Proud Mary
Proud Mary, home designed and built shunting proa, inspired by traditional Marshall Islands asymmetric hull proas and Bolger’s “minimum proa” concept.
Ply and epoxy/fiberglass, aluminium mast and yard.
LOA 20’, total width 8’, hulls width 1’, flat bottom shallow draft asymmetric main hull, no dagger/lee board, steering oars, Gibbons sailing rig with 9m kite as sail.
CCR was great, but Tina owns this one.
This is a really neat boat.
Repurposing the kite is really smart. And there’s a simplicity to it that is pretty alluring.
It’s simple enough I can see having a few different sizes pre mounted on their own yards riding out on the akas, ready to be switched out if the wind changes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbPv4oL9C44
More Proud Mary—with a smaller kite and no steering oar at all…pretty sweet.
8’ seems awfully narrow for a 20’ long proa. Most 16’ Catamarans are 8’ wide. I suppose it makes sense from an ease-of-trailering point of view, however.
For reference, Mbuli is 20’ x 12’
Lovely video. That is a nice canoe. To me the sail looks a lot like the rig Gary Dierkin used as a base for the Dierkin/gibbons rig. Am I just missing the battens? It looks very controllable.
Proud Mary is my boat, and I really appreciate the kind posts on this thread! Luomanen in particular, thanks for directing me here.
This is the first boat I’ve build. I was hoping it would float, anything else would be a bonus!
I built it with my father in law during is last visit, and my brother in law also helped. Proud Mary is the name he always dreamed for a boat (after CCR’s song). It was great fun to plan and make, and a nice family project! The older video is the first rushed version of it, and since then I really enjoyed sailing and improving it.
It was built (dare I say…) without any plans except a very basic concept; it had to be simple, cheap, shallow draft, simple and easy enough to muscle around and get to the water with a person and a car. (on my father in law’s list was also “fast”!)
I like the simplicity and shallow draft of Bolger’s box designs and the idea of asymmetric hulls doing without boards. I also liked the simplicity of the Gibbon rig, so I’ve put it all together, with a few drawings and lots of improvising as it progressed.
It was built from 4 sheets of 1/4 ply, epoxy/glass, a few bits of leftover woods I had laying around, an old 9m kite and salvaged bits of windsurf and lazer rigs. Cheap and easy build, even for a first build!
Goals I consider are achieved are; cheap and fast (about $400, and 9.4knots max speed the day I had a GPS -but I know it goes faster - my father in law is happy! )
Semi-achieved are; simplicity (but still can, and need to be improved), shallow draft (but trying to test leeway still, might be a fair bit, considering how high it points and the progress it actually makes upwind…)
Still working on the best way to deal with the “monster” when in dry land… (the “simple” keeps getting in the way!)
I’m trying to borrow a GPS to get more exact numbers on performance.
I’m sure it is not a “super proa”, but it’s very nice to keep messing with it without worrying much about spoiling or damaging a “good” boat!
It is also very nice to chat and have a beer wile shunting aimlessly inside the reef…
8’ seems awfully narrow for a 20’ long proa
RiskEverything, you are right, and it is something to review on the next round of “proa work”.
For now I can cartop it on my old 2door RAV4 (tried to attach a pic but couldn’t get it to work. next time!), and It does make it quite fun to sail in strong winds (keeps me on my toes!) but it is quite ok in anything up to 15knots or so.
It’s simple enough I can see having a few different sizes pre mounted on their own yards riding out on the akas, ready to be switched out if the wind changes.
Tom, that’s a good idea! I though of making one or two line of reef points on the sail, but that would also be great to try different sails and compare them! Might do it if I get some more aluminum pipe.
To me the sail looks a lot like the rig Gary Dierkin used as a base for the Dierkin/gibbons rig. Am I just missing the battens? It looks very controllable.
mikey, it is the Gibbons rig, as you say. This sail doesn’t have battens. I think the battens and spars were added by Gary Dierking as a way to make the rig more efficient.
I don’t mind trading some efficiency for some simplicity… but that’s just lazy me! Also, with no “sticks” in the sail I can make reefing points (that was the plan anyway, has not happened yet!)
I never tried any other rigs, but my sail is very easy to control.
Thanks for your comments,
Cheers
Welcome to the forum, GearBox!
It looks like a pretty “good” boat to me. Its the most minimal butt steerer I’ve seen—one yard, and that little slot that the mast pivots in instead of a strut are my favorite parts.
I had a thought about reefing; if the yard had a U bolt through it or something like that for the halyard to attach to, you could reef by just rolling the sail around the yard—as long as there were cut outs in the sail for the U bolt to emerge through on each roll. So there would be a row of holes in the sail between the yard and the clew, each the size of the u bolt, each one on circumference of the yard apart.
Does that make sense?
Then you could drop the sail, unhook the halyard, roll the sail a few times around the yard, re-attach the halyard and hoist. Since the u bolt won’t rotate, the yard won’t either.
I have a couple other questions: how tall is your main hull sitting on the beach? looks about 32” or so. How much rocker is there; meaning how high are the bottoms of the stems off of the beach?
I only ask because I am shamelessly imitating your design—but with a little Micronesian flair for fun.
Here’s a weight shift steering question; in waves does the boat wander as the waves shift the CLR? Have you ever had trouble controlling the boat, besides dead downwind?
Thanks for sharing your experiement with us here.
best,
chris
Thanks Chris, your kind comments inflate my ego!
I had a thought about reefing; if the yard had a U bolt through it or something like that for the halyard to attach to, you could reef by just rolling the sail around the yard—as long as there were cut outs in the sail for the U bolt to emerge through on each roll. So there would be a row of holes in the sail between the yard and the clew, each the size of the u bolt, each one on circumference of the yard apart.
