Design
Northeaster Dory
Designed by John C. Harris
A 17 ft round-sided lapstrake dory for oars or sail, designed by John C. Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft and sold as plans and kits. It follows the round-sided recreational dories once common on the New England coast. The hull weighs only about 100 lb yet carries 800 lb, rows well solo or tandem, seats four adults and accepts a drop-in sliding seat. Beam is 56 in, and lug or sloop rigs of 68 sq ft are offered.
It uses CLC's LapStitch method: pre-cut 6 mm okoume planks are wired together over a pair of sawhorses with no mold, then glued with epoxy, and the 9 mm bottom is glassed. CLC rates it a beginner project and estimates 120 hours. Measured medians from build logs appear below.
What building a Northeaster Dory actually takes
Medians from the build logs kept on this site, not the designer’s estimate.
Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.
Where the time goes
Hours summed per builder, then the median taken across builders, so someone who logs a step in fourteen short entries doesn’t outweigh someone who logged it in one. Example logs are excluded.
| Step | Median hours | Median spend | Builders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull Panels | 2.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Stitch & Assembly | 3.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Fillets & Taping | 2.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Glassing & Epoxy | 5.0 | $248 | 1 |
| Hull Exterior | 4.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Deck & Coamings | 5.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Interior & Cockpit | 33.0 | $349 | 1 |
| Fairing & Sanding | 24.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Hardware & Fit-Out | 3.0 | $453 | 1 |
| Paint & Finish | 10.0 | $117 | 1 |
| Launch Day | 8.5 | $18 | 1 |
Builds of this boat
Boats like this one
Same type, closest in length.
| Design | Plans from | LOA | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17' Rangeley Double Ender | Newfound Woodworks | 17′ 0″ (5.18 m) | 0 |
| 17' Rangeley Lake Boat | Newfound Woodworks | 17′ 0″ (5.18 m) | 0 |
| Gozzo 5.20m | BCA Demco | 5.2 m (17′ 1″) | 0 |
| Whitehall | Glen-L Marine | 16′ 11″ (5.16 m) | 0 |
| Light Dory | John Welsford | 5.14 m (16′ 10″) | 0 |
| Sculling Skiff | Glen-L Marine | 17′ 2″ (5.23 m) | 0 |