A dory is a small shallow-draft boat of approximately 15 feet in length. Lightweight and versatile, these boats are used both in the opean sea for commercial fishing applications, as well as in interior river white water rafting versions - which usually seat three to four including the oarsman. The hullform is characterized by flat sides angled approx. 30 degrees from vertical and a bottom that is transversly flat and arced fore-and-aft. The stern is frequently "tombstone shaped". Nested stacks of dories were frequently carried on the decks of fishing schooner out to the fishing grounds, where they were then deployed to lay longlines or tend nets.
Dory is also a nickname. For females, it is usually short for "Doris," "Dorinne" (or "Doreen"), "Dorothy," or "Dorothea" (or "Dorthea"); for males it is most often short for "Theodore."
