Grand Banks Dory

Watercraft

Effect: Sustenance

Type: Dory

Composition: Wood

Place: North America

Size: 19' 6" & 5' 7"

Date: Circa 1935

Builder/Location: Hiram Lowell and Son

Museum Location: 29

One of the most recognizable American fishing craft, the dory was lightweight, inexpensive, and extremely seaworthy.

Grand Banks Dory, circa 1935
Hiram Lowell and Son, Amesbury, Massachusetts

One of the most recognizable American fishing craft, the dory was lightweight, inexpensive, and extremely seaworthy. Dories were nested on the decks of fishing schooners until they reached the Grand Banks. Then one man would work from dawn to dusk in each dory setting and hauling in lines of fish. In the 19th century, the average cod weighed 50 pounds, and each dory could hold about 4,000 pounds of fish.

The oldest boat- building facility in the United States, Lowell’s Boat Shop is still in operation. It is believed that more than 100,000 dories have been built at the National Historic Landmark in Amesbury, Massachusetts.

Origin: Amesbury, Massachusetts, USA

Grand Banks Dory