In 1961 Phil Bolger designed one of the sweetest looking rowing dories ever to grace the water. Bolger gave the plans to Capt. Jim Orrell of Texas Dory fame and he called it the Gloucester Gull. This design sold in the thousands and is considered one of Bolger’s best. Mr. Bolger states in his book “Bolger Boats”: “This is certainly the best design I ever made: when I come up for judgment and they stop me at the gate and ask ‘what’s your excuse’? I’ll tell them I designed the Gloucester Light Dory and they’ll have to let me in.”
The build out of the boat is from sheet plywood, however Mr. Bolger writes in the February issue of Small Boat Journal: “I’ve spent a good deal of time in the past trying to warn people that dories aren’t the best solution for all nautical problems. They need lofting and jigging preparation that make them expensive to build one-off, and they’re full of sharp bevels that make them tricky for novice carpenters. All of them, and this one especially, feel terribly tender, and they’re hard to get into and out of in consequence. They have a wild, bouncy motion in a seaway, which keeps them dry… Be that as it may, these light dories are not bad boats. I’ve several times rowed 15 nautical miles in five hours… If a single oarsman has the sense enough to stay solidly planted on his or her butt, low in the boat, these boats will go through a wicked-looking sea.” And best yet, you will have one of the prettiest -- head turning -- small boats ever conceived!
Gloucester Light Dory Particulars: LOA 15’ 6”, Beam at Sheer 4’, Trailer Weight 90 to 135 Lbs.
Contact: H.H. Payson & Co. on the web or write Mr. Payson at: Down East Dories Pleasant Beach Rd. South, Thomaston, ME 04858 for plan availability. One could also purchase the book How to Build the Gloucester Light Dory: A Classic in Plywood by Harold H Payson which is a step by step shop manual on the build-out with a full set of reduced plans.
A complte kit is avaiable from Flounder Bay Boat Lumber in Anacortes WA.
Attachment: Bolger Gloucester Gull.gif (Downloaded 77 times) Last edited on Thu Apr 21st, 2005 04:11 pm by Thom V |
