if lighter wasn't better then they
would be adding lead to racing shells, canoes, and kayaks, which so far does
not seem to be a trend.


Backyard Renegade wrote:
It has to do with the particular shape, use, and stability of a
particular design. Many canoes, shells etc.. are designed to be light,
Wherrys, and dories were not... Sorry to ruin your day.

Why would your being about half right ruin my day?

There is no fundamental difference between a wherry or a dory, and any
other human powered craft. It is true that if the hull lines are
maintained, then the hull will float higher and have a narrower
waterline, which of course would affect initial stability.

However, 1- all that means is that you can then carry a heavier load and
get back on the original lines or 2- flatten the garboards a little.

With a flat bottom design such as a sharpie or dory, this isn't even an
issue.


I refer you to Bolger's legendary "Gloucester Gull" dory, one of the early
modernizations of traditional small boat design.


Yes, it is a nice boat, I have built a few, here is one of them:
http://smallboats.com/boats_ggull.htm

Excellent work. I built one of these too, many years ago, but mine was
for a tender and was rather quick-and-dirty style. But it worked well,
and I deliberately sacrificed some strength for lightness even back
then. Longevity might have been an issue, except that the boat was
rammed by motorboaters at the dinghy dock so many times that it
eventually leaked too badly to use. It made a great addition to a beach
fire....


But still, some boats are designed to be more stable with the
origional weight and displacement, the wherry is one of those boats...

Not all wherries, and not in all cases. But then, my opinions are not
recycled old wives tales but rather based on 4+ decades of fiddling with
all types of boats and watching how they really work (or don't). Many
times there is a kernel of truth in old time salty 'wisdom' but it never
seems to apply as universally, or to carry over as profoundly, as the
old salts think.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King