"Swampscott boats are the aristocrat of the dory clan..."
-- John Gardner
These Dories were originally
designed in Swampscott, Massachusetts, for commercial fishing in New England and the North Atlantic. They
carried tremendous loads of fish in all weather conditions. By the early 1900’s, this type of dory became
very popular for recreational use—both rowing and sailing. They were noted for their seaworthiness and
speed, accomplishing some remarkable open water voyages.
Our Swampscott Dory is ideal for those afternoon picnics at your favorite island in the Sound. If you are a kayaker and are tired
of having to scoot to get off the beach, and if you dread those one-foot waves soaking you before you can fasten down your spray skirt,
perhaps you should consider this Dory. A Swampscott Dory can eat a two-foot wave for breakfast; you won't even notice those one-footers when launching
from the shore.
This dory is small enough to tuck into those coves between the headlands, and it's manuverable enough
to skirt those shore rocks and mangrove trees. Yet it's large enough to carry three adults and host of gear
for an adventure in the islands. A dory, with its flat bottom, pulls right up on the beach, and glides right
over the kelp beds. Tired of doing all the paddling alone?
Starting a family and wondering how to bring the kids along in your kayak? Want to row on Long Island Sound out to
Fire Island and back
and not have to worry too much about the weather? Knees showing those miles? Like to be able to stretch and relax without
worring about upsetting and rolling? A Swampscott Dory fits the bill. Love to fish, crab or lobster, and want a boat that
will get you out there in style and back safely? Swampscott dories were designed and time tested for this.
With a Swampscott Dory, you still have room to bring along the luxuries of life when adventure calls.
You can read about one such adventure a customer of ours took in the
November 2005 Newsletter.
A dory with optional stripe, out for a row by McNeil Island.
Though we did at one time offer the Dory in a sailing configuration, we have found that its tenderness under sail
makes the Dory suited only for highly-skilled sailors. We believe that most customers looking for a sailing boat in this
size range would be better suited in the wider 17' Jersey Skiff.