I understand that a Banks Dory is not as suitable for sailing as, say, a Swampscott Dory. From what I've read, fishermen returning to the ship with their catch would sometimes hoist a small sail and use their oar as a rudder. Naturally, the wind would have to be going in their direction, since their Banks Dory wouldn't have a keel.

I can have a sail rig made for under $600. It would be a simple Marconi rig, that would slip over the mast in a sleeve. It sounds like a neat idea, but I wonder how practical it would be in practice. The boat would be a 17 ft. Banks Dory, without modification for sailing, other than the sail and mast (just over 7 1/2 ft long), and a hole in a thwart for the mast.

Has anyone tried this?