How about Swan's Little Gem?

[CaseyJones]

Since nobody seems to have built Payson's 12' Fishermans Skiff, how about Swan's "Little Gem"?

[Wayne Jeffers]

Yep, I've built it. A nice boat for rowing (and fishing.) My 3HP outboard is as much or more power as it wants. If you primarily want to motor, the Nez Pierce by Swan is probably a better choice. He didn't offer the sailing version of Little Gem back then, so I have no info on that.

I made a number of minor modifications, which turned out okay.

Is there anything in particular you wanted to know?

Wayne

[CaseyJones]

I am going to build my Dad a little boat to poke around in. Since one of his area lakes is a no-gasoline zone, I wanted to power it with a large electric trolling motor. Any problems with that? How much did it weigh when completed? He wants to haul it in the back of his pickup.

[John058]

...sounds like just the ticket Casey...I have a Minnkota 65T trollong motor and, coupled to a group 27 Delco Voyager battery powers me all over the Chattahoochie river for several hours before needing a charge..got it on a square stern canoe but any small modest weight boat should get the same results...great for sneaking up on wildlife too

John

[CaseyJones]

Wayne,
You don't happen to have any pics of your Little Gem, do you?

[Wayne Jeffers]

Casey,

It is plenty stable for fishing. I've even been known to fish standing up in it, despite all good advice to the contrary.

Electric motor should be fine. My 3HP pushes it at about 6 or 7 mph at about 2/3 throttle. With the rockered bottom, any more power than that mostly pushes the stern down without any noticeable change in speed. I usually use a throttle extension when I'm alone so I can sit on the middle thwart when motoring and keep it more nearly level.

It also rows very easily and well. This is an option you may wish to consider, unless you will need it to cover a lot of distance. It rows nearly as fast as it motors and with negligible effort. Many times I use the oars even when I have the motor along, simply because it is such a pleasure to row. Swan recommends 7 foot oars. In hindsight, I would buy 7 1/2 or 8 foot oars.

Weight of mine is about 175 pounds, but light weight was not a priority for me when building, because I used a trailer from the beginning. Among the changes, I put the chine logs inside and covered the outside with 7.5 oz. fiberglass in epoxy. I also fiberglassed the sole and left the weave of the cloth rough for secure footing in the boat. All this added a lot of weight.

I think it could be built lightly enough to carry in a truck. It would likely be a little heavy for convenient cartopping.

It will accommodate 3 full-size adults. It is quite comfortable for 2. Especially when I'm fishing in it alone, the wind pushes it easily because it draws little water, so I use a small mushroom anchor.

I have pictures, but I haven't yet seen fit to get a scanner so I can't post any. Maybe I'll break down soon and buy one.

Payson's Fisherman's skiff is very similar, though shorter, so it should produce similar results. It should be inherently lighter, too. I think you would be pleased with the results from either choice.

Good luck,
Wayne