The following article was written by Ned Lloyd

I'll try to give a bit of background as to where the speed skiff fits in with Jersey shore boat building.
The earliest history of the Jersey skiff (not speed skiff) is unknown. There are a couple of known paintings/drawings from the 1840's time frame that show (in the background) what appear to be overturned lapstreaks skiffs with rolled or boxed garboards, so we can assume that the history dates back that far.  Though the 1900's the type was used principally for fishing off the beaches (hand lining and tub trawling), these boats were in the 16' – 20' range.  As the engine came into use in the early 1900's  the boats grew to to the 20' – 24' range, and pound nets came into use (an arrangement of leader net and containment pens that were set up semi-permanently to wooden poles set in the ocean floor).  These "pound boats" (round bilge & either rolled or boxed garboard keels), which were kept on the beaches & were run out through the surf every day, grew over the years to an average of about 32', and were built to as large as 42'.  The last of the pound boats worked off the beaches up to about 1963 – 1964.  These pound boats were known to do some rum running.
Starting in the early 1900's the building of Jersey skiffs for pleasure boating began.  In the early years they mostly maintained the rolled or boxed garboard keel and had lines very similar to the pound boats.  There were some builders that  began giving their hulls flatter & longer runs in the bottom, which allowed faster speeds & planning (Banfield, Koefoed (sp?), King, and others), some of these builders did built boats for rum running. In the 1910's & 1920's there was a real mix of builders that built both commercial boats and pleasure boats, Pappy Seaman was one of these builders, building mostly commercial boats, but also pleasure boats when requested.  In 1922 he built a 15' inboard recreational skiff with a flat, planked bottom rather than the usual rolled or boxed keel construction.  This was "PJ" the first speed skiff.  from the 1930's into the 1950's the speed skiff seemed to become the Shrewsbury & Navesink river area answer to what the "Boston Whaler" was to become in the 1970's, - the all around answer for a small family boat for fishing, water skiing, and recreational use.  Owners would "hot rod" them up for fun, one guy I met years ago told me about a friend who put a Hudson 'straight eight' in his speed skiff, and how a couple of guys (teenagers then) would run their speed skiffs up to NY harbor together  for fun.   Some other early builders of speed skiffs in the 1930's & 1940's were Bill Tallman (Ro-no-more boats, Fair Haven), Hans Wulf (Sea Wulf boats, Red Bank), Mihm's boatworks (Monmouth Beach), Ralph Mulford (Rumson).  Speed skiffs had no direct "working boat" history, and were not know for use in rum running.  
After WWII, there was an increase of Jersey skiff builders, who built principally for the pleasure boat market, (due in part to some Norwegian immigration) with Clayon, Luhrs, Ulrichsen, Zuback, Kulas, Coast, entering the market.  There were many others as well, some of which did build some speed skiffs.  The early Luhrs skiffs were 18 to 22 feet with a flat bottom, built much like the speed skiffs.   There was a builder in Keyport in the 1950's named "Terry" that built a real nice 16' outboard-well utility skiff, with a flat bottom, much like the speed skiffs.  Terry skiffs were good boats, and quite popular, open accept for a small foredeck and windshield.
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The following article was written  by Bob Moore with an addendum by marty ferry

Skiff Chronology

1920's   

Harold 'Pappy' Seaman designs and builds the first Jersey Speed Skiff for PJ Bowers of Red Bank, New Jersey.  Powered by a 4 cylinder 22 hp Gray, this 15 foot skiff obtained a speed of over 20 m.p.h.

1930's   

Design changes, more powerful engines and "tricks" enabled the skiffs to increase their speeds to close to 40 mph.  In Long Branch/Red Bank area weekend "club" races were held, featuring the Jersey Skiffs.

1940's   

The '40's saw the Jersey Speed Skiff emerge on the national race scene.  In 1941 the Skiffs were on the program at the National Sweepstakes Regatta in Red Bank.  The APBA allowed them to race as a 'Special Event' and as many as 9 skiffs entered the event.  Spearheaded by Danny Ardolino and the Long Branch Ice Boat and Yacht Club, the Jersey Speed Skiffs were on their way.

