Building a John Gardner Bank Dory

Week seven and we've turned the corner. The Bank Dory is off the building frame and turned over for the finish details.

Experienced small boat builders will recognize this as about the 1/3rd point. All of the intricate details remain, which take an inordinate amount of time.

But the emotional impact of seeing the the boat upright and getting that first view of it's true shape is always very immediate. The pride of accomplishment sets in and if a person is to become boat builder, this is when the seed is sown.






These young people are excited when they get to run the power tools and see big results, but bored with all the sanding and scraping, so it will be a challenge in the weeks to come to maintain interest while we fabricate small parts with little visual impact.






There is, of course, a spectrum of involvement and while some could care less, a couple of these people have a lot of pride in their accomplishment. Tyson asked me yesterday if we will be finished in a month, since he has to leave school early to accompany his family to Alaska for the summer fishing season. I told him it's up to him and it was a joy to see him set his shoulders in determination.









I hope he has an opportunity to row his boat before he leaves.







There have been several comments about how beautiful such a simple boat can be, and I agree. Every new dory I see has a powerful impact.

How can such simplicity be so powerful?
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