Steve,

This from John Harris when asked the same questions:

Yulohs are great, but I have reservations about how well it will work
on the Northeaster Dory except over short distances.  Yulohs favor
heavy boats with strong tracking, while the Dory is light and has
little keel.

The solution for narrow water propulsion in the Dory is a pole to push
off the bottom, like a Thames punt!

I have experimented with 2 different oars (though niether were yulohs or made for sculling). I was able to make some headway and believe with practice and/or with the right oar it could be improved, but agree with John in that it would not be very efficient over long distances.

I'm pretty close to committing a very long expedition in my NE Dory that will include narrow, shallow waterways and will use a pole.

Let us know how you make out if you find the right yuloh and find it works for you.

Good luck,

Neil

Neil, I fish, therefore I will pole my NEDory from the stern platform. But, because I'll cover more territory and explore many narrow bayous and canals, as you noted, oars won't be my favored mode of propulsion.

I've mod'ed the stern transom for a tiny Honda 4cycle 2HP outboard. I expect (hope), and will very soon reveal, that I can get 8-10 knots no wind.

Denny

Thanks for the valuable input Neil and Denny, the answers make a lot of sense. I've read through the Northeaster plans a couple of times and hope to order my kit after I take a respite from teaching in May. My Dad, who passed away a few years back, build wooden fishing boats as a part of his livelihood when I was a boy.  Building one will be a great opportunity to spend some quality time remembering him.  

Steve, it is clear that I had to change the transom to accommodate power, but I also reinforced the bow with an oak bowstem and an attached grounding pad at the forward extreme of the bottom. I kept a good photo record, if you would be interested.

Denny

That is a great offer Denny, thanks!  I'm at [email protected] Interesting!

Denny,

that motor mount modification is slick. I can see a trolling motor pressed into use there as well.   Dave