WHERE ARE THEY MADE?

Nestaway Boats are hand made in England. Hulls from Dorset, spars from Oxfordshire, joining bolts from Birmingham. Many of the components are bespoke, and we offer a high level of customisation. Most Nestaways are built to order but we usually have show boats available to see/try. 

Portabotes are made in the USA - we are the UK south coast agent and co-import them with UK distributors Intramore (in Lowestoft). We generally hold stock of the 8, 10 and 12 models at our base near Christchurch, and can get 14s fairly quickly if needed.

The sectional kayaks are from Swedish company, Point 65 North (model ranges"Tequila" and "Martini").

Torqeedo electric outboards are German. Suzuki and Tohatsu petrol outboards hail from Japan. 

WHAT IS A NESTING BOAT?

It's just like a "normal" boat, but made in two or more pieces that detach from and fit inside each other. They are much more portable and can be carried in ways that other boats can't: on the deck of a yacht, or a towbar platform on the back of your car, or on a tiny trailer, or even (some models) INSIDE an estate car. They can be stored in the corner of your garage, shed or beach hut, horizontally or vertically.

HOW DO THEY SEAL? WON'T THEY LEAK?

The answer (no) is essentially the same for both: think of it as two (or in some cases three) small boats joined together to make one bigger boat - each section will float in its own right. More technically the partial bulkheads at the ends of each section come above the loaded waterline, so whilst a thin film of water may come up between them, it never gets high enough to enter the boat. There is no need for a seal as such, apart from a rubber washer on the lower joining bolts.

HOW DID IT ALL START?

We lived on board a 31ft yacht in the Caribbean for two years - our dinghy was equivalent to a car. It was used, hard, every day: carrying water, going to the shops, going to the bar, visiting other yachts, setting anchors, going snorkelling... and one day, having been through several tenders, we fell in love with another yacht's home-built plywood nesting dinghy. It could be rowed, sailed or motored, and whilst we found plans for DIY build versions, nobody actually made such a thing to buy. So we decided - in an age that many people don't have the time and/or ability to build their own boat - we would!

As time has gone by, through chatting to potential customers, we have come to realise that there are many other innovative solutions to the problems of transporting and storing a boat; and at the same time almost every customer has a different set of requirements. To help fulfil these needs we have also taken on distributorships for other products that we like and find to be of good quality. So far these are Portabote (folding boats), Point 65 (sectional kayaks), and most recently Nautiraid (folding dinghies, kayaks and canoes).

We hope that by displaying all these products together - at boat shows and our (shall we say "workmanlike") showroom near Christchurch - it will be easier for you to choose between them. We know all the products well - their advantages and disadvantages - and use them ourselves, and will happily take you out on the water in the harbour if you want us to (especially if it's a sunny day!).

HOW DO WE CONTACT YOU?

By email - nestawayboats@yahoo.com

By phone - 01202 423094 or 07768 600595. We are still a fairly small business and won't always be able to hear/answer - if so please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

We attend most of the major UK boat shows, particularly London ExCeL (January) and Southampton (September), plus a scattering of the smaller ones.

Our boats can be seen at any other time by arrangement, and with a little notice, near Christchurch (east Dorset). Please note that (especially at busy times of year) we don't always have all varieties of boat available - don't just turn up "in the hope!"

Nestaway Boats is a limited company, established 2007.
For more contact details click here: Contact Form and Details