Little Joe
by Scotty -  www.smallboats.com 
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I call this one "Little Joe" built with the vast Connecticut River in mind. She has a 54" beam, a "Vee" bottom and 13" sides. The bow has an extreme sweep up to the nose which keeps this boat very dry. It has gone through several changes since the first time you saw it, but it has developed into a great little boat. Weighing less than 80 lbs. and with almost 2 cubic feet of floatation this is a great boat for kids and fits nicely on top of your car or in the back of a pickup truck.

Here in Essex we are on the banks of the Connecticut River, which creates some special circumstances for a tender. This River is very large and the water moves at a good pace, especially near the mouth which leads into Long Island Sound.

I have actually changed this vessel several times since it's inception. It is a great tender and stays very dry. Reports have it rowing better the more weight you load in it. This is also a great little boat for kids in a small area, and at 80 Lbs. can be moved or stowed very easily.

This is another shot of the shape of the "Little Joe" hull. With her deep keel forward and exaggerated forward side flair she tows nicely and stays very dry. While she rows just fine, there is not a lot of legroom and she is probably best used as a small motor transport or mooring tender.
 

I believe "Payson's Elegant Punt" is probably better used as a drift boat, a lake boat, or a tender.  For the river I needed something else. After searching my plans and not finding what I wanted, I sat down and designed, scaled, and then I built this boat with the vast Connecticut River in mind. I gave my design a little higher and smaller bow transom, as well as a "Vee" type bottom with slightly less rocker and made it "real"...uh...pudgy...for um, well anyway.... I also built the transom to hold a two horse. Reports have this boat rowing very well with equipment and crew, and a fellow who towed one out to "Block" in two foot seas said it arrived drier than he did.

My boat on Rogers Lake. It is carrying a 3 HP motor which nicely moved 450 lbs. equipment and crew and still left 8 inches of draft.

Limited time special! Plans for "Little Joe" are now available fully detailed on four 17" X 22" blueprints with complete instructions. The picture on the left comes from the blueprints of the light weight version of "Little Joe". "Joe" is made with 2 sheets of plywood and a couple of wide boards for the seats. Little Joe will weigh just about 60 pounds or less and is 7' 9" X 4' 2". Little Joe is not your standard Sabot or Peanut Pram although at first glance it may appear so. I have designed this one more for a small engine than some of the more traditional old "peanut" prams. I have taken out some of the rocker (important for sailing and rowing, no so important for motoring) and made Joe higher, wider, stabler, able to hold heavy loads, and drier when towing too. (if you knew the "real" Joe you would understand...)

For a limited time these plans are available for $25.00

SmallBoats.com / IDesigns, LLC
55 Westbrook Road - P.O. Box 303 - Centerbrook, CT 06409
860-767-3473

Click here for the secure order form