I began my Dory last November in Annapolis under the watchful eyes and instruction of David Fawley. He guided us with great knowledge and a patience which we did not deserve. As with everyone else, at the end of the class you come home with a basic hull and for the first time you see all the other gear you have to tackle to get to a finished product. It is intimidating. I am sure a lot of people get theirs done in a shorter period than I did, but I also suspect there are a fair number that take longer and maybe some that do not finish at all. So I am pleased to be able to say I am done, as of today. The building projects in the manual are complete, though there still are some rigging and outfitting things to do. I hope to be in the water this coming weekend.
Thanks to all those on this forum who have given good advice. in particular, as anyone that has poked in these pages can attest, there is one guy, Lazlo, that could be thought of as indespensible in terms of his advice and good spirits. Thanks to him in particular and to all the others who have become regulars in my life. So much of what we learned had to come from our own experiences but having a little prod here and there from knowedgeable sources gave me the confidence to keep at it and tackle each new project.
I keep thinking about doing another build but my brain tells me to go out and enjoy the sailing in this one first.
David