On small DORIES again...

[Erik le Rouge]

Ok another thread on dories... But I can't help ! I like the the lines, the simplicity of the design and all the legends about them.
Winter is there, snow's falling outside and I have time to think about building one.
The problem is there is a bunch of plans and also many comments on how tippy dories are and how they catch wind.
I need a rowing vessel that I will row with one passenger occasionnaly. I will build her light so two persons can cartop her.
I can deal with a touring- canoe-like tippiness.
I have already plans and/or offsets for Gloucester Gull, Sucher Light dory, Butler projects' row dory and Atkin's Doris the dory.....
Any experience of what to expect from those boat or any other experience that will fulfill my rowing desires. (I am a paddler for now and the river's not far from the house : Rivière Richelieu )
By the way, Merry Christmas and Happy New year to all.

[wtarzia]

The Gloucester Gull is popular, also handsome, and sized well enough for one passenger. It won't row like a peapod or whitehall, but for ease of construction, getting to the water quickly and cheaply, it seems to be a good choice. I often rowed a shorter dory, with less efficient lines, and had plenty of fun. If you are not performance rowing, I see no reason why the GG should not be your boat.

A friend of mine in Gloucester built one with his young son, and the boy soon insisted on setting it up for hauling lobster pots and got a license -- an amazing thing to see a kid in the videogame era want to keep the old times alive!

(I often visited the dory shop that built my boat and saw many a rowing-dedicated dory --no provision for board or rudder-- with a downwind sail. So I got the idea to build a secondary sail for those days I intended to row but wanted a simple downwind sailing option. My dory was set up for sailing with a daggerboard and stayed sloop rig but of course that was too complex to bother with on a rowing day. The secondary sail was a small sprit sail. Stayless and with brailing line, it was up or down in a moment (literally!), stowed in the boat, and made the rowing day more versatile. I loved how I could convert to sail in a second without messing with stays, and since I was not concerned with going to windward, the sail could work with cheap materials and home construction. The Gloucester Gull is not made for sailing, but any boat can go downwind with an oar to steer. ) -- Wade

[adampet]

Build the Gull. We used to cartop mine when I first got it. Two people hoisted it onto the rack of a Subaru Wagon. I could solo load it into a pick up truck. It works fine with a passenger and will handle more water than you want to be out in.


Adam

It's also faster than a whitehall or peapod, because it's lighter. If you want to haul more weight around, get a bigger anchor!And skip the sail. It's a row boat.

[Daniel Noyes]

I'm a dory fan, I dont think you will be disapointed by the Gull or Sucher, I dont have first hand experience with other dory's mentioned. Malcom Forbes has the sucher and says it's wide transom is a little more stable in the ends than the Gull.
I noticed ther were'nt any traditional dories on the list, I realize you want light weight so the ply designs are a logical choice, also traditional designs are all larger than the Gull type boats, a small dory is very tippy or very chubby neither characteristic is good for a working boat that needs to carry a load and travel far and fast.
You might consider a small dory from Gardners book and build it using glued lap plywood techniques. how about the Dion dory in 1/4" ply?
I recently built a 21' Alpha dory of ply, it is a very simple change to make.
Dan
http://dansdories.googlepages.com (http://dansdories.googlepages.com/)

[Ian McColgin]

I love the Gull. Have two rowing positions - one solo and one with a guest - or three - one solo and two for double rowing. The latter is seriously redundant but can be much fun.

The Gull is a great trainer because it feels initially tippy and really can be a little hard to stand up in but it's actually got great ultimate stability. Just pick a warm day and learn where it ships water.

I have mentioned in other threads watching two Gulls built side by side and the only difference that one was primed with CPES. That is so the way to go if you want your boat to last, even on the beach through winter for the occasional brisk row.

G'luck

[Three Cedars]

The Calypso is hardly a small dory but the waterline beam is meant for efficient rowing.

I like the looks of this one .
http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Oar/Calypso.html

[Erik le Rouge]

Thanks for your replies. Looks like Gloucester gull is popular. As I will row with a passenger, I was wondering about moving the aft and front seat a bit to the center of the boat to help for balance..
About tippiness, does it compare to a canoe ?

[Tom Hunter]

I'm going to define a good rowing dory as a fast, seaworthy boat that can carry a lot for the size. A gull fits my definition, a banks dory doesn't really fit, because it is built to take a huge load and go slower.

Good rowing dories are tender, but have a lot of reserve stability. This means they rock when you step into them, and you can get them to lean one way or another pretty easily. But it also means they are hard to flip over.

I can lean over in my dory and put the gunnel into the water so that my daughter (the mermaid) can climb in. When she puts her wieght on the gunnel to pull herself up the boat does not move much at all because of the reserve stability.

If I tipped a canoe over until the gunnel was in the water and she pulled on it the canoe would go right over.

Does that help explain the difference?

[Tom Hunter]

On your question about seat location.

When rowing solo I sit in the center.

With an adult who does not row onboard I move to the forward rowing station, and the adult sits in the after rowing station facing me.

My dory has a floor board that has three sets of holes for the foot rests at each rowing station. That allows the rower to move a bit forward or backward at each rowing station. You can adjust them to fit your size, or to balance the boat some.

[JimD]

Wanna have a go at the Welsford Light Dory? 16'8", 92 pounds:

http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/lightdory/good.jpg

[Clinton B Chase]

We built a 15'11" Oughtred mackerel dory. What a boat for rowing in any condition! It feels a little more stable than the Gloucester Light Dory (also known as Gloucester Gull). We've built a couple of these and enjoy launching them everytime...can't go wrong here but the Mackerel is a better boat, IMHO.

Cheers<
Clint

[Erik le Rouge]

Any picture of Oughtred's Mackerel ? And how is it built as I know that Iain Oughtred usually builds his boats clincker ply? (Where did you get the plans)

[TerryLL]

Here's one source of Oughtred plans, with some basic information on each:


http://www.classicmarine.co.uk/boatsearch.asp

[Thad Van Gilder]

I built three 10 foot dories out of Gardener's The dory book. They are kind of like a swampscot dory with the transom sawn off.

The first two were wood, and the last (which I kept) was solid fiberglass.

very seaworthy dory. I love it, and the people that bought the two woodies love their's.

-Thad

[David W Pratt]

Built the Gull last winter.
$420 plus resin, but that included a strongback and molds which could be used again. I used exterior ply, seems fine.
If I were doing it again, I would scarf the bottom instead of butting, plenty of length, for a nicer joint.
I built without chine logs, would recommend using them. They make a nice place for the botttom to land and I could have avoided using bias tape on the inside. Boy did that take a lot of resin to wet out.
Build a trailer for one man moving.
Good luck.