The Skimmer design conforms to the original Moth class rules, but with an emphasis on simplicity for ease of construction and to reduce building costs. Crosby was the editor of Rudder magazine at the time and had designed the Snipe in 1931. He published the plans for the Skimmer in the October and November 1933 issues of that magazine, during the height of the Great Depression, as a means of producing a sailboat for the least cost. As a consequence, hundreds of examples were built and they were raced as a class on the United States west coast and other places in the US.[1][2][3][4]
The Skimmer is a small, single-handed, recreational dinghy, built predominantly of wood planking. It has a catboat single-sail rig, a single chine hull, a transom-hung rudder and a pivoting centreboardkeel. It displaces 300 lb (136 kg) and carries no ballast.[1][3]
The boat has a draft of 4.50 ft (1.37 m) with the centreboard extended and 1.83 ft (0.56 m) with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer or automobileroof rack.[1][3]
