| Dories are one of the few hundreds of | | | | the surf, fishing in the open ocean, |
| year old boat designs to have survived | | | | drifting down whitewater rivers, water |
| into the 21st century, and for good | | | | skiing in lakes, as work boats hauling |
| reason. Their sea keeping abilities, | | | | heavy loads of traps or divers, sailing |
| slippery shapes, extreme versatility, | | | | along on a light breeze, just about any |
| and ease of construction make them one | | | | use you can imagine. They also do it |
| of the best choices for a first-time or | | | | with far less effort than many other |
| veteran boat builder looking for a great | | | | kinds of boats. Imagine going 25 mph |
| boat able to be built on a budget. | | | | using only 25 horsepower in a 20 foot |
| Dories began appearing over 200 years | | | | boat - a dory can do it. Imagine a 20 |
| ago as small, light, versatile work | | | | foot row boat that one person can row up |
| boats ideal for fishing. They were easy | | | | to the hull speed of 6 knots with ease |
| to construct, easy to launch from the | | | | over long distances - a dory can do it. |
| beach, easy to row or sail, and could | | | | Imagine loading 8 tons of cargo on a 27 |
| haul a huge load of gear and fish. No | | | | foot boat and powering it in the open |
| one knows exactly where the design came | | | | ocean - a dory can do it. |
| from but many builders started | | | | Modern dories are surprisingly easy to |
| constructing these boats on both sides | | | | build. All of the frame elements are |
| of the Atlantic. In Europe dories were | | | | straight. You can literally go to any |
| popular in Portugal, and in the US, Nova | | | | lumber yard, buy pre-milled construction |
| Scotia was the center of dory | | | | grade lumber, screw and glue it |
| construction. Dories were used | | | | together, cover it with plywood, and |
| extensively to fish the Grand Banks, one | | | | viola - you have a dory. No exotic |
| of the most important cod fishing | | | | materials, no specialized tools, no |
| locales in the world at that time. | | | | special techniques are required. If you |
| Many people think that flat bottomed | | | | can build a sawhorse, you can build a |
| boats, as most dories are, are somehow | | | | dory. Most modest sized dories can be |
| less seaworthy than boats of some other | | | | built in a few dozen hours for a few |
| bottom shape. Nothing could be farther | | | | hundred dollars. All you need to do is |
| from the truth. When you load a dory | | | | to ensure the designer of the dory you |
| down, with its flared sides, the boat | | | | select has designed his boat to be made |
| gets more and more stable. As an example | | | | from standard sized lumber. Some of the |
| of how seaworthy dories are, in 1876 a | | | | old fashioned designs call for unusual |
| man named Alfred Johnson took a dare in | | | | sizes you have to spend many hours |
| a Gloucester, Massachusetts bar to | | | | sizing down the lumber before you can |
| single handedly sail across the Atlantic | | | | start building. |
| in an open dory. He chose a 20 foot dory | | | | With modern epoxy, and the new |
| which he named Centennial to commemorate | | | | polyurethane "Gorilla Glue" type glues, |
| the 100 year anniversary of the United | | | | you can build strong, safe dories, even |
| States that year. He fitted with sails | | | | if you're not an expert wood craftsman. |
| and a centerboard, and on June 15th set | | | | These glues fill gaps well, so there is |
| off from Gloucester for England. He | | | | no need to carefully fit and expertly |
| arrived in Liverpool on August 21st 1876 | | | | clamp each joint in the hull framing. |
| after crossing one of the most | | | | With fiberglass and epoxy, you can even |
| treacherous stretches of water in the | | | | use non-marine grades of plywood also. |
| world, the North Atlantic. He survived a | | | | The flexible and exceptionally strong |
| major gale and some horrid seas in a | | | | coating of epoxy and fiberglass on the |
| flat bottomed, open boat with no | | | | outside seals the hull as well as adding |
| flotation or self bailing decks! | | | | strength and abrasion resistance. Unlike |
| Modern dories come in a number of | | | | older polyester resin based fiberglass, |
| variants. There are those optimized for | | | | with epoxy, there is no specialized |
| rowing, sail, power, high power, wild | | | | application techniques needed for boat |
| white water, and more. Almost every | | | | building. You just lay the cloth on the |
| possible boating use or preference can | | | | plywood then wet it down with resin |
| be accommodated in some kind of dory. | | | | applied with a brush or roller. It's |
| Dories are used for launching through | | | | simple. |