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After much deliberation I ultimately changed my NE Dory order to the SW Dory. Reason being thattThe closest and easiest place for me to launch is near my house on the Ohio river. I hadn't been planning to sail on the river much, if at all, but after spending a lot of time driving to various resevoirs to sail with other people I've come to the conclusion that the river is my best bet. There is a marina minutes from my house. The current last I checked in that area was .95 knots, so not bad. Doable for a sail and oar boat, but I want to be able to venture far away and worry less about getting home in uncooperative conditions. The added bouyancy, length, and beam of the SW Dory is more confidence inspiring even without considering the engine. At this point I'm planning to use a modern electric outboard that will approach the cost of the boat (if not more by the time I finish upgrading things) but it will be worth it to have exactly the boat I want. It's still a lot of boat for the money considering how versatile it will be.
I'm a little intidmated by the build though. I wasn't afraid of the NE Dory, and I was confident I could finish it over the winter. I'll really have to stay on task to do the same with the bigger boat. It should be arriving mid-October, and I need to be fully engaged by November 1. I'm going to log my progress, and hopefully that will motivate me to stay on task and not get discouraged by setbacks.
First order of business is to make room for the pallet. For that to happen I need to recylce a couple dozen cans of old paint, and sell a motorcycle. Nothing like a big boat project to get me to finally clean the garage.
7 replies:
RE: Wish me luck...
Good Luck!
Let me know when you launch, I might head down river and join you!
Laszlo, While you are usually correct the Ohio is essentually a large lake, If I went up river and then the wind died down it would take AGES to make it back to the spot I set in at.
RE: Wish me luck...
I will wish you success! Luck, yes, but also skill and cunning. <;-)
Building at home will give you lots of opportunities to come at the work with you have short bits of spare time. Worked for our Passagemaker Dinghy, at least.
There are a lot of pieces in this girl, especially with the motorwell, but as others have said, the kit is engineered for success. If I learned anything from building our PMD, it's that we should have been more careful will all of the big epoxy and wood flour fillets - we caused ourselves a lot of hard cleanup work by not cleaning 'em up nice and smooth (denatured alcohol on a a gloved finger when the stuff was still workable and a small putty knife for the edges).
I think you've made a good choice for your proposed venue. I think the SW Dory is one of the few designs out there for a substantial row/sail boat which can also carry and use a small outboard to good effect. This can be important if you don't have the liesure to wait for favorable wind/current/tide to get home in time to get back to your day job. The balanced lug sails are a good choice for quickly switching between sailing, rowing, and motoring. With some thought to how to tent it in, extended solo cruising should be possible, which'll open up all sorts of opportunities for adventure. Daysailing with multiple passengers/crew will also be a lot of fun. John Harris is a genius!
RE: Wish me luck...
Thanks everyone, I'm glad to have the expertise in this forum to rely upon.
On Saturday last week I went on what looks like the last sail of the season on a club owned Capri 14.2. Now I look forward to the fall and winter of building. My Southwester has arrived at the nearest terminal, and scheduled for delivery on the coming Monday. Just enough time for me to finish turning the garage into a boat shop, or at least close enough to get started.
RE: Wish me luck...
A few years back my wife and I put our kayaks in the Ohio in Cincinnati, her hometown. We hadn't checked the current beforehand. We paddled upstream for 45 minutes, going about a half mile. We stopped paddling and were back at the put-in in 5 minutes.
Dan
RE: Wish me luck...
» Submitted by Laszlo - Tue, 10/8/24 » 11:21 AM
Good luck. Not that you'll need it. The kit is engineered to be successful. The main thing is not to put yourself on an unrealistic schedule. In fact, no schedule at all it best. Just let it finish when it finishes and enjoy the build process. Take your time, think about what you're going to do before you do it and work carefully with the glass and epoxy to avoid drips and globs. If you avoid those, you'll avoid sanding, too. Going slower will let you finish sooner.
Have fun (and post pictures),
Laszlo
PS - for actually using it as a riverboat, always go upstream first. That way you'll get a free ride home and not run into any nasty surpises with the current at your back.