HISTORY

Swampscott dories, in the words of John Gardner in Classic Small Craft are "...the aristocrats of the dory clan..." , elegant in form yet seaworthy and responsive.  The basic swampscott dory design with its rounded, 4-planked bilge and narrow-planked, rockered bottom has been in use for over 150 years.  Its proven design with a high double stem or stem and tombstone stern made the swampscott a very efficient craft for shore-based fishing and, later, life boat rescue through fairly heavy surf, where they are still used for that purpose today.

The same qualities that have made swampscotts such an enduring, easy-rowing, seaworthy design over the years are incorporated into our boat kits.   They have the same 4-plank, rounded bilge, high bow and stern stems for entry and exit from surf, wind chop or boat wakes, and a narrow, flat bottom for beach launching and landing.

A finished boat kit of ours differs in traditional swampscott construction only in that marine mahogany plywood (B.S. 1088) is used throughout, except for the seats and breasthooks which are made of solid mahogany.  The planks, bottom, and gunwales are made in segments short enough to be shipped UPS.

Modern urethane adhesive glues everything together securely, with square drive silicon bronze screws used not only as secondary insurance but also for alignment of the various parts through pre-drilled and countersunk holes.

Our boat kit differs from every other kit on the market in one very important aspect-  All of the various parts of each kit are entirely assembled, drilled and screwed together on a ladder frame,  just like the one described in our assembly manual, then disassembled and boxed for shipping.

Preassembled kit, prior to disassembling.

We spend more time and diligence handcrafting this boat kit so that you, the customer, will end up with a perfect boat every time.
The type of finish you choose is up to you, and we will provide you with options and helpful hints.

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CUSTOM SHAPED SNOW SKIS

877E Port Susan Terrace ~ Camano Island, WA 98282
1-877-270-2152  (toll free)     e-mail:  odysseyventure@msn.com