The Dory Project Begins!

So the construction of the Dory has begun and I have decided I would journal the construction here so that people can follow the progress.

BUILDING OF THE RIBS: (Turned out to be an easy process as you will see)

First step in the build process was to get a 4x8 sheet of plywood that I could use as a table to build the ribs on. I chose to cover the plywood with butcher paper so that I could layout the pattern for the ribs 1 at a time and then be able to roll up the pattern in case I ever needed them again.

Next step was to draw a base line and a center line on the paper so that I could lay the pattern out from them. Having a 48" drywall square was real helpful for this.

From the baseline and center line, I was able to then layout the points that were used for determining the locations of the joints and cuts. I was then able to do a good old connect the dots puzzle to create the pattern. Then using a miter gauge, I was able to determine the angle of the cut and transferred that over to my compound miter saw. (I didn't take any pictures of that step, maybe I will when I build the next rib.)

Having all the boards cut to length, I then clamped them down to the pattern (this prevents them from moving as I drilled and started temporally installed the screws). I decided to install then screws and then back them out so that it was easier to do once the epoxy was applied to the joint. I found the screw holes acted as a guide for the screws causing the finished joint to come out better than if I tried to drill and install the screws after the epoxy was in place.

I then took the joint apart after marking where the overlap was on the bottom 2x4, this helped to mark the area I would need to apply the epoxy to. You can see in this picture the epoxy was applied up to the line. Speaking of epoxy, I chose to use the West Systems epoxy with a filler to help fill in the voids between boards. I also chose to use their pump system that pumps the appropriate ratio of resign to hardener, which turned out to be a blessing since I found each lap joint required 1 pump of resign and 1 of hardener to complete.

After putting the joint back together and installing my 4 stainless steel screws, I used the excess epoxy to cover the screw heads (I'll sand the epoxy smooth once it hardens).


Repeated the process for the other side and now I have 3 ribs down, only 4 more to build!

Deciding to build a Pacific City Dory

I am not sure why, but for some reason I decided I would try building a wooden boat in my garage. It might just be my need to always have a project going? Maybe it is an excuse to have to purchase new power tools? Probably doesn't matter, it just matters that I have decided to give it a try and that I have fun in the process.

Deciding to build a boat was the easy part, deciding what plans to use turned out to be a bit challenging. I spent countless hours reviewing study plans online and reading reviews, but kept finding myself going back to one design. The design happened to be a pacific city dory, only problem was I new I could not build something that large in my garage! So I settled on its little brother a Pacific City Power Dory disigned by Jeff Spira called the 17' Tillamook Dory. You can find the plans on his website at http://www.spirainternational.com/.

A few of the selling points on this was particular model was the ease of construction, the simple lines/angles of the build, and the ability to use standard construction grade lumber.

Here is a drawing from Jeff's website of the Tillamook Dory.