14 Semi Dory
Description
The 14-Foot Semi-Dory is a classic, versatile small craft designed by renowned naval architect and boatbuilding historian John Gardner, featured in his seminal works The Dory Book (1978) and Building Classic Small Craft (combined edition 1996). This design is a simplified, multi-chine evolution of traditional Swampscott-style dories from the New England coast, blending flat-bottomed stability with rounded topsides for improved handling over slab-sided Banks dories. Intended as an affordable, trailerable workboat or tender for rowing, light sailing, or outboard motoring, it's ideal for protected waters like bays, lakes, or rivers—suitable for fishing, family outings, or as a yacht tender. The semi-dory form reduces the complexity of full lapstrake planking while maintaining seaworthiness in calm to moderate conditions. Plans include offsets for lofting, emphasizing traditional methods but adaptable to modern plywood-epoxy glued-lap construction for lighter weight. It's not a production boat but a homebuilt favorite, with builders praising its simplicity for novices.
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | 15 ft |
| e | 8 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 15 ft | 8 ft | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Foot | 8 ft - (2438 mm) |
| Leech | * 16.33 ft - (4977 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 86 ° |
| Diagonal | 16.5 ft - (5029 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 3.5 in - (89 mm) |
| Area | * 61.8 ft² |
| Comments |
Saved by admin on 2025-08-21 16:15 Updated by admin on 2025-08-21 16:35 |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 11.33 ft - (3453 mm) |
| Foot | 6 ft - (1829 mm) |
| Leech | 10.33 ft - (3149 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | * 5.43 ft - (1655 mm) |
| Area | * 30.78 ft² |
| Sail Type | STORMTRYSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 6 ft - (1829 mm) |
| Foot | * 5.1 ft - (1554 mm) |
| Leech | * 5.91 ft - (1801 mm) |
| Length Perp | * 5.91 ft - (1801 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * -25 ° |
| Area | * 13.72 ft² |
| Comments | some comments |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite.