Skiff

A Skiff is a small rowing boat that can hold up to eight persons. Skiffs are made to travel over shallow waters where biggers ships can't pass, and are also able to enter moderately deep waters in order to dock with said ships. However, deep seas are very dangerous for skiffs and they sink fast. Every Shipwright has skiffs for sale and if the advanturer actually buys a Frigate, a skiff is already included in the price of the ship, for reaching coasts near shallow water that the big ship can't.

Skiffs did appear for the first time in Ultima V, where the Avatar could either buy a skiff from a shipwright, or have it included with a frigate. They were needed to reach the shallow waters that frigates couldn't.

In Ultima VI, skiffs stragely enough could travel over all water -making frigates useless- and no longer could dock with frigates. However, a strong companion now was able to curry the skiff to also safely pass underwater rivers.

After that time, skiffs no longer were usable, and the ones encountered were either static (as in Ultima VIII) or part of a ferry system (as seen in Ultima IX).