Welcome to Nestaway Boats. We make sectional nesting dinghies and boats that are designed to stow away conveniently, assemble quickly, and row beautifully - with the option to motor or sail. A "nesting dinghy" is just like a normal boat, but made in two or more detachable sections that fit inside each other for easier storage and transport. This means they will fit where other boats don't: on the deck of your yacht; in the corner of your garage, shed or beach hut; or even (some models) in the back of a large estate car. Once assembled and in the water they feel much more solid, responsive, and generally "boat-like" than folding or inflatable dinghies. They look better too. We have 6 designs, prices from £499 (sectional kayak).

Read on or jump direct to Boat Information Pages:
8ft Nesting Pram Dinghy        14ft TRIO multi-purpose boat
7ft 10" Stem Dinghy             NN10 nesting stem dinghy
Sectional sit-on kayak          Car Boot (Canadian) Canoe

This is our two-part nesting pram dinghy, often sold as a yacht tender, or to fit on the back of a camper van. She is 8ft 2" long assembled, with a nested length of 4ft 8". She can have a wood, glassfibre,  or carbon fibre/Kevlar hull - weighing as little as 32kg (less than many inflatables).  Assembly is very simple: the sections are hooked together then bolted. It can be done in a couple of minutes. The Pram is stable, dry, easy to row, and takes up to three adults. There are two sailing rig options, both boomless.  She can of course be fitted with a small petrol or electric outboard. Click here (Pram Dinghy) for more info.

Shown above is our 14ft TRIO multi-purpose-boat, which splits into three nesting sections that will fit in the back of many estate cars from the Ford Focus and VW Golf upwards - no trailer or roofrack required. She can be sailed, rowed or motored and takes up to three adults, or two and two kids for a day out on the river. The high length to beam ratio makes her an efficient rowing boat - especially with optional outriggers and longer oars - and fast under power, achieving speeds of 11-12knots with a 3.5hp motor. The hull can built in carbon fibre, weighing just 44kg. Click here (14ft Trio) for more information.

And shown above is our 7'10" stem dinghy (nested). This one has a stowed footprint of just 4ft square. She has a very elegant shape and rows superbly, going along at hull speed with surprisingly little effort. If you haven't tried rowing this sort of dinghy it will be a revelation; in fact you'll start wondering why you'd need an outboard at all - for most journeys you'd probably find the row ashore would take less time than fitting the engine! The two sections can be hooked together and the bolts done up in less than a minute. Everyone who sees it loves the look of this boat: it's not as stable or capacious as the Pram or Trio but as a 1-2 person dinghy for a small yacht it's perfect... and on larger yachts it would make a brilliant second tender for when the crew have different shoregoing requirements. It can stand upright too: in the back of a camper van perhaps, or even on the bathing platform of a motor cruiser. Click here (Stem Dinghy) for more information.

We are also working with Canadian firm NestingLite towards building their "NN10", a 10ft nesting stem dinghy with strong sailing performance. We could be up and running fairly quickly as the boat is already in production elsewhere - if you are interested please do tell us, as it will hasten the investment decision! Click here for more information about the NN10 10ft nesting stem dinghy.

These brand new sectional "sit-on-top" plastic kayaks are a lot of fun,
and great value (starting from £499). The three pieces assembled make a
two-person kayak, or you can use just the bow and stern as a one-person
kayak. The pieces don't "nest" like our other boats but as the only company
in the world offering a whole range of sectional boats we felt this clever
and versatile design deserved to be in our line-up. 
Click here for more information: Sectional sit-on-tops

Finally we are developing the CAR BOOT CANOE. A 15ft, three-section Canadian Canoe, based on the rather beautiful (one-piece!) cedar strip original shown here. Like the Trio the nested sections will be transportable inside many estate cars, and (because it is a few inches narrower) some that the Trio won't quite fit. As standard it will be for paddling, but we will also offer outriggers for rowing and a detachable bracket for electric outboards - wildlife watching on the water, in effortless silence. Click here: Car Boot Canoe

Some frequently asked questions (more here: FAQs):

WHERE ARE THEY MADE?

All of our boats are hand made in England (except the sectional kayak).
Hulls and sails from Dorset, spars from Oxfordshire, joining bolts from
Birmingham. Most of the components are bespoke, and we offer a high
level of customisation.

The sectional kayaks are from a Swedish company, Point 65 North
(model range "Tequila").

WHAT'S WRONG WITH INFLATABLES? 

The most obvious problem is that they are the shape you can make from blowing air into a rubber tube. This is very different from the shape that is most suitable (and energy efficient) for rowing and sailing. Added to that, the tubes flex as you row, absorbing half your effort - like soft suspension in a car - so you virtually have to use them with an outboard. And of course they take ages to blow up, are vulnerable to damage (some people call them "deflatables"!) and theft (particularly because they usually have expensive motors on the back), and not very pretty. The smaller, lighter ones (ie those that are easier to handle and roll up) are not as stable as you might think either - and the "round tail" versions are not what we'd call brilliant with an engine. Click here (What's Wrong With Inflatables?) for more pictures and information.

In contrast, a Nestaway nesting, sectional or takeapart dinghy:
- ROWS WITH SUCH EASE that most of the time you just won't bother with an outboard. Rowing is good for you, and the environment... but if you do put a small engine on the transom, for longer journeys perhaps, the easily driven hull will go faster and further on the same amount of fuel.
- ASSEMBLES QUICKLY & EASILY, with the only loose components being the (easy to replace) bolts. Contrast this with blowing up an inflatable or assembling a folding boat...
- TOWS LIKE A DREAM when you can't be bothered to bring it up on deck
- SAILS with the optional rig... perfect for exploring that idyllic anchorage
- LOOKS STUNNING, far more "boaty" than a floppy inflatable or a boxy folding boat. You will feel proud at the dinghy dock, and probably be inundated with questions about your beautiful tender (please tell them where you got it!)
- STOWS IN A SMALLER SPACE than any same-size hard dinghy, and not much more than a deflated inflatable with a hard floor.

HOW DID IT ALL START?

We lived on board our 31ft yacht in the Caribbean for two years - the 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 during that time we got through three inflatables. The first simply wore out and disintegrated in the sun. The second was stolen when it was very new (in many parts of the world an inflatable is like hard currency). And the third survived but is heavily patched. At one point we drowned our outboard and had to row our inflatable until we could find a replacement engine. It was hard work and far from pleasant, especially in the tropical sun, as we watched half our rowing energy being absorbed by the flexing of the rubber tubes.

"There must be a better solution", we thought - and that's when we started considering sectional nesting dinghies. We saw the odd one, and found plans for DIY building, but that nobody actually made them to buy. So now we do!

HOW DO WE CONTACT YOU?

By email - mail@nestawayboats.com or nestawayboats@yahoo.com

By phone - Workshop 01202 423094 (we don't always hear it, please leave a message) or 07768 600595 (direct to Ian Thomson, our managing director)

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

Quick Links:

8ft Nesting Pram Dinghy     14ft TRIO multi-purpose boat
7ft 10" Stem Dinghy          NN10 nesting stem dinghy