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

The September 2010 issue of SAILING TODAY (on sale in shops now)
has a comprehensive review of our Pram Dinghy, pages 36-37, concluding:
"The {Nestaway} Pram does everything you might want a yacht tender to do.
It rows, sails and motors well, stows in the smallest of places, won't degrade
in the sun and she's great fun to use". 

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 (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 significantly, as low as 32kg - 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 Clifford Curry, 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 quick, easy assembly, and can be "brailed up" to the mast - rather than dropped into the boat - leaving the inside of the dinghy clear for rowing or motoring.

The lug rig in particular will give you a pleasant surprise if you have tried
sailing obvious competitors such as the Tinker Tramp or Portabote. It has a
low centre of effort but, in the words of one customer, "pulls like a train!".
As the hull is solid the rig's power is converted into forward motion, rather
than flexing. The Pram is by no means a racing boat but one customer tells
us he can't quite keep up with, but is not embarrassed by, Christchurch
Scows, which are 11ft long and have a boom!

Much the same can be said of rowing. If you are used to an inflatable, with
one of our Pram Dinghies you will discover (or re-discover) that rowing can
actually be a pleasant experience, and it will become something you do of
choice rather than necessity. On many occasions it is also quicker to row
ashore than fiddle about with the outboard, finding the petrol can etc. 

SAILING TODAY said "How refreshing it was to row a 'proper' rowing boat...
the ease with which I got into my stride brought a smile to my face.
Compared with an inflatable, the Nestaway is easily driven, quick to
accelerate, effortless to keep going at a good speed... spins on a sixpence."

The assembled Pram is 8'2" (2.5m) long; the nested length 4'8" (1.43m)
and maximum beam 4'3" (1.33m) tapering to 3'3" (1m) at the stern. There
are buoyancy tanks at both ends and the option of a longitudinal seat in the
stern section helps give you the best balance between different loads.

 

There is a separate page (Pram Dinghy Dimensions & PDF) giving more details
of the dimensions - please contact us if you need further information.  

 

As a general guide the nested hull will fit on the foredeck or coachroof of
most yachts from about 30ft and up. She is shown below on the foredeck
of a Bavaria 36, still with plenty of room to either side so that you can get
forward. Note also the optional bilge keels/handles on the stern section:
a convenient way to tie the dinghy down, and just the right height to hold
onto as you walk past. This Pram also has the optional teak keel band, a good compromise between protecting the dinghy and not damaging the
yacht's deck (as a metal band might, particularly when gouged etc)

 

The picture below shows a very high-spec carbon-Kevlar Pram nested

the right way up. Extras on this boat included a clear-finish interior, teak
decking on the bow and stern buoyancy tanks, teak boards glued to the
floor area, a second rowing position, rubber fendering and a teak handle
on the bow to complement wheels on the transom. Our boats are built to
order and we can incorporate most customer requests. 

And in carbon and aramid (Kevlar) fibre, she can weigh as little as 32kg, depending on specification:  Lighter than many inflatables (and she can be split in two for easier handling). The carbon is very stiff whilst the Kevlar (as used in bulletproof vests!) gives impact and abrasion resistance.  In the picture left a carbon fibre version is shown being dismantled on deck prior to nesting. The easiest way to launch/retrieve is a halyard to the towing eye and lifting the boat vertically - not very dignified perhaps, but effective and quick.

Another weight issue, if you want to motor, is that she only needs a small
amount of power to drive her along at displacement speeds. 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.
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
hydrodynamics (it is not a planing hull)!  Her flared bow will keep you much
drier than most inflatables deflecting the water outwards. 

The easily-driven hull also means that you will go faster or further or both 
if you choose an electric motor (such as our Torqeedo electric outboards) - 
perfect for watching wildlife in peace and quiet. The fact that she rows so
easily is of great reassurance if you worry about battery life.

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.
There is enough length in the aft section that the passenger's legs don't 
clash with 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.

"We did try to capsize... but couldn't... even when standing right over on
one side - something you'd never do - the stability was impressive."
SAILING TODAY, September 2010

We should explain the name "Pram Dinghy". It's to do with the shape of the
bow, which gives more volume and load capacity within a shorter length.
With enough "rocker", or vertical curve in the keel line, and "flare" at the
bow, they are very seaworthy and dinghies of this type and size were once
very commonplace. If you are after a space-saving tender, it seems like a
logical place to start. Please note that this is a much "bigger" 8ft boat than
stem-bowed dinghies such as the Walker Bay 8.

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 air buoyancy chambers fore and aft, there is sufficient buoyancy
to keep the hull afloat even if fully swamped. The hulls of the all-wood,
and foam-cored carbon fibre versions are inherently buoyant, giving
an added safety factor. 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 we estimate that she could rate in Category D, for 2-3
adults (this would require the additional buoyancy).

Our own testing (below) shows that she still has about 5" (125mm)
freeboard when carrying 4 big blokes - about 360kg (close to 800-lb) -
in calm conditions of course. This image is purely for illustrative
purposes, not a 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 an option to have the Pram Dinghy made with an
all-glassfibre finish, see "Commercial Spec" above or click here:
All glassfibre Pram Dinghy

Pram Dinghy Prices - Pram Dinghy Dimensions & PDF