Following World War II, racing returned to Red Bank in '46.  The skiffs were again on the program as a Special Event.  In 1947 the APBA recognized the Skiffs as a probationary class and they raced under that status.  In 1948, the Jersey Speed Skiff became an official APBA class.  The first official sanctioned race for the skiff took place in Wyomissing, PA not Red Bank, NJ as many people think.  As the decade of the 1940's closed, the skiffs approached the 50 m.p.h. mark.

One note of interest about the skiffs, were their habit of forming up in the Pleasure Bay area of Long Branch, NJ and running up to Red Bank for the National Sweepstakes Regatta.  Once they arrived at the Red Bank race site, they would anchor in a designated area until race time.  Given the signal, the skiffs would weigh anchor, put on their race and return to their anchorage.  At the conclusion of the races, they would again form up and return to Long Branch area.

1950's   

The skiffs grew in popularity.  They also grew out of the Red Bank/Long Branch area, skiffs were now owned by racers from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York.  Danny Ardolino, one of the original skiff racers turned the driving chores over to his son-in-law, Bob Perri, and the Ardolino/Perri team with the 'Jo-Carol II' was the team to beat in the 1950's. 

The 50's also saw the magic 50 m.p.h. barrier fall.

1960's   

Fiberglass hulls began to appear on the race scene.  Joe Julian and Bob Perri were among those who led the transition from wood to glass.  Speed skiff design rules and engine specs were sharply defined after former outboard champ Ron Zuback and his father John came out and 'cleaned up' with their rear-engine designed, Ford powered 'ski-skiff'.  So enraged, the other skiff owners rewrote the rules and outlawed Zuback's boat.  Today, the same set of hull specifications still apply.

1970's   

The skiffs increased in popularity at race sites throughout the East.

A couple of the Long Branch area 'skiffers' moved to the south and took their skiffs with them.  It wasn't long before the skiffs became a feature on the racing programs in Florida.  Today in fact, there are more APBA registered skiffs in Florida than New Jersey!

1980's   

The 1980's saw the skiff class become a truly 'national' class as a few skiffs were raced on the west coast.  Unfortunately they didn't last more than a season or two.  The big problem was the similarity between the skiffs and the west coast's Crackerbox.  This is also a two person race boat which is also noted for its' wild and exciting riding characteristics. 

Speeds for the skiffs were now in the 80 m.p.h. range.

1990's   

Roll cages and safety harnesses were the major advancement for the skiffs in the 1990's.  At first there was much objection to this innovation; in fact the cage created as much excitement and discussion as the famous Zuback controversy of the '60's.  Today however the class is prospering and growing.  Speaking strictly as a race official, I can attest tot he fact that the harness and cage work, I have seen several instances where it it wasn't for the cage, riders and drivers would have been thrown into the water.

Today the skiffs are a featured attraction at the APBA Gold Cup Regatta in Detroit and they have been asked to support the unlimiteds at the other races around the country.

2000 and Beyond

What's the future hold for the Jersey Speed Skiff?  Speeds...probably into the low 90 m.p.h. range.  Hull design...a little heavier hull, more reinforcement...other than that - leave it alone..."if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"  Engine...no major changes...keep them stock, only change would be going to a larger engine (Chevy 350).

Legends of the Class

Among the standouts here, have to be the early innovators, Pappy Seaman, Pop Russell, and George Wolcott were some of the early skiff builders who helped to develop the design and build some of the top boats of the 40's and 50's.  Danny Ardolino helped to promote the class in the 1950's and early 1960's.  Danny, who started racing in the 1940's was very active in formulating skiff rules and was the 'main man' in bringing the class into the APBA.

Some of the driving legends are:

There are countless others who helped to make the Jersey Speed Skiffs what they are today...Bender, Julian, Chris and Rosie Ziegler, the Primevera's, the Birdsall's, and on and on.  I'm sure I've overlooked many, but those that I listed are but a few names that stand out.

Today's skiffs without cages are not eligible to race in APBA class races. Most of the un-caged boats became pleasure boats and are restored and used for many years. Often, these skiffs demonstrate the racing techniques of former years at APBA Vintage shows where a course is set up. The drivers and mechanic get to suit up with helmet and lifejacket and demonstrate to the spectators what they used to look like but on a controlled course. Another venue to enjoy these boats is at Antique & Classic Boat shows (ACBS) around the country. At these shows the owners get to show off their restored or reproduced skiffs at docks, do poker runs, or a group gathers to enjoy their skiffs.