SCAMP, the class name of this little pram, stands for Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project. It was developed by New Zealand designer John Welsford for the Port Townsend-based magazine Small Craft Advisor. Designer/Builder Kees Prins helped to further develop the design. smallcraftadvisor.com/
The boat is 11 feet 11 inches long overall, has a beam of 5 feet 4 inches, and a draft of 7 inches with its offset centerboard up. It is ballasted with 173 pounds of water that is drained when the boat is hauled up the launching ramp, and consequently is easily towed behind any small vehicle such as Subaru Outback. smallcraftadvisor.com/scamppagemenu
It is considered a "micro-cruiser", and can sleep one person on a 8 foot 3 inch berth or two people on a 6 foot 6 inch berth. It accomplishes this massive amount of room in such a short length because it is pram-bowed, meaning the vee-bow ends just above the water and flares into a flat transom, which significantly enhances available space. Four adults can easily fit into the cockpit with room to spare.
The boat can be built from plans or from a kit, both available from Small Craft Advisor. It has proven to be a very popular design, and dozens have been built to date.
Small Craft Advisor maintains a very active online discussion board for the boat, here: smallcraftadvisor.com/message-board2/viewforum.php?f=3
You will find designer John Welsford here: www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/index.html
John Welsford is a well-known New Zealand boat designer who works in both sail and power. His boats are known for their seaworthiness and rugged good looks. He was profiled in WoodenBoat magazine issue 225 (March/April 2012) by author Tom Pamperin, whose description of John’s design ethic fits him well: "Welsford is at heart a romantic, I realize – an engineer with a poet’s soul, a draftsman disguising escape machines in rolling bevels and beautiful curves…"
> Website: www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/
> John’s blog: jwboatdesigns.blogspot.com/
> John’s plans are available here:
duckworksbbs.com/plans/jw/index.htm
Building and sailing classes are offered by The Pocket Yacht. You can find out more, here: www.thepocketyacht.com/
