Texas Dory

[William H]

Does anyone have any information about a Texas Dory? I saw a set of plans on ebay. Who might the designer be or where these boats were built, if any were built?

Thanks
EBAY (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4538400851&fromMakeTrack=true)

[John Bell]

Probably a Phil Bolger design sold through a third party, Capt. Jim Worrell I think.

[John Bell]

Correction: This is DEFINITELY a Bolger design. This boat was covered in a PCB&F article in MAIB in the last two years. There were photos of at least one boat. I'd know Bolger's drafting style anywhere!

[ 03-30-2005, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: John Bell ]

[Ellis Rowe]

I built one for a customer about 25 years ago. Pretty typical flat bottomed skiff. It's OK for protected waters. Pounds in any chop at all.

[Dave Wright]

You can still buy Texas Dory plans from Harold Payson (low cost too, around $35 each). Ask for his dory catalogue and also ask for Texas Dory stuff that isn't listed there. Payson took over the Texas Dory plan line, mostly by Bolger, but also by others like Artkin, when Jim Orrell the "Texas Dory" plans salesman died.

Dave Wright

[William H]

Thanks All . . .

[Steplift 72']

Does anyone have any information about a Texas Dory? I saw a set of plans on ebay. Who might the designer be or where these boats were built, if any were built?

Thanks
EBAY (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4538400851&fromMakeTrack=true)
Yes, we built one of the Texas Dory boats in 1968. Just the packet Capt Jim Orrell would send was entertaining to boat builders. It contained owner/builder pictures of many that had been built, and small scale lines drawings of about 80 or so boats. I wish I still had the packet from 68'. The one we built was a Coastal 22, 22'5"x7'9"x8" draft. The only modifications we made were to build it with a flat run of the bottom aft, a shelter cabin similar to the one on his Offshore 26, and 5/8" bottom planking instead of the 1/2". The Texas Dory boats designed for anything over 15 knots had a pronounced hook in the last 1/3 of the bottom. Another post here says they pound in a chop.....well said. On the other hand, it would efficiently get you offshore at about 8 knots without taking on water with the upswept bow and flare. We ran it for 4 years and it was the first boat I offshore fished on, never took a wave over the bow. Powered by twin 35 hp outboards it didn't quite make the designers prediction of 30 knots, but did make 30 mph even with the addition of a cabin and heavier bottom plywood. It would easily plane on one 35 hp motor.