Design Brief & Intent
The Little Harbor 62 was conceived as a premium, semi-custom bluewater passagemaker. While European builders focused on deep, fixed draft profiles to maximize upwind efficiency, Ted Hood championed the keel-centerboard configuration. The core intent was to provide a yacht with a low center of gravity and a heavily ballasted shallow keel, which could then drop a high-aspect-ratio board to track like a train on upwind offshore legs. This design choice set the 62 apart from competitors like Alden or Hinckley, which, though share-worthy in build quality, rarely offered the same degree of shallow-draft utility on a vessel of this scale.
Below deck, the character of the Little Harbor 62 is defined by classic, exquisite craftsmanship. The interior joinery is dominated by select satin-varnished teak, showcasing highly finished cabinetry, book-matched grains, and robust teak-and-holly cabin soles. Storage is extensive, characterized by louvered locker doors that facilitate ventilation in tropical climates. The layout is highly traditional yet cavernous, prioritizing crew comfort with separate social spaces, dedicated navigation stations, and heavy granite or marble finishes in the heads. The fit-out speaks to a "no-compromise" approach to offshore living, where every bulkhead is structural and every piece of furniture is bonded securely to the hull.
Variations & Configurations
Because each Little Harbor 62 was built on a semi-custom basis, variations in rig, layout, and propulsion exist across the limited production run. The primary choice for owners lay between a powerful masthead sloop (often converted or delivered as a cutter for offshore versatility) and a traditional ketch rig. The ketch rig offered manageable sail plans for shorthanded couples, while the cutter/sloop variant prioritized raw upwind performance and reduced mechanical complexity.
Draft versatility is the hallmark of this model. With the heavy bronze centerboard fully raised, the yacht draws a mere six feet, allowing access to fragile reef networks and shallow coastal harbors that would be strictly off-limits to other 60-footers. With the board lowered, the draft extends to nearly twelve feet, transforming the flat-bottomed cruiser into a highly stable, weatherly machine.
Engine configurations also varied; while many hulls featured a robust, single 135-horsepower diesel auxiliary, others were commissioned with twin-engine configurations. The twin-engine setups—often paired with a bow thruster—yielded remarkable maneuverability in tight marinas, effectively resolving the low-speed handling difficulties common to heavy-displacement yachts. Accommodation layouts were typically split between highly luxurious owner-operator versions—featuring a massive aft master stateroom with a private, dedicated aft companionway and cockpit—and charter-friendly configurations boasting up to four staterooms and four private heads.
Sailing Performance & Handling
Evaluating the Little Harbor 62’s physical handling begins with its formidable displacement of 91,000 pounds. Operating with a high displacement-to-length (Disp/LWL) ratio of 334.95, this vessel is a classic heavy-displacement cruiser. On the water, this translates to a remarkably soft, motion-dampening ride. It possesses incredible momentum, easily cutting through short, steep head seas that would hobby-horse lighter coastal cruisers.
The yacht's motion is further illuminated by its exceptional Comfort Ratio of 64.05. This extremely high index guarantees that the acceleration forces acting on the crew during a seaway are minimized, drastically reducing physical fatigue on long ocean passages. With a Capsize Screening Ratio of 1.45—well below the traditional danger threshold of 2.0—the hull shape is inherently stable, possessing superb ultimate righting ability in severe weather.
Under sail, the sail area-to-displacement (SA/Disp) ratio sits at a conservative 15.03. The Little Harbor 62 is not a light-wind racer; she requires a solid breeze to overcome her immense inertia. However, once wind speeds climb above 12 to 15 knots, the yacht comes alive, standing up to her canvas beautifully thanks to a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 34.07%. At the helm, the skeg-hung rudder provides a well-balanced, positive feel with excellent directional tracking, particularly when the centerboard is fully deployed to resist leeway.
Known Issues & Triage
Given the vessel’s vintage and high structural complexity, specific areas require meticulous inspection and ongoing triage.
- Teak Deck Water Intrusion: Like most premium yachts of the 1980s, the Little Harbor 62 featured teak side decks laid over a fiberglass sub-deck and secured with thousands of individual screws. Over decades, the original caulking shrinks, allowing water to migrate down the screw threads into the balsa or foam deck core. Owners must monitor the core's moisture levels around chainplates, stanchions, and high-load deck hardware, as localized re-coring and eventual teak replacement represent a highly labor-intensive undertaking.
- Centerboard Assembly Wear: The centerboard trunk and its lifting mechanism require routine service. The primary points of failure are the pivot pin, the lifting pennant, and the internal sheaves. Barnacle growth or gravel can easily jam the board in its trunk if the boat is left sitting in tropical waters, requiring haul-out and pressure washing to clear. The stainless steel or bronze pennant must be inspected annually for fraying or corrosion.
- Airex Core Delamination: While the hull bottom is solid, hand-laid fiberglass, the hull topsides are cored with Airex foam. While Airex is highly resilient and provides excellent thermal and acoustic insulation, impact damage or poor hardware installation can lead to localized delamination. High-wear areas near the waterline should be thoroughly sounded with a phenolic hammer during any pre-purchase survey.
Modernization & Upgrades
Modern owners are investing heavily in updating the Little Harbor 62 to match the standards of contemporary luxury cruisers.
- Electrical System Overhauls: The original 12V/24V DC systems are rarely adequate for modern living demands. Contemporary refits typically involve installing large lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery banks. By shifting to a high-capacity lithium system, owners can run reverse-cycle air conditioning and high-draw watermakers overnight without the constant noise and vibration of a diesel generator.
- Rig and Winch Conversion: The massive sail plan of the 62 can be physically demanding. Modernization projects frequently focus on upgrading the original manual or hydraulic winches to modern electric self-tailing units. Upgrading the old in-mast hydraulic furling systems (such as the legacy Hood Stoway systems) to modern electric drives drastically improves sail-handling reliability.
- Repowering: While some original Perkins or Volvo diesels remain in service, many owners have opted to repower with modern, tier-compliant common-rail diesels (such as Nanni or Yanmar units). This upgrade not only improves fuel economy and reduces exhaust emissions but also frees up weight and space in the engine room while delivering more reliable alternator output via high-output Balmar systems.
The Verdict
The Little Harbor 62 remains a masterpiece of late-twentieth-century American yacht design. It represents an elite class of heavy, comfortable cruisers built to standards that are simply too cost-prohibitive to replicate in modern production boatbuilding. For the offshore sailor who values a smooth, confidence-inspiring ride and the ability to explore shallow cruising grounds without sacrificing blue-water capability, this Ted Hood classic remains a premier choice on the brokerage market.
Pros
- Exceptional shallow-draft capability via the robust centerboard configuration.
- Extremely comfortable, sea-kindly motion in rough offshore conditions.
- Superb, furniture-grade interior teak joinery and heavy-duty structural build quality.
- Excellent safety margins with a low capsize risk and highly protected skeg-hung rudder.
Cons
- Conservative light-wind sailing performance due to massive displacement.
- High maintenance demands associated with aging teak decks and complex plumbing/electrical layouts.
- The centerboard lifting assembly requires dedicated, semi-regular underwater maintenance.
