"The Nestaway Pram is a work of art... she splits into two nesting sections, which should fit snugly on the foredeck or coachroof ... the two halves fitted together easily... good to row... the boomless spritsail was easy to rig... fastest of all the dinghies we tested under power... a beautiful, well thought-out dinghy. She would tow well with her long skeg and high bow." YACHTING MONTHLY - Ten Tenders Tested, December 2008

 

Our popular nesting pram dinghy is available with glass fibre hull & wood trim (above and right); built entirely from wood; or easy-maintenance all-glassfibre finish ("Commercial Spec", click here: All-glassfibre Pram Dinghy). The new option to have her built in ultra-stiff carbon fibre and ultra-durable Kevlar, with a foam core, is also proving very popular - bringing the weight down to approx 32kg significantly - and has virtually become "standard" in 2010.

There are two sailing rig options:  (1) our original "spritsail" rig, which is very easy to set up and use (picture above). (2) a "standing lug" rig (left), designed for us by Rev C Currey, who wanted to teach his grandchildren to sail on board his new yacht tender. This has a slightly taller mast and longer "leading edge" for better windward performance, plus a deep reef for young or inexperienced sailors, or very windy days. Both rigs are free-standing for easy assembly, and can be "brailed up" to the mast - rather than dropped into the boat - leaving the inside of the boat clear for rowing or motoring.

Assembled, the two nesting sections make an 8'2" pram hull that is very easy
to row, with the option of a longitudinal seat in the stern section to give the
best balance between different loads.

The name "Pram" is to do with the shape of the bow, which gives more
volume and load capacity within a shorter length.

In glassfibre with wood trim the nesting Pram weighs about 46kg (100-lb) -
less than most RIBs -and of course most of the time you will only have to
move one section at a time. The weight of the wooden version can be as
low as 38kg (80-lb). An optional 6" diameter wheel can be fitted to the
stern if required.

We can also build the hull in carbon fibre (giving immense stiffness) and
Kevlar (for impact resistance) with a foam core, all laid up in epoxy resin
(rather than polyester). With woodwork the all-up weight is then around
34kg, less than most good quality inflatables. This will potentially make
handling on/off the deck of a larger boat a one-man job. Not to mention
a certain "cool factor", if areas of the carbon fibre are left visible!

Another important weight issue, if you ever want to motor, is that she only
needs a small amount of power to drive her along at reasonable speeds. In
a test by Yachting Monthly, she achieved just under five knots with a 2.3hp
Honda and two passengers. We've had eight knots from 3.5hp, with just the
driver on board, although it was a triumph of brute force over physics (it is
not a planing hull)! Motors of this size are much lighter and easier to handle,
cheaper to buy and more economical to run, than the larger motors that
tend to go with inflatables. Her flared bow will keep you much drier than
most inflatables too. The easily-driven hull also means that you will go
faster or further or both if you choose an electric motor (Torqeedo electric outboards) - ideal for watching wildlife in peace and quiet.

ABOVE: Easily-driven, stable and dry under power. A tiller extension (pictured) gives better
fore and aft trim if you are motoring on your own, but...
BELOW: ...She is a delight to row, most of the time you probably won't bother with a motor!

Pram Dinghy Prices - Pram Dinghy Dimensions & PDF

She's a fairly beamy shape, with lots of stability and load carrying ability. The rocker (fore and aft curve) in the bottom, combined with the full length keel and skeg at the stern make her easy to row and manoeuvre. There is enough length in the aft section that the passenger's legs don't get in the way of the rower's (this can be an amusing problem at first, but gets to be annoying on a daily basis), and the optional longitudinal seat gives better balance fore and aft with different loads.

Many people ask about the effect of having a split in the middle, but in fact the bulkheads and centre thwarts make her stronger than a non-nesting boat. The connector fittings are custom made, and include hooks to hold the two halves together while you screw the bolts into captive threaded plates (in the picture below, the bolts are not in place, illustrating how effective the hooks are).

With large air chambers fore and aft, there is ample buoyancy to keep the hull afloat even if fully swamped, and the all-wood version is inherently buoyant. If required additional buoyancy can be fitted under the thwarts and stern section longitudinal seat (at extra cost).

She is exempt from the RCD (Recreational Craft Directive) because of her length, but if we needed to do the testing we estimate that she could rate in Category D, for three adults (this would require the additional buoyancy).

In fact our own testing shows that she still has about 5" (125mm) freeboard when carrying four big blokes - about 360kg (close to 800-lb) - in calm conditions of course. This image is purely for illustrative purposes, not an official recommendation, and yes we should all have been wearing lifejackets. There was still no leak at the centre joint during this photo.

This is not a recommendation either, but shows that the two halves can float independently - even the bow is surprisingly stable (we did block up the bottom bolt hole so Mary wouldn't get wet feet)! We've not tried it yet, but think the stern section could just about be rowed on its own.

There is also an option to have the Pram Dinghy made with an all-glassfibre finish, see "Commercial Spec" above or click here: All glassfibre Pram Dinghy

We also offer a nesting stem (sharp bow) dinghy, which is lighter to handle - and an absolute delight to row - but has a lower load capacity. To look at that, please click here: Nesting Stem Dinghy