold water, getting poundee if you go over 5mph, etc.

[TomTom]

Been looking at the Panga 20 as well - amazed by how much less epoxy it uses than the 22 according to the study plans?

[Matt Gent]

Tiller panga is as light, simple, and capable as you can get.

[rick berrey]

If he want,s something smaller than the panga 20 , the OB15 , OB17, OB18 would probably be my options depending on size , power , and price .

[Evan_Gatehouse]

Curacao is in the trade wind belt. The predominant wind direction is NE but it can range between N and E. On the west side of the island (the populated side) you're mostly in the lee side. So as long as you are close to land the seas can be quite manageable.

I'd pick the 16' boat just for comfort. I'd feel comfortable in a GV10 but most wouldn't.

Curacao Peter built a C19 (I think) and lives there. He'd be a much better giver of advice than most of us. Look in the Power Boat forum for him.

[Jaysen]

Curacao Peter built a C19 (I think) and lives there. He'd be a much better giver of advice than most of us. Look in the Power Boat forum for him.

I show it as a cs25. Here’s the link: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=16798&hilit=C19

[TomW1]

Yep Peter Curacao built a CS25. In some of the pictures of his island he showed the trees growing sideways. So a boat in the in the 17' range would be minimum. I would probably go with the FS17 as it is very capable as long as he did not want to go out on rough days. It is the easiest to build nice and safe and requires the least HP. As I remember Peter had problems getting wood and had to order all his epoxy and fiberglass from here. But read through the early part of his build about his sourcing of wood.

I wish you luck on which ever boat you decide to build.

Tom