CS,

I have been kicking around the idea of making a Grand Banks style dory myself.

It sounds like you are going for the Dory Skiff style with a wider transom to put a small outboard on. I believe that style of dory has a small V to the hull. If not you will be subject to alot of the same things you will find discussed on "driftboat with motor " threads due to the flat bottom boat. There is a cool design called a San Juan Dory that you might look into.

While dories are famous for their foul water exploits, there are a few things to consider. If you are building a traditonal flat bottom dory, they tend to maintain a 4:1 length to beam ratio. This beam measurement is the "extreme beam", where the actual bottom of the boat is much narrower. This does a couple of things. One, it makes the dories easier to row due to the sharper entry. Two, it takes away from their initial stablity. This is more of a concern when they are lightly loaded. When under a heavy load they actually become rock solid. This is due to the flare on the boat, as it sits deeper, you increase your beam.

So if you are planning on a "power" boat that you will be using lightly loaded I would consider a Dory Skiff with some degree of V to the hull.

BTW, what construction method are you planning on using?

Fish Me!