Nesting Eastport Pram

Product Description

The Nesting Eastport Pram has the same hull shape as the standard Eastport Pram, but it is split into two sections so that the forward section can nest completely in the aft section for compact storage.

The Eastport Pram is 7′ 9″, which is pretty small, but still not compact enough for storing aboard the smaller classes of cruising yachts. The nesting Eastport Pram measures just 1.45 × 1.27 × 0.53 m (4′ 9″ × 4′ 2″ × 21″) when nested: small enough to stow on the deck of a cruising yacht down to pocket-cruiser size or in your shed or apartment.

We have kept all of the fun and function of the standard Eastport Pram, including the sailing rig, with no compromises. The nesting version is still just as easy to build and weighs the same as the standard version. Sailed and rowed against a standard Eastport Pram, it is just as fast.

At a casual pace, the nesting pram takes one minute and 20 seconds to assemble or disassemble. You'd need some sort of pyrotechnic device to inflate an inflatable dinghy that fast.

The Eastport Nesting Pram is built full-length and cut in half later, so that you don't end up with a kink at the joint in the boat. Even quite close up it is hard to discern that it's a nesting dinghy. At the joint are two very strong structural bulkheads. Six stainless steel bolts with large, easy-to-handle wing nuts fasten front and back together. The waterline is below the top of the bulkhead, so in theory it's impossible to ship water through the joint. Even so, a rubber gasket is included which truly seals the joint and helps protect the finish on the two parts.

We recommend 6ft 6in oars for this boat.

The kit includes:

• Pre-cut wooden panels with pre-cut joints, pre-drilled tie holes and panel location marks
• Epoxy resin and activator
• Epoxy fillers
• Copper ties
• Woven glass fabric
• Woven glass tape
• Hatch, seals and screws
• Nuts, bolts and a rubber gasket for joining the two hull sections
• Pair of silicon bronze rowlocks and sockets
• Comprehensive building manual
• Free technical support from a competent builder

The daggerboard slot is pre-cut in the central seat and the mast partner hole is pre-cut in the forward seat for upgrading to sailing at a later date. If you don't intend to sail the boat, we can also provide these parts without the holes cut, on request.

What else do I need?

Broken inwales option

Broken inwales add elegance to any boat by mimicking the ends of the ribs in traditional frame-built boats. This option includes everything you need to install broken inwales in the Nesting Eastport Pram:

• Pre-cut quarter-knees
• Rowlock riser blocks
• Inwales
• Spacer block material

Some trimming and fitting will be necessary. Broken inwales take longer to install because each block has to be carefully positioned and glued in place. Sanding and varnishing are also made more complex. We recommend reading the installation instructions before deciding to install broken inwales.

Please note that the Nesting Eastport Pram does not nest as tightly if inwales are added: the forward section will stick up about an inch (25 mm) when stowed in the aft section.

Plans and manual

The manual is the one that accompanies the kits. It describes all of the techniques that will be used during the building and also a step by step guide to construction. Scale drawings are used throughout as well as photographs of critical jobs.

The plans for the Nesting Eastport Pram contain full-size drawings for every part. Using the plans of the panels with the cutting instructions it is possible to build the boat from scratch.

Study manual

This is intended for pre-build study or to help with the decision to purchase. Reading this manual will help you decide whether or not you can build the boat. It is the manual that accompanies the kits. It describes all of the techniques that will be used during the building and also a step by step guide to construction. Scale drawings are used throughout as well as photographs of critical jobs.

If, later, you decide to purchase the kit the cost of this printed manual will be deducted from the kit price.

This does not contain the plans of the panels with the cutting instructions so it is not possible to build the boat from scratch using only this.

PDF study manual

The construction manual for the boat is also available as a PDF download. After credit card authorisation a download link will be sent to the email address put on the order form.

PDF study plans

These study plans are intended to give you an overview of the construction of the boat. They are in PDF format that can be viewed using Adobe Reader. There are two pages and they measure 279 × 216 mm (11″ × 8½″). They can be printed for carrying around.

After credit card authorisation the plans will be sent to the email address put on the order form.

When you have studied the plans, your next step might be to order the printed instruction manual, which will walk you through the project step-by-step.

Wood

This option contains the pre-cut wooden components with pre-cut joints, plus the construction manual. It does not contain the plans (these are not required because the wood is pre-cut), any of the epoxy to glue and coat the boat, the fabric or tape nor any of the hardware.

Sailing upgrade

This option can be retrospectively fitted and it turns the Pram hull into an able sailing boat. The rig is powerful for its size and easy to set up and handle. Please note that the base kit (or a completed hull) is needed in addition to the sailing upgrade.

With the optional sailing rig the pram makes a splendid sail trainer. Tiny responsive boats like this offer immediate feedback and give sailors tremendous confidence in their ability to predict how any boat will behave. It is often said that you will learn more about sailing in a few days in a dinghy than in years of ‘cruising’ in big boats. Many big boat sailors still get nervous sailing up to a dock or manoeuvring through a crowded harbour without an engine. These are the very skills that are improved in tiny boats. Of course, improving sailing skills is not the only reason to sail a dinghy; charging around in the Eastport Pram is simply fun. The Pram has been designed with a strengthened hull and longer skeg to make it ideal for towing as a tender.

The upgrade includes:

• Sail
• Mast blank
• Boom blank
• Yard blank
• Mast step
• Daggerboard blank
• Fittings
• Rudder blank
• Tiller blank

The sail is available with or without a reef point. Whether you need this depends on how and where you will be using the boat. Please feel free to contact us for advice if you aren't sure.

The sailing upgrade does not include the warp – it is in the rope package.

Sailing rope package

The rope package contains the warp needed to rig the boat. It includes the sail lacing, main sheet and halyard.