Reconnect With Nature And History With A Fishing Dory

A fishing dory is a small fishing boat that has been used for hundreds of years by the fisherman in New England. These dories were first depicted in a painting in the 1490s, and they were shown to have sides that were high, while the bottom was flat. Many dories were traditionally more than 20 feet long and constructed from beautiful wood. Their level of popularity can be attributed to the fact that they were really easy to make and could be made for use very quickly. In addition to the simplicity of design, they were renowned for their safety and seaworthiness. They were definitely relatively uncomplicated to row too. The flat bottom design made dories quite stable, even in rough seas and, thus, was a favorite for coastal fisherman. If well made, one fishing dory was sturdy enough to haul a ton of fish back to shore.

Wooden dories began to drop in popularity as soon as larger motorboats were more readily available for purchase. But, with the introduction of newer materials and technologies in boat design, there has been resurgence in the dory design. These boats are very affordable, last a long time and lightweight enough to maneuver easily. While dories were made from wood in the past, they are now fabricated from either fiberglass or Kevlar, or a mixture of both. Kevlar is a molecular relative of nylon, but comes with the strength of steel at one-fifth the weight of steel. Kevlar has been used for decades in bulletproof jackets, helmets and a variety of other items used by the military and police forces.

Today's dories have the luxury of a seriously improved hull design that makes them even more stable. In some fishing dories, you can even stand up without tipping the boat over, making it that much easier to cast your line. You'll find dories in a variety of sizes, with the smallest being roughly 12 feet in length. With Kevlar, they now weigh as little as 80 pounds, allowing them to be tied to a car top without difficulty by two people. In combination with improved hull designs, oars have been updated to be lighter, more flexible, and much easier to use.

Aside from fishing dories, you will find sailing dories. This can be accomplished by affixing a rig for sailing to the dory rather easily. An average sailing rig should include lee boards, mast, sail, rigger deck, rudder, and hardware. .

There are lots of different types of accessories that can be obtained for a dory to make using them more seamless. Make sure you purchase the correct sort of oars for your boat. You might even want to purchase a "sneak" paddle. Use a sneak paddle when you need to navigate through an area where most long oars will not work well, and they can be used when you really need to glide through the water quietly so you won't scare away nearby wildlife. The sneak paddle can also be used as a rudder at the stem of the boat for helping with steering. You can also get a mount in order to mount a motor on the boat, trailers to pull the boat, more seats for more passengers and more.

Today, people are enjoying the power to get back in tune with nature. Possessing your own small boat such as a dory boat is one option that is both affordable and long-lasting. Owners of Kevlar dory boats can enjoy their boats for many years, minus the maintenance required with old-fashioned wooden boats. So, take a test "drive" on a fishing dory today, and start reconnecting yourself with nature's great beauty.