Our house overlooks Irondequoit Bay, which opens into Lake Ontario near the city of Rochester, New York, and for a couple of years my wife, Carol, had been expressing a desire to have a powerboat. We already had five boats of various sizes—two sailboats, two canoes, and a kayak—that I had built over the previous 16 years, but they were all too small to be kept in the water and required time and effort to haul to a launch ramp and set up for an outing. There is a small marina below us on the bay, and Carol’s dream was to have a powerboat we could keep moored there so that any time we wanted, we could walk down to the boat, climb in, and go for a ride. She was quite happy to buy something, but I, of course, said, “Oh, we don’t need to do that, I’ll build you one.” That rash offer led to a three-year project.My choice of design was determined by the size of my basement workshop and its French doors. I decided on the Nexus 21′ Planing Dory, designed by David Roberts of Nexus Marine in Everett, Washington, which was the largest boat that I could get out of my basement. I ordered the plans, which include drawings for the dory with a cabin and a transom-mounted outboard, and for the open boat with a motorwell. A construction drawing is numbered and cross-referenced with a 12-page construction guide. A table of offsets is available—in feet-inches-eighths, Imperial decimal, and metric—for builders who’d like to do the lofting. Those who’d like to skip the lofting can order full-sized Mylar patterns for the frames, stem, and other small parts. A person with some boatbuilding experience should be able to build this power dory with this comprehensive plan set. Construction of the straight-sided Planing Dory is not complicated, although the framing does require some skills that first-time builders may find unfamiliar. The plans give detailed instructions for the build, especially regarding the substantial framing from which the dory gets its strength. However, the interior layout is less specific, allowing builders to make their own design choices.
Andrew Kitchen
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I built a similar 19′ Texas Dory skiff with a built in motor well with a splash baffle. No cabin, rowable, sail rig also. Powered with a 25 hp outboard. Many fishing and family trips. Shallow draft nice for beaching, dry, lightweight too. Wind on freeboard ratio gave me a little issue, but bottom line a lot of boat for my first build. West epoxy did very well. Should have never sold it
Lovely work, Andrew! Thank you for publishing this. The Nexus is a design I have day dreamed about for similar uses as you are putting yours to. Very elegant in a form-follows-function sort of way. It is good to see such a nice example, and to read your impressions of her in use. Well done!
Thanks John for the kind words. They are much appreciated coming, as they do, from one whose high boatbuilding standards I very much admire.
Andrew
Andrew, she is stunning yet seems to provide great utility. Not being into speed, are you pleased with your power choice? Do you stick to the bay or venture out along the coast a bit (writing from Rochester as well), does she handle Lake Ontario well on an appropriate day? I can envision a jaunt to Charlotte, Pultneyville or points further on.
I have taken short trips along the coastline, both to the east and to the west of the bay. She can handle moderately rough water very well but like any flat-bottomed boat the ride is not always comfortable under such conditions. This is most noticeable in crossing the short wavelengths of powerboat wakes as opposed to the longer wind-induced waves of the open lake. My approach is to ease up on the speed a little.
As far as power goes, 40 hp is plenty for my needs. If you consistently take on a full complement of passengers and want get up on plane, you could increase the power a little. However, the designer recommends that you not go above 50 hp.
Very nice project!
In my beginning boat building endeavor, I stopped by Nexus Marine and chatted with David Roberts. That conversation inspired me to pursue my boat building addiction! ;o)
Hi Andrew — What a beautiful boat! I’ve seen your excellent workmanship firsthand at past Small Reach Regattas. It looks to me like your Nexus dory is right up there with all of the others. Congratulations! Enjoy your boat!
Paul