Feather Pram Building Plans

The Feather has been designed as a minimum size tender for a small cruising yacht, which can be stowed on deck, or towed astern.
She handles well one-up, and with the forward rowing position can safely take a passenger, if carefully handled. It is even possible to transport a third person – for a moderate distance in smooth water.
This is really a case of trying to get a quart into a pint pot (- or 1136ml into a 568 pot if you insist). However it has been found that such tiny prams can work surprisingly well, if properly designed. They offer a safer and more versatile and far more attractive alternative to the small inflatable.
Construction is frameless glued clinker plywood, using 5 of 5 mm plywood – 5/32 to 3/16″ using the standard Building Procedure, which however is considerably simplified by the lack of a stem and keelson. A sail plan is included. This is not usual in such a small pram, but she does sail very well. The rig also makes the boat into a good little sail trainer for young children. There is no room in her for a centreboard case, so a leeboard is used instead. This is a single asymmetrical board, on a lanyard made fast amidships. It is flipped over to the new leeward side when tacking.

• Length

  6′ 8″ – 2.03m

• Beam

  3′ 9″ – 1.15m

• Draft

  –

• Weight (kg)

  25

• Sail Area

  26 sq ft – 2.42 sq m

• Time to build (estimate)

  110-150 hours