A review of the Goat Island Skiff from Mike McNamara of McNamara Sails UK

Ralph Gersson in the Netherlands got a very nice mail from Michael McNamara from mcNamara sails UK. He made a nice sail for Richard Harvey’s GIS “Blanche”  and Ralph has decided to order for his own Goat Island Skiff.

Goat Island Skiff built from the boat plan in Norfolk, UK

Goat Island Skiff in Norfolk, UK

Here is what Mike McNamara wrote to Ralf.

I had a nice long sail in Richard`s Goat Island Skiff today and had a lovely sail.

He has made a great job of the boat and it went like a dream.

I was very impressed with how simple the controls were and how quickly the boat went. It was also beautifully balanced.

As you could expect the boat felt better when it was slightly heeled when beating. Off wind it felt fast but didn’t create a planning sort of wash…it just went faster and faster.

When tacking I found that I had to be quite forceful in pushing it into the wind and it was definitely better to “roll” it coming out of the tack.

I’m glad that I did have a sail because I found that I need to modify the sail slightly to give more fullness at the head. The gaff bent more than I had anticipated.

I will now get started on your sail and be in touch soon. Hope that is ok.

Goat Island Skiff - WORLD - 2014 HD

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More about the Goat Island Skiff and the Boat Plan here

Note the comments about how easy the lug was to set up and how well the controls worked. Our information on lug rig setup and handling is here.

2 thoughts on “A review of the Goat Island Skiff from Mike McNamara of McNamara Sails UK”

  1. Hello,

    I really like the shape and dimensions of this sail for the GIS made by McNamara. Would you be willing to share the dimensions (in feet/inches) of the sail and spars with me?

    Thx-

    Reply
    • Hi Dave,
      You have to remember that I make my income by working out these sizes and shapes and explaining them nicely.

      I think I do a good job so should be paid for my effort.

      I can’t prevent your individual creativity in working out the sizes yourself.

      Instead of buying the goat plan at 100 dollars, you could buy the OzRacer plan for 20 and ask for the free lug rig supplement. It is a smaller sail at 89 square feet and a different geometry, but it is a cheap path to get a lot of information.

      Reply

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