Tim.

I have lived in W-S and Raleigh but now, I am back in Lou KY.

I just put my Skerry in the water 7/21 at Gulf Shores AL;  rowing (my lug rig is on order).

My only regret? is that the Skerry has a official capacity of 3 bodies.  You can see more people in the photos on the wbsite and we had 3 adults and 3 grandchildren all on board rowing on calm water.  Sailing will be another matter.

The Dory has more seats and more payload.  It lacks the sealed flotation of the Skerry. There are several posts here on these issues.

Good luck!

Steve

Tim,

I built the Skerry and have a couple thoughts on choosing between the two. I think the key factor between the two is the capacity as Steve mentioned. I have a family of 5 and have taken that many out rowing and taken 4 sailing, though two were small kids.

Ultimately, if you leave someone on the beach or dock, then the sail excursions will be shorter. I usually sail with a radio and get calls to come back when someone else wants to go out but mom and I dont go out that often unless the dog and kids are watched by someone else.

If you want to solo or sail with a partner, then the Skerry is a good choice. If you want to sail with more, then I would build the dory. Unless you have passengers who are ok sitting on the floor of the boat, the seating choices are better in the dory. The front seat of the skerry is rear facing for adults and has the mast in the middle, the middle seat has the daggerboard to work around. Also, due to the rocker and boat length, a grown adult in the front seat will put it low in the water on as it drops down the back of oncoming wind chop. They may well get a bit wet. I was just sailing in a shallow back bay with a fairly strong wind, est. 12-15 knts and the chop was stacking up in the shallow water. An adult in the front really challenged the bow to come up in time. I suspect the dory may ride more level due to the extra length.

I enjoy the Skerry but for me the seating arrangements and capacity of the dory would have made that boat a better choice. You can install the lug on either so the sailing rig doesnt have to be any different and the dory will be a quicker boat under sail.

The dory advantages are the dory is a slightly quicker build and with its longer more narrow wetted surface, I expect (I have rowed but not sailed) that it would move through thru chop better. The skerry will tend to ride up and down cutting down its speed into the waves. I will say, its fun to ride a following swell in the Skerry. It has more rocker, slightly more beam low, and is less likely to get pushed broadside than the dory.

Have fun,

Pat

Thanks for the great replies.  I'm leaning towards the Dory at this point.  It's the storage aspect I'm working out now.  Where do I put the darn thing when I'm not using it.  I have a modest 2000' sq ft house in the middle of suburbia.  I'm thinking of suspending it from the ceiling of the gargage but it still leaves me the trailer.

Everything in this boat life is a compromise....

Remember,

You will likely store the boat on the trailer. That means that either the dory or the skerry become the same size since the trailer is likely to be the same one for either,

Speaking of trailers: If you choose a trailer like the sut 200 or 250, I strongly recommend the sut250. The cradle assembly for the sut 200 is not strong enough and presents sway & excessive movement. My cradle will eventually suffer metal fatigue.  I have the 200 and am considering ordering the box assembly from the sut250. The 250 also comes with springs. The 200 depends on soft tires pressure and some rubber mounts in the axel assy. (not real suspension). One final note, always get a spare tire. On our trip this summer from VA beach to the DC area, we burned up a tire. The tires that come with either trailer isnt designed for highway speeds. Fortunately, i found a napa auto store within a few miles and replaced the current wheel(s) with one that had a larger high-speed rated tire on the same rim. It still fit in the fender well. Oh, and double check the bolts after some trailering, I regularly check but at first they needed tightening, now they are more weathered on.

Pat