I've heard that dories row and sail best when carrying lots of weight (such as large codfish) down low. This will require you to obtain several of these fish to maximize your boats trim. They might get smelly after a few weekends of use - however I too have an inspiration - get some canvas, cut out the front and back into some large fish skins, sew them up after filling with sand. Four or five such fish at 50lbs each will add real authenticity to your dory and provide you with the best possible performance from her. Winslow Homer would be proud!

Excellent topic!  I named my boat "Tradidition" because of the tradition of dorys being fishing boats (and used by American explorers too), but especially because some of my ancestors built dorys.  These two pictures were taken at St Mary's Lake just North of Battle Creek Michigan.  This lake house is where my Mother swam in the summers.  The boats were built by my Mother's Father and Grandfather in the late 1920's or early 1930's.