Make a simple solo dinghy
Associated within the naval architecture firm BOW, the young Alan Le Calvez and Youri Guedj, develop a range of small sailboats with a complex objective: simplicity! The PRAM, a single-handed dinghy of 3.35 m, is the smallest model. It should be quickly followed by the first models of the Canot, a 5-meter double dinghy and the Aara, a 6-meter sail-oar.
If as a solo catboat, the PRAM could be compared to a Laser, its program is not the same. Alan Le Calvez explains its genesis: "Youri designed the PRAM for use on the Petite Mer de Gâvres at first. The idea was to be able to walk around and cross easily. You can take your picnic for the day, take a child with you. The simple deck plan, without steps or recesses, allows you to lie down and take a nap quietly on a dead body, without having a sore back. By having a little freeboard so you don't get too wet."
A sailboat designed for amateur construction
The duo also designed the boat for an accessible build. Alan sums it up this way: "PRAM is about the fun of the ride, and also the fun of the build. We also hope to attract people to the water by rejuvenating amateur building. The estimated build time for an amateur is 160 hours."
For this purpose, the naval architects have designed a boat in epoxy plywood with simple shapes. Fully developable, it has lively chines, assembled by sewing and gluing. Depending on the customer's wishes, he can receive a cut-out kit, ready to assemble, or the plans if he wants to cut it himself. While the first units were built in the framework of collective building sites with people without experience, the architects of BOW detailed the needs, and estimated at 15 m² the surface necessary for the construction.
Nevertheless, those who prefer to be satisfied with the pleasure of sailing, can also order a finished boat from the shipwright of Saint-Philibert, Nicolas Arnould.
Environmental logic
If the amateur builder obviously has freedom of maneuver for his construction choices, the models sold finished are part of a desire to manufacture with less environmental impact. The hull, made of marine plywood panels, is laminated with flax fiber and partially biobased resin.
