CLC Team Dory Update
Multi-oared training boats like the Team Dory have become increasingly popular with youth and adult rowing programs—and for good reason. Compared to narrow rowing shells, a dory-type hull requires less skill to row, offers far more stability, and allows crews to train safely in cold or even rough water.
The trouble is that most boats in this category are difficult and expensive to build. We think we’ve fixed that.
We built the first CLC Team Dory in 2012 with a group of volunteers from the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. Since then, several more have been built and put through their paces, with uniformly positive feedback. In 2016 we introduced the 26' model, which quickly became the more popular of the two.
The 23' is an excellent boat, but the 26' offers clear advantages. It’s faster, carries more weight, and is noticeably more comfortable for the coxswain. For a modest increase in cost and only a few additional hours of build time, the result is a significantly more capable boat.
Just as important, the Team Dory is designed for amateur builders. A small team of volunteers can assemble the hull in about 50–60 hours, followed by a couple of weeks of sanding and finishing. With a low barrier to entry—under $5,000 for the 26' model—it’s entirely plausible to build either version in a month and put together a fleet in short order. The epoxy-sealed hull, strategically reinforced with fiberglass, keeps maintenance to an absolute minimum.
In short, the Team Dory delivers the safety and performance rowing programs want, without the cost or complexity that usually comes with it.
The Row Sheboygan, rowing club in WI has a few Team Dories. Learn more about their club.
A nice rendering by CLC's draftsman, Jay Hockenbery.
We were able to get in a photo and video session on a windy, chilly day in November. CLC staffers stood-to in heavy layers for a few hours on the Severn River. Watch the on-water video below:
The Team Dory's clean lines. Each seat doubles as flotation, making the boat unsinkable and easy to recover from a swamping.
The Team Dory is the big sister to our Northeaster Dory. From a distance they look very much alike.
The interior is laid out to fit rowers from 5'6" to 6'5", with ease.
A coxswain (preferably, but not essentially, light in weight) keeps everything together in the stern, steering the yoke rudder.
We borrowed 9'6" single sculls from CLC's showroom. The consensus was that these were a good 12" short for best performance. The kit includes plans and patterns for sweeps that fit the Team Dory specifically.
Six knots was easy without trying very hard. Sprint speed is around eight knots. Everyone aboard agreed that we should try a big crossing as soon as possible.
It was choppy but the boat is very dry, another good feature of the traditional dory shape.
At full tilt, but very little wake!
A local stinkpot provided a good test of the boat's handling in steep waves. We took on about a bucketful of water.
The high bow with plenty of volume lifts nicely over waves.
Les Cheneaux Row is a rowing club in Cedarville, Michigan. Working with the Great Lakes Boatbuilding School, they've built two Team Dories and plan to build several more.
Les Cheneaux Row's current fleet, which includes both Northeaster Dories and Team Dories.
One of the Les Cheneaux boats under construction.
Team Dory completed at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.
A Northeaster Dory sitting in one of Les Cheneaux's Team Dories. The full-sized Team Dories may be stacked three or four high to save space in storage.
"Rehab," one of the Les Cheneaux Team Dories.
