8' Gardner pram-Good, Bad or Ugly?

[Venchka]

Originally posted by Hughman:
Ian: Take a look at John Gardiner's "More Classic Small Craft". There are a series of Prams, one of which I built out of plywood. (8') I like the result-easy and cheap to build, tows and rows well, considering the inevitable compromise inherent in short boats.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid25/p07a5168e4468bc9d09759043c69d0090/fd89060e.jpg

Here's a photo-pram is in foreground

Hughman,

The Gardner pram you built is a couple years older now. Are you still pleased with it? Have you ever put a small outboard on it? Have you ever had the pleasure or misfortune to reboard the boat from the water?

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Ken Buck]

hey, that's my dory stem in the lower left corner!

[Venchka]

:cool: Love dories! A Gardner dory? If so, it's nice to see two of his boats together.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Meerkat]

Ahem and all that. I hope you'll excuse my eschewing the pram in the foreground for what looks like some serious double ended eye candy in the background?!? The cream number with the red sheerstrake!

Know anything about her?!? smile.gif

[Venchka]

Yep! She sure gets my double-enderitis flaring up. Draws your eye plumb away from the pram under consideration.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Thad]

I built and used one of the 8' prams for a few years before I sold it. I liked it well. Haven't heard from it since it left.

[JimD]

Eight or so foot prams always have a kind of tubby baby cuteness to them. Hard to find fault.

[Venchka]

The Gardner pram is very beamy right out to both ends. The stern is quite broad. The bow is wider than most prams. I suppose that translates into various boaty terms like reserve buoyancy in the ends, load bearing stern, etc. It also has a no nonsense workboat look about it. The kind of boat that begs to be built with left overs from previous projects. The kind of boat you wouldn't mind using where it might get nicked and dinged. Most importantly, the kind of boat that might survive my non-existant boatbuilding skills and lack of tools. Best of all, I already own the plans!

What am I waiting for, eh? :cool:

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[ 12-14-2004, 04:12 PM: Message edited by: Venchka ]

[JimD]

Jump in, Wayne. The water's fine :D

[Venchka]

I need to make a cardboard mock up first. The Gardner pram's beam might be too much to fit inverted in Elisabeth Grace for trailering.

We shall see.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Venchka]

Originally posted by Thad:
I built and used one of the 8' prams for a few years before I sold it. I liked it well. Haven't heard from it since it left.Thad,

Do you recall if the boat was particularly heavy? Was it easy to handle by one person out of the water? The boat uses less than 2 sheets of 1/4" doug-fir plywood. Not a lot of framing. I'm thinking maybe 60-75 pounds. I used to car top a 70 pound 17' canoe without killing myself. I'm hoping this pram will be a similar, manageable handful.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Thad]

I'd say that weight is about right, not exactly light but I could carry it on my back a hundred feet to the water. One year at the Mystic Small Craft Workshop I rowed mine around Mason's Island and some said they thought that the smallest boat to have done so. Not a problem. With her flair, sheer, and rocker, I think her much more boat than most 8' ply prams.

[Venchka]

Thanks, Thad. An opinion like that is very helpful.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Hughman]

Hey, I know someone with one of those! :D

Wayne, This design is a keeper. With a Gardner pedigree, you could do worse...

I chose this design to tow behind a 25' sailboat, and still be able to cope with choppy conditions while carrying a load. A mooring tender, for groceries, passengers, etc. I need to replace the firehose rubstrake after 10 years, but it held up well at the dinghy dock.

Epoxy soaked fir ply. durable, not pretty.

[Venchka]

Sounds like a winner to me! Thanks!

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Ken Buck]

The (mostly invisible) dory is a 16' Surf Dory, built by George Odell at Lowell's Boat Shop (1994).