The dory has long fascinated boat lovers. Of the simplest design, built from the most common materials, the dory has the ability to handle the most demanding tasks. The variations on the basic dory design are legion. Over the years the dory has seen duty as a fishing boat, a lumberman's log-driving batteau, a lifeboat, a recreational rowing boat, and a racing sailboat. This book is the most comprehensive book on dories ever published. More than a decade in the making, it is at once a history of the dory, a practical handbook on how to build a dory, and a compendium of dory designs with full construction details. On these pages can be found details about some of the legendary dory types: Bank dories, Swampscotts, gunning dories, semi-dories, St. Pierre dories, flat-irons, dory skiffs, and bateaux.

The author and the illustrator are two of the foremost living experts on the history, building, and use of dories. John Gardner has spent a lifetime studying and building dories. His plans, published for years in the National Fisherman, have sparked a resurgence of interest in this boat type. Samuel F. Manning, who has probably propelled dories more miles with oar and sail than any but a surviving Grand Banks fisherman, is a professional illustrator who specializes in maritime subjects. His step-by-step illustrations of exceptional clarity make this book unique. Book jacket.