If you are refering to the picture that I posted of Gander 1, I think you are mixing up his boats.  My posted image was scanned from "Sailing Uphill" and his commentary was:

"Out of that shed lumber, I built a little 16-foot, outboard-powered, pram-shaped dory for a total cost of $640.35."

He sailed that up to Lewiston on the first leg of his cross-country trip, and then back to Portland.

He then built Gander II, a 24-foot long St. Pierre dory from John Gardner plans for the remainder of his trip.  Unfortunately, he had to abandon it in the upper Missouri a couple of days after launching it, as the 18-inch draft was no match for the lowest water in years.

Gander III, a 24-foot long, 6-foot wide, 4-inch draft flat-bottomed barge-type boat that he designed in the dust of a Missouri River bluff after losing Gander II, was the one that got him to New York City, where he sold it.

I think of Sam as the Volkswagon of boats - get a design you like and only change it when you need to for a specific reason.

Mark