Design
Plywood Dory
Designed by Paul Butler
First published in Popular Science in 1987 and revised for Workbench magazine in 1994, this flat bottomed, single chine dory was the first of Butler's camp cruiser boats and one of his most adaptable. It has been built as a fishing platform, a cruiser hauling gear in watertight compartments, and an exercise boat with a drop in sliding seat and 9 ft sculls.
It is built from 8 ft plywood sheets joined with epoxy fillets and glass tape, so there is no scarfing or difficult joinery, and it can be made of good hardwood ply or cheap lumberyard sheet. Structural compartments give flotation and keep the interior free of ribs. It is light enough to cartop, and with a removable thwart a person can sleep aboard. The plans are a 24 page booklet plus a large drawing.
What building a Plywood Dory actually takes
Medians from the build logs kept on this site, not the designer’s estimate. Nobody has logged this boat here yet, so they are empty until the first builder does.
Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.
Builds of this boat
Nobody has logged a Plywood Dory here yet.
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Start the first log of this boatBoats like this one
Same type, closest in length.
| Design | Plans from | LOA | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeaster Dory | Chesapeake Light Craft | 17′ 0″ (5.18 m) | 3 |
| 15' Rangeley Lake Boat | Newfound Woodworks | 15′ 0″ (4.57 m) | 1 |
| Passagemaker Take-Apart | Chesapeake Light Craft | 11′ 7″ (3.53 m) | 1 |
| Polliwog 8 | Devlin | 7′ 6″ (2.29 m) | 1 |
| The Guider | Chesapeake Light Craft | 18′ 7″ (5.66 m) | 1 |
| Ultralight Dinghy | Chesapeake Light Craft | 6′ 0″ (1.83 m) | 1 |