I have no idea of the quality of this boat, but it looks interesting
to me. They have a rudder and dagger board kit for it and, oddly
enough, no info on sail and mast step. I should think that a sprit or
lugsail of something like 75 sq ft would not overpower it for the
remote sailing that you would be doing. You should be able to rig a
bracket for a motor of say 2-3 HP that would serve as an auxiliary.
I sail, row & putt-putt a fiberglass 16' Crawford Swampscott Dory,
often on the Maine Island Trail. With a 6' beam it is wider than most
Swampscotts and as a result is a bit more of a sailboat and less of a
rowboat than its narrower relatives. 3.3 HP seems to give hull speed.
Hell of a good boat.
I use threaded inserts in the thwarts to bolt down a temporary plywood
deck. This deck allows me to stow gear under, leaving a clear passage
to the mast or anchor as required, as well as a sleeping or
fly-fishing platform well out of any wetness in the bilges. Since a
dory is flat bottomed, it is ideal to ground out with the tide
overnight. I swing the sprit pole from the snotter and halyard as a
ridgepole for a boom tent. You can either row or power with the tent
up, but of course sailing is out.
The whole thing works out quite well except for those days when it
just rains like piss pouring out of a boot and there is no substitute
for a hard roof over your head.
If you are interested, I can send you some pics of the layout I use.
Calm Seas & A Prosperous Voyage
Malcolm
-- Malcolm Forbes (malcolmf@verizon.net), December 20, 2004.