![]() ![]() ![]() My whitewater dories are built from marine grade mahogany plywood with a BS 1088 certification, encapsulated in a sheath of fiberglass and epoxy. As a furniture maker and river guide it was a perfect match. When I saw those floating cabinets I knew that I would become a builder and rower. Many of those boatmen spent their non-river time in the Sierras, where I had my first woodshop. My early encounters with the dories came from watching friends who were boatmen for Martin Litton in the Grand Canyon. Dories have a rich history and a following of dedicated enthusiasts. Martin made changes to the boats’ size and its curves, as well as adding decks to enable them to ply the rapids while also carrying gear and supplies for multi-day river trips. They are fully decked, with watertight hatches that allow you to store all you need below decks.Ĭredit has to be given to Martin Litton and the Grand Canyon Dories for developing and bringing a modified version of the McKenzie Drift Boat to the Grand Canyon. Whether it’s a high water trip on the Salmon or Snake Rivers in Idaho, peak runoff on the Green or San Juan Rivers in Utah, or the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, these dories are ready. The Whitewater Dories I build are designed for big rivers and whitewater. Drift Boats are designed as open boats, enabling anglers to tuck into small eddies and fish for trout or Steelhead Salmon. These boats have a rich history from their beginnings in the Pacific Northwest as Drift Boats where they were used for fishing on the rivers. A whitewater dory is truly a functional, floating, work of art. With duffel and boxes stored below decks under water tight hatches the sinuous curve of its hardwood gunwales and angled bow post are complemented by a brightly painted hull. Indoors, they have an imposing look to them, but on the water they become an elegant and graceful craft dancing with the currents. While most dories are 16’ 9” long, measured from bow to stern, they look a lot bigger as they are built. When someone enters my shop for the first time and sees a dory under construction their first words are always “Wow!” and “You built that?” It is a striking sight to watch a dory take shape indoors. The sheer thrill of pointing the bow of a dory through huge waves and seeing those waves part around it is an unrivaled experience. This elegance continues when the dory takes to the water. From stern to bow the rise and arc of this line is an eye-pleaser as you follow the gunwale from end to end. The graceful lines of a whitewater dory are an expression of geometry and the power of a line. ![]()
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