My 1964 Chris-Craft Cavalier Dory

"Labor of Love"

I am a proud owner of a 1964 Chris-Craft Cavalier Dory which has been a part of my family since about 1969. We use it for pleasure cruises, fishing and skiing on Long Island Sound off Old Lyme, CT and lower CT river.

'64 Cavalier Dory, Pic 1

At 22 feet in length, the lapstraked topsides show off the classic sweeping lines of a Chris-Craft hull along with a curved varnished transom. Constructed mostly of plywood with a minimum of brightwork, it was dubbed "easy to maintain" and "low priced". Everything in the interior was painted grey, the rail was painted red, and the floor was covered with a grey ribbed vinyl. (It was a gem in cheap clothing.) 130 were built from 1964 to 1966 and they sold then for about $3500. A similar model, called the Cavalier Cutlass, sported a small cuddy forward with a V-berth and toilet. A fiberglass version was also produced in the early 1970's.

The original 283 engine (picture1) was rated at 185 hp and was claimed to push her to 38 mph. (that must have been downhill?) These engines were typically raw water cooled to save space, weight and cost, but made for a limited lifespan running in salt water. We have since gone thru two 327 blocks producing about 275 hp (45 mph), and have just completed building a 383 "stroker" to maximize the power from the small block Chevy format. A custom closed cooling system has also been added.

Having been moored "out front" on Long Island Sound during the summers, the boat found itself washed up on the beach several times as a result of storms over the years. This took its toll on the integrity of the hull, and she soon became a "flexible-flyer" as many frames (ribs) had cracked with loose joints everywhere. A new center console was built in 1983 after a "heavy" passenger fell through the front seat! An attempt to put a fiberglass skin over the bottom was futile as the wood had become quite soft in many places. The bilge pump would often run more than it was off! Finally, in 1991, the 1/2" plywood hull broke through while on a "roller trailer" (a mistake, I know, but it was all we had then). So it was rebuild time or....firewood!

I decided to rebuild the hull myself in the winter of '91-'92. Stripped its insides completely, (picture2) built a frame around the outside, and with the help of a dozen friends, rolled it over and carried her into the barn like a coffin. (picture3) Removed the old plywood hull, (first cut with the ol' skill saw was painful), battens, and replaced all the frames and keel. These were further strengthened with a laminate of 1/4" plywood on each side of the frames and sandwiched in the middle of the battens. I used three layers of 1/4" marine grade plywood for a stronger, albeit heavier, hull.(picture4) Everything was constructed and encapsulated with West System Epoxy and the result would have made Hitchcock Furniture proud.(picture5)

She's since been thru some very rough rides and has performed flawlessly. She doesn't leak a drop, and the bilge pump now only runs when it rains! It is rarely moored "out front" for long periods and rides on a new tandem bunk trailer. I've since added a teak foredeck to replace the painted plywood and hope to "someday" have all the floor-boards in teak. A new mahogany rail is on my "someday list" too as it has been sanded to the screws and has cracks and large divots throughout.

Moored out front

UPDATE: 5/18/02 The 383 "stroker" engine I built runs great! (picture 6) But I must admit that I was slightly disappointed in top end speed. It really didn't produce much more power than the higher compression 327 engine did. And the added expense of internal balancing, special crank, etc certainly did not pay off. Next time, I will just stick with a 350.

Fall 2002 Next time is here! I have acquired yet another Cavalier Dory, this one in very rough shape with holes throughout her topsides and completely gutted. (picture 7) No engine, console, floor, deck, rails, or hardware of any kind. Just an empty hull shell. A few frames (ribs) have completely rotted out, the stem is soft, but the rest of the hull is quite strong. It appears to have an original factory applied fiberglass skin covering the plywood from the waterline down. Why did pursue this mess? Well... it was about to become firewood, and I just couldn't bare to see that happen. Plus...it was free! So I pulled out the trailer from under my original Dory, drove out to the shores of Lake Erie in western NY and picked her up off the ground and brought her home, where she now rests on stands, covered, waiting for me to find all the parts and hardware needed to restore it. Got quite a bit already, most from sellers on eBay in fact. Still need the cutwater, drive shaft, PSS shaft seal, and some nice 1x8 mahogany for the rails. Still trying to decide the best approach to repairing the holes in the lapstrake top-sides, some holes are about the size of baseball, others a basketball. Trick will be to repair em with original curve/shape. May try to scarf in pieces, or may just replace a lap or two from stem to stern. Will likely get to it next winter.

11/18/04 Still haven't gotten to the boat #2 project. But the original boat #1 now has a new aluminum fuel tank. (picture 8) Custom made, it is rectangular instead of round, not as wide so as not to inter fear with the exhaust hoses, and holds 50 gallons.

I'de love to hear from and/or offer advice to others with old wooden boats, especially this model. Copies of original Chris-Craft engine parts books available, (including Paragon Transmissions). Send E-Mail.

Page created 1/17/99, last updated 11/18/04.
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