You are on our: 8'2" (2.5m) Nesting pram dinghy page
"The Nestaway Pram... splits into two nesting sections, which should fit snugly on the
foredeck or coachroof... the two halves fitted together easily... good to row... easy to rig...
fastest of all the dinghies we tested under power... a beautiful, well thought-out dinghy."
YACHTING MONTHLY - Ten Tenders Tested, December 2008
(click here for pdf of full article)
"The {Nestaway} Pram does everything you might want a yacht tender to do... rows, sails
and motors well, stows in the smallest of places... and she's great fun to use".
SAILING TODAY, September 2010 issue (click here for pdf of article)
Our popular nesting pram dinghy is 8ft 2" long assembled, but only needs a space measuring 4ft 8" by 4ft 3" to store. The hull is made from glass fibre with wood trim; with many options to customise the fitout. She is a delight to row, far outperforming any inflatable or folding boats, and the optional standing lug rig is a lot of fun when you've moored up the bigger boat for the evening. The mast is free-standing for quick, easy assembly (no fiddly shrouds and stays), and the same sail can be used with or without the optional boom - great when teaching the children or grandchildren to sail. Another useful feature is that the sail can be "brailed up" to the mast - rather than dropped into the boat - leaving the dinghy clear for rowing or motoring.
The lug rig was chosen because it has a low centre of effort compared to
the same sail area on a Bermudan rig - ie less heeling force - but in the
words of one customer, also "pulls like a train!". Because the hull is solid
the rig's power is converted into forward motion, rather than flexing.
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.
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.
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).
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).
 |
So far we have been talking about using the Pram Dinghy as a yacht tender. We also have customers carrying them on the back of a camper van, or even inside the garage found at the back of some of the larger "RVs". This picture shows a Pram Dinghy on a VW Transporter camper, bolted to one of our special towbar-mount platforms. It's only a foot or so above the ground, and you only load half at a time - so it's much easier than getting a single-piece boat up on the roof. |
The picture below shows a very high-spec custom carbon-Kevlar Pram
(£poa) 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.
In standard glassfibre with wooden trim the 8ft Pram weighs about 46kg (100-lb) - similar to a good quality inflatable with a hard floor. Once dismantled the sections can of course be moved around separately, making it very easy for two people and possible for most reasonably fit adults. In the picture left a Pram is shown being dismantled on deck prior to nesting. The easiest way to launch/retrieve - certainly in calm weather - 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 spray and waves 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 also of great reassurance if you are worried 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 - the Pram is already a much "bigger" boat than many
other 8 footers (eg 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).
.JPG)
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 of the wooden prototype (below) shows that she
still has about 6" (150mm) 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)!
Pram Dinghy Prices - Pram Dinghy Dimensions & PDF
Further notes on size...
We are occasionally asked for smaller dinghies. In our experience an 8ft Pram
is the smallest "useful" tender, that has or retains any kind of performance
when carrying typical loads. The 6ft Pram dinghies offered by some should
really be sold as one-person or childrens' boats - and even with one person
on board they are not particularly confidence-inspiring or pleasant to use.
And of course - we hardly need point out! - our 8ft Pram, nested, fits in a
much smaller space than any of them.
Also bear in mind, if looking at boat shows, that boats always look bigger on
land... in the water, in a slight chop, you will be very glad of the extra couple
of feet in length, 6" or so in beam, and 3-4" of freeboard, compared to a 6ft.
We do sell a slightly smaller boat, the 8ft Stem dinghy (click here), which is a
couple of inches shorter and has a pointed bow. This is a great boat for one
person, and will take an occasional passenger, but no more. It has a slightly
smaller nested footprint, but noticably taller, making it less suited to most applications as a yacht tender (the Pram sits upside down much better, has
less effect on visibility, and will carry greater loads).
Phone us: 07768 600595; email us: mail@nestawayboats.com