Looking after your dory.

  • When your dory is not in use for long periods of time, or at the end of the summer, inside and off the floor in an unheated shed is the best place to store your boat. A natural gravel floor is best. If there is no choice and you must store outside, then upside down and covered is your best option with some space between the cover and the boat for air circulation. And absolutely do not store your boat in mud or on a lawn or where grass will grow up around the dory and prevent air circulation. Lay it on wooden timbers with good air circulation. Again, ideal is a covered shed, w/o heat and a natural floor.

  • The thwarts (seats) are easily removed – they were designed that way so that dories could be stacked inside each other on the decks of the fishing schooners. Your dory won’t be being stacked on a schooner so you need to ensure it is stored with the thwarts in place because they keep the dory’s shape. If you store the dory for long periods of time without the thwarts, the sides will tend to come in and you might find it hard to get your seat (thwart) back in.

  • Dories are pretty boats and really nice to look at. But using your dory regularly helps you to get to know the boat and so you can spot areas that need repairs or tidying up before that spot turns into a very big job.

  • This is important preventative maintenance. New paint seals the wood. Old paint gets porous. Even if it does not look like it needs repainting, paint your boat anew every year if you want her to last. Not only will it help protect the wood and make your dory looking nice, running your hands and eyes over the entire boat every year will ensure you catch any sign of a defect before it turns into a larger problem. 


    If the dory is to be kept in the water, use antifouling paint on the bottom. Renew this every year. Even if it looks OK. Yep, give her a good light sanding and a fresh coat of paint, just a day's job anyway. It's not much work but it is still some work. A light sanding helps the new paint grip the old. You 


  • No need to scrape the boat down to wood every year ( for years).

  • This includes rain water and snow. Even when it is in the water in the summer, if there is a rainstorm make a point of getting that water out of your dory. Fresh water does not rot the wood directly but it sure helps feed and keep happy the organisms that do. Salt water is less of a problem. 

  • When you took delivery of your dory she did not leak. You want to keep it that way. Storing for any length of time in a hot dry environment like a driveway or parking lot will dry your boat and cause the seams to open up and it will begin to leak. This can usually be remedied buy filling it part way with water, or simply launching it, in order to soak up and swell back to normal. But do not cook your boat in the sun needlessly.

  • Checking your dory every year will help you catch any little problem before it turns into a big one.

  • Certainly not for days on end. The wood will dry up, the planks will dry apart and the boat will probably leak. They will usually swell up again when put back in the water but better to avoid this.

  • First, move the boat to a well shaded area out of the sun, and do not park the boat and trailer on black top or cement driveway. Over grass and in the shade is best. And not in a windy spot either. These things just will dry it out more and slow the process of recovery 

    Using a freshwater garden hose, start to fill the boat up with water about 6-8” - do not fill the boat. It will start leaking out. Over time, a day or two may well swell up.

    If the water just rains out like Niagara falls, and you do not wish to keep the hose running constantly, place some good layers of old sheets, burlap, any old fabric to the height of a couple inches or so and keep this soaked.

    This may take a day or two.If this does not succeed, we can advise on a mechanical fix.

When dories and other wooden boats are well looked after, you can expect many years of enjoyment from them. When dories are not properly looked after, they can go to pieces in only a few short years. Even less. Bear in mind; wooden boats are biodegradable. This is a fact. Wood grows on plants called trees. This fact cannot be forgotten as you care for your boat. And caring for your dory is not that hard at all, let like anything you use outside, a little attention and care is required for best long term results.