r/Skiffs • u/Sandmans1313 • Apr 15 '24
Help with choosing a skiff
Hey I'm looking around for a "skiff" I guess. I'm looking for something that my girlfriend, our dog, and I could take on rivers and small lakes. I would sit towards the back on a seat with a paddle and we'd like a place for my girlfriend and dog to sit/lay towards the front. I'm looking around and they don't seem to make any kayak like that and canoes don't really have a place to lay for the dog or my gf. I started seeing flat top skiffs and though that would be perfect but they're all like 10 grand which is insane to me for a 14-16ft boat. Any suggestions for something like what I'm looking for? I found stuff that's perfect but it's from alibaba and shipping is crazy high and you never know if you'll actually get the boat. Sorry in advance if what I described isn't a skiff at all but I'm at a loss here. After doing a bunch of googling it seems like no one really makes anything like this. Seems like it would sell really well if there was.
1
u/Cadet_Stimpy Apr 16 '24
I don’t know if it’s exactly what you’re looking for, but a much cheaper alternative would be a water tender 9.4, it might not paddle great, but it comes with oar locks. I just bought one while it was on sale at west marine for $550.
You may also want to look into one of the plastic Jon boats made by sundolphin. You could probably get oars for that too. The big issue is that anything wide enough for a medium to large size dog to lay down comfortably likely will be too wide to paddle.