Flats boats are a category of boat designed primarily for fishing in protected, shallow water areas often referred to as "

flats Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

" by anglers. While the name may be misconstrued to mean the boat hull is flat, this is not generally the case and include various v-hull designs. However some flats boats designs, sometimes called

skiff A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have devel ...

s are truly a

flat-bottomed boat A flat-bottomed boat is a boat with a shallow draft, two-chined hull, which allows it to be used in shallow bodies of water, such as rivers, because it is less likely to ground. The flat hull also makes the boat more stable in calm water, wh ...

design. The deadrise (which, simplified, is a measure of the angle of bottom in v-hull boats) of most flats boats is generally a small angle because larger deadrise often requires more water displacement which increase the boat's draft and is not desirable for flats boats in shallow water. However, lower deadrise may produce a rougher ride in choppy water than a comparable boat with larger deadrise angle.

Common Features

Flats boats are often small easily trailerable boats although some may reach up to 23 ft in length or more. They are typically equipped with

outboard motors An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

and offer a relatively shallow draft compared to other boats of the same length, to allow for passage over sandbars, oyster beds or other submerged objects or underwater features with less risk of damaging the hull or engine. Some flats boats may be equipped with features such as a "jack plate" which allow the operator of the boat to lift the outboard vertically in addition to the tilt and trim mechanisms generally offered by many outboard motors. They may also be equipped with

trim tab Trim tabs are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger control surface on a boat or aircraft, used to control the trim of the controls, i.e. to counteract hydro- or aerodynamic forces and stabilise the boat or aircraft in a pa ...

s. Both jack plates and trim tabs can offer an advantage in shallow water starts to plane among other uses. Additionally, some flats boats may be equipped with a "poling platform" which allows for a fishing guide or other person to push the boat in shallow water while an angler fishes from the bow. Flats boats may be designed as an open cockpit and

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

controlled

outboard motor An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

, a side console or center console.

Micro-skiffs

Micro-skiffs (which are, generally, a smaller and lighter, no-frills design similar to a number of flats boats) may be considered by some as a subcategory of flats boat.

Safety Concerns

Some concerns have been raised about the safety of certain designs of flats boats, particularly the tunnel vee, according to a USCG study in 2013. Tunnel vee boats, sometimes referred to as tunnel hull boats, are a design in which the center of the boat hull is essentially cut out for some length into a shape which may be somewhat similar to a catamaran in that in that section the boat hull may resemble

sponson Sponsons are projections extending from the sides of land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft to provide protection, stability, storage locations, mounting points for weapons or other devices, or equipment housing. Watercraft On watercraft, a spon ...

s instead of coming to a "vee" shape at the bottom. This design allows for mounting (or raising with a jack plate) the outboard motor higher while still allowing significant water flow to the propeller and the motor's cooling water intake. One advantage of this design is when operating the boat at speed in shallow waters with the engine raised where there is less restriction for the upward flow of water to the outboard motor's cooling water intake.

References

{{Reflist Nautical terminology Types of fishing vessels

Common Features

Micro-skiffs

Safety Concerns

See also

References