16' skiffs are a uniquely Australian high performance three man dinghy. The class has a long history being sailed for 100 years. During this time the class has seen many developments. Today's skiffs have a three person crew, two on trapeze and large mast head assymetrical spinnakers.

16' skiffs are one of the most popular boats sailed in Australia with fleets in NSW and Queensland. There are currently over 135 boats registered through 12 clubs and regattas regularly attract fleets of over 60 boats. Most 16' sailing clubs have excellent facilities and actively support sailing in other smaller dinghy classes.

To contain costs and to provide closer racing, strict design rules where introduced in 1997/98 for hull design and construction. These new design rules also fixed the number of masts and sails which could be registered for the Australian Championship Series. Only two masts can be used and the number of sails is limited to three jibs, two main sails and two spinnakers. Boats utilise these sails in combinations to give different rig sizes which can be selected for optimal performance in different wind strengths.

16' Skiff Specifications:

Hull length	4.88m (16ft)
Min beam	1520 mm
Max beam	1780 mm
Max sail area (working)	22 m2
Sail area (spinnaker)	approx. 45 m2
Min crew	3