TPL Fiberglass Pram - Exceptional condition

[Steve S]

TPL Fiberglass Pram
8ft with 48" beam
Super clean. Resin in excellent shape inside and out. Minimal edge wear.
Lightest version of the TPL with open floor layout for use with a removable crate type seat.
Includes oars.
Current registration and title.
Additional photos available.
$550

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This is my favorite one man fly fishing pram......in the 1970s I sold them through my fly shop.

We use 8 foot oars, electric motors and up to 4 hp outboards on them.


TP&L Boats (Tom, Pat & Larry) was a little boat business in Los Gatos, California in a commercial park with a big roll up door.

Once we sold 8 of them at one time so TP&L brought all down to Sacramento in a big trailer.

Before this we were all in float tubes so this day change the lives of 8 Sacramento fly fishers forever.


The hull shape was actually stolen from Olympia Boats built up near Seattle, WA by Columbia Fiberglass Company.

This "stealing" goes on all over the world, especially in Third World Countries......it is called "splashing a mold".

They had an 8 foot and a 10 foot fiberglass pram.



Ones in this condition are very rare now.

[Jay Murakoshi]

I use to have 3 of them. Great boat for fishing the Smith back in the late 70's. I also use to fish the San Lorenzo River with the same pram. It was light enough to carry over the rock leeve. The last one I sold was a Columbia pram with a Honda 2hp 4 stroke, a minn Kota trolling motor, brand new battery, trailer, oars and a few other items. Somone from up north drove all the way down to Fresno to pick it up. At one time I use to have 5 prams, I was trying to have one for every day of the week, never reached that goal. Now I have a Fish Cat float tube and a Fish Cat pontoon boat.
Kinda miss the pram but at least I now have space in the garage

[Steve S]

Jay,

You've got me beat. I have four different prams that I picked picked up over time when I found them in good shape. My neighbor let me store a couple in his shop, but now he's selling the place so it's time to thin them out. I thought about keeping the TPL and splashing a mold off it as Bill described since I recently helped a friend build a kevlar and carbon fiber canoe using a 17' cedar strip canoe as a plug. The composite canoe is ultralight and super sexy with the black carbon cloth finish and I can only imagine how light and fun such a pram cast off the TPL hull would be.

Steve

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Nobody makes any good cheap ($1,000?) flat bottom prams like the old Valco for flat/still water.

Before the down turn in 2008 Brian @ Sutter Marine was working on that project.

Too bad Klamath or Gregor boats would not make it for us?

There are some synthetic molded boats that are close.


When you see a used 8' or 10' pram for $500 that is a bargain.

[ricards]

Sent you a PM.

[Jay Murakoshi]

What year was the pram built. Too make my gunnels (sides) from creeping in when I rowed, I put a length of aluminum tubing in the channel and this kept the sides from flexing a lot.
I used to sit on a bucket to row but got smart and made a beach seat. I made it out of a 2"x8" oak plank. I then added two 1"x2" strips on each side on the bench to keep the board in place. But eventually I broke down and bought a 55lb thrust Minn Kota and later bought a 2hp 4 stoke Honda.
Sad to say, I sold it. Wish I still had it. Much easier to fish out of than my fish cat 4 or pontoon boat.

[Steve S]

It was built in 1975. I like the aluminium tubing idea. Clever. One of the few faults I can find with the boat is the hull flex due to the lack of reinforcing on the gunnels. I thought if I splashed a carbon kevlar version of the TPL that I would put ported spruce/ash hybrid gunnels on it to get rid of that that flex, pretty it up and still keep it light.

Was the bench fixed or removable? I hate to admit liking to stretch out in the bottom and taking snooze. Good sleep.