Skiff

Skiff is a railboat. He was originally owned by Sailor John, but now gives Railboat Tours around Arlesburgh Harbour with his new captain, Joe.

Contents[show]

Biography

Thomas & Friends

Skiff was given wheels after Thomas had his accident and discovered Captain Calles' pirate ship. He helped Sailor John and Thomas look for the treasure, thinking Sailor John would give it to the museum. When he found out that John in fact intended to keep the treasure for himself, Skiff tried to stop Sailor John, but could not do much. He saved Thomas from having dynamite thrown at him by shaking Sailor John and later purposely capsized to stop Sailor John getting away with the treasure. After Sailor John was arrested, Skiff was recovered, repainted into a white-and-blue livery, sold to Captain Joe, and started giving "Railboat Tours" around Arlesburgh Harbour.

When a storm was approaching Sodor, Skiff and his new captain, Joe were checking the harbour to make sure everything was safe before a storm. While Joe was busy elsewhere, Skiff's sail came loose, his anchor rope snapped, and he was blown down the line into a fallen tree, where he derailed, came loose from his chassis, and got his sail trapped under a branch. Duck and Oliver were both approaching the tree from opposite directions, but Skiff just managed to free his sail in time and warn them of the danger, preventing a serious accident. The following morning, Sir Topham Hatt praised Skiff and said that he deserved an award for his heroic actions. Then everyone gave Skiff three cheers.

Later on, Skiff overheard Sir Topham Hatt talking to the museum manager, and became convinced that a mermaid was coming to the harbour. The following morning, he was to take Sir Topham, Stephen, and Bridget Hatt on a tour. While Captain Joe was getting the children's lifejackets, Skiff saw something in the water that looked like a mermaid's tail, and took off after it with Sir Topham Hatt on board. The chase resulted in them getting marooned on the beach at Bluff's Cove and Sir Topham Hatt going insane by believing they were stranded on a deserted island, and Harold and Captain had to come and rescue them. Back at the harbour, Skiff learned that the "mermaid" was really a figurehead, which was to be attached to the Pirate Ship's bow as a decoration.

Personality

Skiff is a feisty, fun-loving little boat with a very upbeat and positive attitude, in spite of the fact that his former captain, Sailor John, was not very nice to him. Sailor John bossed Skiff about, but no matter how loud he shouted or how hard he stomped on his deck, it never seemed to dampen Skiff's spirit. Skiff remained keen to make up again and genuinely thought of Sailor John as his friend, at least until John revealed his true colours. Skiff treats every day as an exciting new adventure; he likes to see the best in everyone and think of the world as a wonderful place. This leaves him vulnerable to persuasion to the point of appearing gullible.

Technical Details

Basis

Skiff is based on the Eastport Pram with an added railway chassis. The concept of a railboat comes from the Ffestiniog Railway's Spooner's Boat, which served as the inspiration for Skiff.

Livery

Skiff's hull was painted white, while his mast and woodworkings were stained brown and his wheels were rusted. At the end of Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure he was repainted in a new livery; his woodworkings are now painted blue and turquoise, his wheels red, and his sail is white with yellow stripes, while his hull remains white.

Appearances

Thomas & Friends

• Series 20 - Blown Away, The Missing Breakdown Train, Hugo and the Airship, Skiff and the Mermaid and Cautious Connor (cameo)
• Series 21 - A Most Singular Engine (does not speak)
• Series 22 - Forever and Ever (fantasy; cameo) and Cyclone Thomas (fantasy; faceless, cameo)
• Series 24 - The Great Little Railway Show (life lesson), Thomas and the Inventor's Workshop and Nia's Bright Idea

Specials

• 2015 - Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure
• 2017 - Journey Beyond Sodor (cameo)

Music Videos

• Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure - We Make a Team Together
• Series 20 - It's Halloween
• Journey Beyond Sodor - I Want to Go Home (cameo)
• Series 21 - Set Friendship in Motion and Doing it Right
• Series 22 - Let's Dream

Videos

• Guess Who? Puzzles (does not speak)
• 70 Years of Friendship (cameo)
• Different Ways to See the World (cameo)

Books

• 2015 - Pirate Treasure, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: Sticker Activity Book, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: The Movie Storybook, The Lost Ship (does not speak) and Thomas and the Lost Pirate/The Sunken Treasure
• 2018 - Character Encyclopedia (does not speak)

Voice Actors

• Joe Mills (UK/US; dropped)
• Jamie Campbell Bower (UK/US; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure onwards)
• Takayuki Kawasugi (Japan)
• Carlos Íñigo (Latin America; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure - twentieth series)
• TBA (Latin America; twenty-fourth series onwards)
• Patrick Bach (Germany)
• Yannick Blivet (France and French speaking Canada)
• Jakub Szydłowski (Poland)
• Gilan Shachaf (Israel; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure only)
• Zvika Fohrman (Israel; twentieth series only)
• TBA (Israel; twenty-fourth series onwards)
• Jip Bartels (The Netherlands)
• Raul Rosa (Brazil)

Trivia

• Skiff's name comes from a small watercraft that can carry a small crew, normally one person.
• Skiff's model was used in the twenty-second season episode, Cyclone Thomas to represent a capsized boat.
• In the 2016 version of the Australian television program, "The Chaser's Election Desk", 4 Wooden Railway toys of Skiff appear in a skit about Australian politician, Peter Dutton, about how he talks about "stopping the boats".
• Concept art of Skiff reveals that the sign saying "Skiff's Railboat Tours" on his side originally said "Skiff's Railroad Tours".

Merchandise

• Wooden Railway (discontinued)
• Take-n-Play (discontinued)
• TrackMaster (discontinued)
• Motorized Railway 
• Mega Bloks
• Collectible Railway
• Capsule Plarail
• Motor Road and Rail 
• Adventures (discontinued)