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The Vermont Fishing Dory
John Gardner, the dean of small-boat-building in America, leaned towards Steve at a conference on boatbuilding at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. The speaker at the podium had just said something about "...the perfect hull....." |
| John whispered to Steve, "The perfect hull ain't been built." |
| We aren't going to tell you that the perfect hull has been built. In fact, the point that John was making was that "the perfect hull" is an ignorant concept. The question is always ....perfect for what? |
| There are hulls more perfect for this and less perfect for that. As wonderful as the Adirondack Guideboat is....every boat, especially a small boat, is a collection of compromises. |
| Steve has been vexed for awhile about the stability of the guideboat and packboat. To be sure, the boats are seaworthy....they'll take the on the roughest water, waves, wind and open ocean.....but stable enough for standing? |
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No, not until now. This photo
shows Steve dancing about, testing the boat, the first day we put one
into the water.
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While that was our first dory...since that day we've probably built 500 more. It has quickly become the most popular boat that we build. We are proud to report happy customers from coast to coast to coast. Below is a photo of our most recent dory. In the shop it instantly became known as the Duck Dory. Same boat, same features...at least for now. As we gain more experience with this boat modifications may present themselves that we just can't and shouldn't resist. The color scheme is different and likely the boat will be put to somewhat different uses. . Before we even built the first of these, we were at a show and the folks from Cabella's expressed interest in the boat we were planning to build. This boat is, partially, a result of that conversation. Stay tuned.
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When the dory first emerged in Steve's imagination, it was with fly-fishing in mind. Trolling for musky and lake trout, fishing the flats of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. Bonefish, redfish and tarpon. Here is Steve Donohue, one of our long-time employees, trying his cast on Monkton Pond, near our shop.
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In considering fishing from his new boat, Steve hadn't really given any thought to catfish....but one of our employees, Dan Bushey, caught this catfish on Lake Champlain, near Fort Ticonderoga. |
| Dan pretty consistently catches catfish of this size....and larger.....he says, "I could tell you how I do it....but then I'd have to kill you." |
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And this customer from Virginia proudly shows off his catch. Harris once visited us a fly-fishing show where we were showing our boats. He stood next to our booth and told those gathered about duck hunting from his boat and the time a 45-lb redfish towed him through Charleston Harbor and out to sea. Clearly a satisfied customer.
Stop the presses, this just in: |
| "In the month I've owned my boat I've rowed it 15 miles, mostly in rivers, and have completely enjoyed myself. This past weekend I finally went down to our place on the lower Texas coast...WOW. I freaked them out! I went 2 miles out in the bay with 10-15mph winds and had no problems. I even caught a record Sheepshead with my wife as witness. We didn't have our camera with us...all I have is a bruised stomach for proof. I had a one pound kayak anchor out and the fish pulled me, boat and anchor for about 15 minutes. Great fun! The next day I went out in the little bay with winds at 25mph. People were amazed. I was most impressed how it handled the salt and weather. I promise pics in the future." |
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Steve Seale, Jasper TX |
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In the design of this boat Steve began with our 12-ft Vermont Packboat, he took its hard-chines, elliptical, flat bottom and stretched it to 14-ft, making it wider and deeper. It is a Kevlar/glass composite with polyester resin, 44" wide at the gunwales, it weighs 80-lbs and will carry 700 lbs. In the few years now that we've been building this boat it has become our biggest seller. (In the photo below, the dory is the boat in the middle, guideboat to the left, packboat to the right.) |
| The dory is actually larger than our 15-ft boat...even if it is a foot shorter |
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| A customer in Pennsylvania writes: "Thought you guys might enjoy this photo. During a cold river race, 162 canoes, wind gusts to 45. I was doing clean-up after the race,, retrieving 4 paddler-less canoes hung up on rocks, logs and islands. In this photo, I was talking on the radio, steering the dory down some swift but smooth waters with one hand/oar. (I was accused of not quite having both oars in the water) One recovery was in a bad eddy with three converging currents and I slid the dory in along side an overturned canoe. A crowd of on-lookers were murmuring: "How did he do that". One 2-man kayak, imported from Germany, ($5,000 +) was bent at a 90 around a log, flattened to 6 inches. The river was angry that day and encouraged by 40 mile an hour winds but the dory not only threaded the needle for 12 miles of nasty water but worked recovery also. (and only my 3rd time in the boat) Me and this boat are going to get along fine. |
| Nelson Haas, Mountaineer Search and Rescue, Emporium, Pa. |
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| We hadn't anticipated was how popular the Dory would be with grandparents. Popular for their own use, of course. But even more so when taking their grandchildren out. |
| The family below came down from Ottawa, 100% positive that they would be tying a guideboat to the roof of their car. But no, once they tried each boat in every configuration, they decided the dory would suit their needs better. |
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| This next photo is from a customer in Spanish Fort, Alabama. She apologizes, saying she knew this wasn't the way the boat was supposed to be used.....but we disagree... this is precisely how the boat is supposed to be used...folks having fun on the water. |
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| This next photo is Steve discussing the seating possibilities in the dory with a prospective customer... who happens to be Perk Perkins, the President and CEO of Orvis. |
| For his own use, Perk ordered one of our smaller Vermont Pack Boats (different tools for different jobs)....and he ordered Vermont Fishing Dories for Orvis. |
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| Here are some photos from our customers of their Vermont Fishing Dories.....though you needn't fish to own one. |
| The first photo is from Minnesota. |
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This
from Lake Dunmore, Vermont.
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| And this from Redfish, Idaho. |
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