Builder Gallery

Real Boats. Real Builders.

These 16' Grand Banks dories were built by people just like you - in garages, basements, and backyards across North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Some had never built a boat before.

100+
Completed Builds
4+
Countries
1,200
Lbs Carrying Capacity
72
Years of Expertise Behind the Plans
Beautifully finished Grand Banks dory on trailer, green gunwales and golden hull
Customer-built Grand Banks dory proudly displayed at a boat show
Customer-built Grand Banks dory proudly displayed at a boat show
Completed
Beautiful Show Boat Complete Builder's Package

"Finally got the paint on. Took her to the local show and people couldn't believe I built it in my garage."

Freshly painted Grand Banks dory in a home workshop
Completed Grand Banks dory freshly painted, another angle
Completed
Just Finished Workshop Edition

"Yellow and green just felt right. That's how a dory ought to look."

Customer-built Grand Banks dory under sail on open water
Customer-built Grand Banks dory sailing, view from stern
Customer-built Grand Banks dory being launched into the water
Customer-built Grand Banks dory being launched into the water
Completed
Launch Day Complete Builder's Package

"First launch day with the whole family, and the first time sailing her. We were all smiles out on the water."

Customer-built Grand Banks dory with striking black hull
Black-hulled Grand Banks dory, varnished interior detail
Completed
Black Boat Workshop Edition

"Didn't plan on black but once I got the paint on it just felt right. She's a bit of a showboat but I love how she looks on the water."

Grand Banks dory mid-build in a home workshop
Grand Banks dory framing in progress, home workshop
In Progress
WIP Build Workshop Edition

"Getting close now. Every weekend I knock off another stage. The plans always tell you exactly what comes next."

Jenny Ann - completed Grand Banks dory on the water
Completed
Jenny Ann Digital PDF Plans

"Named her Jenny Ann after my grandmother. She loved dorys and would have been thrilled to see this one!"

Completed Grand Banks dory with clean white hull
Completed
White Boat Digital PDF Plans

"Kept it simple. White hull, clean lines. She's exactly what I wanted."

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Your build here?

Finished yours - or still mid-build? Send Fraser a few photos and he'll add you to the gallery.

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About This Boat

The 16' Grand Banks Dory

The Grand Banks dory is one of the most proven working boat designs in history - flat-bottomed, high-sided, and exceptionally stable when loaded. For centuries, fishermen launched them from schooners on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Today, wooden boat builders around the world choose the dory because it's honest to build: no compound curves, no lofting, no exotic materials.

The DoryPlan 16' Grand Banks dory was designed by Wilbert Weir - a master carpenter with 72 years of boat-building experience - specifically for the backyard builder. At 16 feet, she's large enough to carry 1,200 lbs and handle open water, but small enough to build in a standard garage. The flat bottom means every plank and frame lies flat during construction, so a builder with basic woodworking skills can follow along without a boatbuilding background.

The step-by-step dory plans include 63 photos, full dimensions, a cut list, and written instructions for every stage - from setting up the building jig to final caulking and painting. No lofting required. No prior boatbuilding experience required. Just the plans, standard lumber from your local yard, and weekends.

See What's in the Plans Get the Plans - From $79
Share Your Build

Finished Yours? We Want to See It.

Every build in this gallery started the same way - someone who wasn't sure they could do it, who did it anyway. Add yours.

1
Take a few photos of your build (mid-build or finished)
2
Email them to Fraser with your name and location
3
Fraser adds you to the gallery - and sends you a thank-you
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Photos can be JPG or PNG. Any camera works - phones are fine.

Wilbert Weir, master dory builder, Little Bay Islands, Newfoundland

About DoryPlan

A Lifetime of Knowledge. One Documentation Project.

Wilbert Weir started building dories at 16 in Little Bay Islands, Newfoundland. His father fished the Grand Banks. His grandfather built the boats they fished from. Fraser Wheaton found Wilbert at 90 and spent years documenting every step - 36 complete rewrites - until a complete beginner could follow it.

That's DoryPlan: 91 pages, 63 photographs, no lofting, no jargon. The full story and plans are on the main site.

See the Full Plans and Story at DoryPlan.com →
Start Your Own

Every One of These Started as a Stack of Plans.

Step-by-step plans from a master dory builder. 63 photos. Every measurement, every cut. No lofting required.

Get the Plans - Starting at $79 60-day guarantee · Instant download · Unlimited support from Fraser