Dory boats were named for the fish known as dories.
The dory boat is a small, shallow draft boat, about 15 to 22 feet long. It’s a light and versatile boat with high sides, flat bottom and sharp bow and stern. Dory boats are easy to build because of their simple lines and have been used in coastal waters and in the open ocean.
Traditional types include Beach dories, Banks dories, Sailing dories, River dories and Motor dories. If you want to build a dory boat you can choose from any of those styles.
The only true defining characteristic of the dory is that it is planked with wide boards,It is the dory’s special method of construction, not its hull shape, that sets it apart from other boats and it’s what makes a dory boat so easy to build. Even the boat plans are fairly simple for everyone to follow.
Generally speaking, the dory boat can be defined as a small boat which has a flat bottom, with the bottom planks fastened lengthwise. A hull shape defined by the natural curve of a sawn plank and planks overlapping the stem at the front of the boat. Plus a fairly narrow transom referred to as a ‘tombstone’ due to its looks.
The hull is characterized by a bottom that is flat and sometimes bowed fore and aft. The stern is frequently a raked surface that tapers sharply toward the bottom forming a nearly double-ended boat. The traditional bottom is made from planks laid fore and aft and not across, although some hulls have a second set of planks laid over the first in a pattern that is crosswise to the main hull for additional wear and strength.
They may have a simple design and be easy to build but dories are well known for their seaworthiness and rowing ease. Because of their narrow bottoms, they don’t look very stable and have often been called ‘tippy’. They don’t look like they have much stability, however, tipping to a point and then stiffening up significantly and resisting further rolling tendencies is part of the design. Dories by design have a lot of volume and can carry a heavy load for their size and will continue to retain their great ultimate stability even when heavily loaded.
In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the dory boat style. Many contemporary marine architects and backyard amateurs have been experimenting with the dory type and refining the boat to some extent. These boats are designed primarily for pleasure and utilize new building materials and techniques not available to the originators of the dory. The basic form remains however ensuring the survival and growth of the type.
Building dories has been a lot of fun for people and that shows because more and more people are building their own dory boats. They are fairly easy to build and don’t require a ton of woodworking experience. Most dory boat building plans are fairly simple and 8thy graders have built them.