Port Madison Pram
William Garden, designer of the Port Madison pram. Photograph courtesy of William Garden and WoodenBoat Magazine.
Boat Type
Location
Year Built
1957
Beam
5' 7 1/4"
LOA (Length Overall)
13' 9"
Boat Plans
Project Sponsors
King County 4Culture
The Port Madison has a simple rig and is ideal for people learning to sail in the Pacific Northwest. Its size makes it more adept at sailing in open water than the smaller, but similar pram, the El Toro.
The Port Madison Pram is not in CWB's collection, however, it is currently in CWB's possession. It is in offsite storage and may be viewed by appointment.
Boat Story
Imagine sailing in the cold, choppy waters of the Puget Sound with an overcast sky typical of the winters in the Pacific Northwest. Spray from the waves flies up but as a passenger of the Port Madison, a tough little pram, you are tucked clear of the spray’s reach. Such is the genius of the William Garden design, specifically created for the weather conditions of the region.
Garden’s family moved to Seattle when he was 10 and after graduating high school he attended Edison Boatbuilding School. Garden designed all sorts of wooden vessels from workboats to pleasure craft including a variation of the Beetle Cat more suited to the conditions of the Pacific Northwest called the Tomcat.
Additional Images
