I'm looking to build myself a Pram...

[Flyjunkie]

and thought there are probably a number of Folks here who might be able to help me..

I would like to ask if anyone has built themselves a Pram (or a Johnboat , sort of similar ).

If yes, where did you acquire the Plans??? how much did you have to pay for said plans???

How much did it cost you to build the Pram???

what do you like about your pram??? any dislikes???

I have thought about building myself a 8 or 10 foot long Pram, that will fit in the bed of my Truck.. I'd load it up, throw my Saltwater Flyfishing gear behind the driver's seat, drive to one of the various Local Bays & harbors, Launch my little Pram and fish the docks, jetties, sand flats, etc.. for the various species that live locally in in the Southern California Saltwater...
I figure i will use Oars at first.. but latter on add a small trolling motor...

all in all it should be just perfect for fishing the local Bays and Harbors.. small enough to get back in the Docks, but big enough to provide me a solid platform to stand up in and cast...

Any & all Help is greatly appreciated ..

Thanks,

DEAN ~~~

[homestyle]

I hadn't heard that term before. I'm not a boat builder, but I may be able to help with woodworking questions you run into.

[Flyjunkie]

Originally Posted by homestyle

I hadn't heard that term before. I'm not a boat builder, but I may be able to help with woodworking questions you run into.

Thank You Homestyle!, that most kind indeed... a pram is like a Dory : a small stable bodied Boat that is rectangular in floor plan.. sort of like a John Boat..

here's 2 photos of one manufactured here in the U.S.A. :


this company offers built ones for $1200 which ain't soo bad..but i have this desire to build my own... I have seen a few plans on the web.. but thought if I could get some intel from someone who has built their own..and find out what is liked or disliked _ it would make the decision on what to build more solid.

I may take you up on the offer of assistance, i have a limited amount of woodworking experience and would welcome any help from someone with more knowledge ..

[DesertWalker]

Years ago, I built a jonboat out of plywood, with a fiberglass skin. At the time I got the plans from Boatbuilber magazine. I just used it for floating small rivers, worked great!

[drdave514]

I have little to no boat knowledge and thought b.o.a.t. just stood for 'bust out another thousand'. Often being told that boats are a hole in the water you throw money into, lol.

However, I did watch some discovery channel show where similar boats were being built out of aluminum and it seemed to take someone who could weld such materials(which I understand to be a real art). Aluminum being the desired material for it's strength/lightness ratio. If that's something in your consideration you might ask around about someone in your area that welds aluminum and get a shell made for a better price than from a traditional boat builder. Then you can save money by forming up the inside however you want it with your own materials.

[Jellyhead]

I designed and built a 10' mini drifter (pram).

What I did was take heavy card stock paper, cut out and tape it together making a 1" : 1' scale model, until I got what I wanted. Then I dismantled the model, scaled the pieces and transfered them to okume plywood. I built the boat using "stitch and glue" methods, which is a plywood boat, sealed on the interior with epoxy resin, and fiberglassed exterior also with epoxy. I would highly recommend this method for a beginner.

I built it exactly for the purpose you intended. To fly fish out of on our local bays and rivers. It was an awesome little boat. I ended up selling it to a guy in Idaho, and sadly, I threw out the plans....

Here's a pic.

[Flyjunkie]

Originally Posted by Jellyhead

I designed and built a 10' mini drifter (pram).

What I did was take heavy card stock paper, cut out and tape it together making a 1" : 1' scale model, until I got what I wanted. Then I dismantled the model, scaled the pieces and transfered them to okume plywood. I built the boat using "stitch and glue" methods, which is a plywood boat, sealed on the interior with epoxy resin, and fiberglassed exterior also with epoxy. I would highly recommend this method for a beginner.

I built it exactly for the purpose you intended. To fly fish out of on our local bays and rivers. It was an awesome little boat. I ended up selling it to a guy in Idaho, and sadly, I threw out the plans....

Here's a pic.

Jellyhead That is Exactly what I am wanting to make!!!! that's perfect for my needs!!! would it be alright for me to download your pictures for reference ???

the method you built it with is the way i want to build my Pram.. Thanks for the information and Photos!!!

Dr.Dave Thanks for the recommendation of building the Pram from welded Aluminum.. It would be Lighter, thought I am not certain what the cost would be. i've seen a few Prams that would run me $400 to &600 to buy all materials, build and seal.. and i want to go that route.. Yeah I hear that saying in the back of my Mind often "the 2 best days of owning a Boat is the day you buy it and the day you sell it"....

But i honestly think the Pram will be easy on me, i can store it in my back Yard, wrapped in Tarps, on top of Saw horses.. It certainly will not be as "maintenance intense" as a center consul Boat, like a Robalo or a Boston whaler.... Thanks for another route I never even thought of.....

[Jellyhead]

Feel free to do whatever you want to with the pics. I wish I had more and better pics, especially of the construction phase for you. I built the boat with two sets of oar locks, and the seats were able to slide on the side trays so that you could adjust them for one or two people. It was big enough to handle two people well. The floor was 4' wide. Basically this was a 14' drift boat with two feet chopped off of each end.

Good luck and post pics if you decide to do a build. Feel free to ask any questions you might have too, I'll do my best to help.

I wish I had more room to store boats, I'd love to build another one.

Aaron

[DesertWalker]

Nice, Jelly. I have complete plans for a McKenzie wooden drift boat, don't know if I'll ever giterdone...lol

[Buckeye]

Try this site:

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