Thanks for sharing the link.  I think it's probably one of the best "bang for your buck" boats in CLC's stable.  It's also probably one of the easiest boats to build for people contemplating their first build.  Being able to do three things well is quite an accomplishment.

With that being said, I'm an old-school sailor/semi-professional woodworker looking for a certain aesthetic in any boat that I'm going to take 100-200 hours to build, so this just isn't the boat for me. 

I think that it's definitely a boat that a parent can build for their kids.  The parent can tag along or not on outings.  The kids can take the boat out and the parent knows it's going to be safe.  That's priceless. 

It's a great boat for a youngster to build with adult supervision or by themselves if they've been checked out in the shop.  This could definitely be a "gateway boat" for young sailors, launching them into a lifelong hobby/addiction.

A large part of the value is that I can see this boat going camp-cruising among the islands on a three-day weekend, then the next weekend it can hit a local lake for some fishing.  Dad could also take Mom rowing for date night (or a teenager trying to impress a young lady), so there's something there for everyone.

With a boat like this, the possibilities are endless and a very fun and economical project.

   Jimmy Skiff II looks like a great little knock-about boat.  I gew up on a lake in Michigan - It was 2 miles to town via the road and we could ride bikes in to baseball practice or the tennis courts or the Tasty Freeze.  It was about the same distance to town via the lake/river.  My first real $$ spent was when (at about 10 yrs old) my brother and I came up with $150 (and my grandmother the other $150) for a new 6 hp Johnson outboard for dad's aluminum (duck hunting) jon boat.  (The $300 for the new motor helps date this a bit.)  Anyway, putting the motor on the boat was a new kind of freedom for us - arriving to town in style to the envy of the gang, and right under the bridge where the rock-bass fishing was best.  We literally wore out than jon boat - every rivet in the bottom was covered with caulking.   

And had it been as simple as dropping a mast in the boat to go sailing, I'm sure we'd have often done that instead of rigging up the Butterfly. I love the bench seating on the Jimmy Skiff II for sailing.  My one complaint about sailing my NE dory is that it is a pain in the neck - I haven't figure out a truly comfortable way to sit on the thwart-seats and watch the sails at the same time. I've thought about making up a removable bench seat to lay across the thwart seats - maybe even using only one and changing sides with it as a part of tacking.  I already built a little padded back rest for the dory that drops right up against the aft part of the centerboard trunk and makes rowing very much more pleasant than having the tail-bone up against the trunk.

And as is true of all the CLC boats, you are getting a better, classier boat than you can buy aluminum or plastic for about the same (or as much as double) the price, so the real investment you are making is time and labor - and for many of us that is just as satisfying as being out on the water (except the sanding, of course).  Almost everything I know about anything in the shop was learned while building an experimental ultralight airplane in the garage in junior high/high school.  Please involve youth in your boat (or other) projects if you can.

So, add it all up - if I was back on the lake (or maybe even if not) I'd get the kids together (or the local scout troop or neighbor kids or grandkids) and build one or more of these.  Becasue the boat is wood (even glassed over wood) it requires a bit more care than the jon boat did. Depending on the beach, put out a skid ramp or some rollers or a beach trailer.  Maybe add some pram-style consumamble skids to the bottom.  Make sure to install a drain-plug in the transom.  Require everyone to put it away with a cover over it.  But I doubt it would be covered much all summer - it would be out on the water! 

Personally, I'm still happy with my NE dory due to the traditional lines, sailing and rowing capability and load capacity.  But right now my use isn't about motoring.  If usage changed to the point I ever wanted a motor, the Jimmy Skiff II would fit the bill.  My coffee is done and now I'm off to the garage to glass the deck of my Chess 17 today.  Much more fun than shopping.

You know, given that the very modest cost of the kit without the sailing stuff, this'd make a great, ecconomical, efficient little outboard utility skiff which is also a good rowboat in the bargain, something I wouldn't say about any production aluminum skiff I've ever seen.  For a small investment, with small trailer, behind a small car, ffrom a modest build project...it sure has possibilities for big adventure.  She looks like a good match for a Honda BF2, a great littlle motor which just keeps getting better and better.

Of course, the video of her sailing sure does get the old sailing juices flowing, does it not?  But then, so do the videos of Nanoship...and Tenderly...and Pocketship...and....

.....Michael