Starting Up

I've decided to build a whitewater dory. Since I already don't have enough time between work, my multiple other hobbies (ask my wife), and trying to stay in contact / visit our four kids, naturally it occurred to me, hey why not waste some additional time and write some of this down....

Why a dory?  

Short answer is they're beautiful and fun. 

Longer version is - I've been a river runner as long as I can remember.   First in canoes in my home state, Arkansas, and later as a kayak racer at Dartmouth, and river runner in Colorado since moving here in 92.  Once I figured out our growing family of 4 kids wouldn't fit into my kayak, we got into rafting, initially on several commercial trips (props here to Tom Kleinschnitz and Adventure Bound) and more recently in our own rafts on private trips. 

Anyway, I first saw a dory on a Grand Canyon Dories trip on the Main Salmon in 1978. Martin Litton was on that trip and my folks and I were his passengers for a couple of the days. He knew I was a kayaker and let me row some of the rapids. Compared to the gear raft, it was like a bigger kayak, dancing and ferrying seemingly effortlessly. I don't think I even hit any rocks.  At least that's the way I remember it 38 years later.


(Photo attribution - there are several photos throughout this blog of which many I can't recall, or never knew, either the photographer or the origin.  My sole intention here is to have fun and record a boat build for the very few friends and family who might look at it.  I have no financial interest in any content posted here. I've tried to tag names to those pics which I do know.  If you see, or own, a photo you recognize, please let me know and I will certainly either add an attribution, or remove it if desired.)