Does that make sense?
That does make a lot of sense, but would the ends of the sail keep any useful shape without being also lashed? If so it would be the easiest system… I like that!
The system I had in mind is very similar, but with reefing points along the length of the sail, eyelets that allow me to lash from end to end at regular distances. Thru the middle one I would pass a rope loop to attach to the halyard. The advantage in this system is that it wont require all the slots for the u-bolt, just the one on the reefing line, and might keep the sail’s shape better(?).
I have a couple other questions: how tall is your main hull sitting on the beach? looks about 32” or so. How much rocker is there; meaning how high are the bottoms of the stems off of the beach?
The hull is 18’’ tall, 12’’ wide at the middle section and 20’ long. For wavy waters a taller hull would be better, I think.
There is not much rocker. The mid 12’ section of the bottom is plane and then in the last 4’ it curves up to 4’’ at the ends.
It was made this way mainly to keep as much displacement and waterline as possible in this shape, but I came to think that it is what makes it so sensitive to “butt steering”, as the fact that the rectangle is almost perfect makes the center of lateral resistance move much more to the ends of the hull when it rotates on the horizontal plane. Eg, if your weigh is towards the back the front comes up and the underwater shape is a triangle with the center a lot more to the back.
Not sure if this makes sense?
Here’s a weight shift steering question; in waves does the boat wander as the waves shift the CLR? Have you ever had trouble controlling the boat, besides dead downwind?
The waves that manage to come over the bows can affect the course, and you have to react to it. Unless you find the exact “neutral spot” to be (not easy!), it kind of demands constant attention to keep a strait course, but just small corrections usually do the trick. It is much easier and faster to steer standing up!
Dead down wind is the only problematic course, apart from that I had to correct heading quite abruptly a few times when going almost thru the wind, but it was just by distraction or silliness.
I only ask because I am shamelessly imitating your design—but with a little Micronesian flair for fun.
I’m very flattered that you think you can take something from my proa, I do believe you’ll be able to make something much better, so please don’t just imitate (feel free to, but it would be a waste of your talent!). Take any ideas you find useful, and I look forwards to see what you come up with!
Attached are a couple of drawings of the hull, hope they make sense.
Hi Gearbox,
Your boat is very similar to what I really wanted to build, but at 16’. I went for a very similar symmetric hull in the end because I just started building almost without thinking about it, really, and that was the easiest.
In particular the slot for the canting mast was something I’ve been keen to try out. From your video it looks like it works very well.
When sailing my boat, which has a hull profile very similar to yours, I had major weather helm. Do you know approx where the centre of lateral resistance for your boat is (as % of hull lenght)?
Thanks for sharing your design!
-Thomas
Do you know approx where the centre of lateral resistance for your boat is (as % of hull lenght)?
It really depends on how much I’ve had for lunch! 😊
Seriously, with noone aboard it does have weather helm, if not aback and sail up. With such narrow hull, as soon as I go aboard the clr changes, depending on crew distribution. That’s why it “butt steers”!
In particular the slot for the canting mast was something I’ve been keen to try out. From your video it looks like it works very well.
The slot works well, but I regret not having it a little wider and a stronger mast. I think I could do without the stays then. The good thing is that it takes the mast out of the way.
Cheers
8’ seems awfully narrow for a 20’ long proa
RiskEverything, you are right, and it is something to review on the next round of “proa work”.
For now I can cartop it on my old 2door RAV4 (tried to attach a pic but couldn’t get it to work. next time!), and It does make it quite fun to sail in strong winds (keeps me on my toes!) but it is quite ok in anything up to 15knots or so.
Here’s the pics
I had a thought about reefing; if the yard had a U bolt through it or something like that for the halyard to attach to, you could reef by just rolling the sail around the yard—as long as there were cut outs in the sail for the U bolt to emerge through on each roll. So there would be a row of holes in the sail between the yard and the clew, each the size of the u bolt, each one on circumference of the yard apart.
I think this is a great idea!!!
A very simple way of reefing a Gibbons.
This is the first boat I’ve build. I was hoping it would float, anything else would be a bonus!
Im impressed!!!
If this is your first boat you have built and you start out with building a beautiful proa! That is very impressive!!!!
It was built (dare I say…) without any plans except a very basic concept; it had to be simple, cheap, shallow draft, simple and easy enough to muscle around and get to the water with a person and a car. (on my father in law’s list was also “fast”!)
I like the simplicity and shallow draft of Bolger’s box designs and the idea of asymmetric hulls doing without boards. I also liked the simplicity of the Gibbon rig, so I’ve put it all together, with a few drawings and lots of improvising as it progressed.
Bolger´s boxes are very good boats. Sharpies, asymmetric advanced sharpies all have a lot of very nice characteristics. The hard chines will resist pitching and leeway, especially if the hull is very slender.
It was made this way mainly to keep as much displacement and waterline as possible in this shape, but I came to think that it is what makes it so sensitive to “butt steering”, as the fact that the rectangle is almost perfect makes the center of lateral resistance move much more to the ends of the hull
My experience is that contious rocker is superior in almost every way (speed, general behavoiur in waves tracking etc) compared to having a flat section in the midle. Every sudden change of the flow (cross-section or change in the rate of change) will create a sudden change in pressure = wake = drag.
Water does not “like” being showed aside.
Thanks for great videos of your beautiful proa! I love the part where you sheet in the sail slightly and the ama starts lifting out of the water. I think your proa is a very good example of the effortless sailing, simple and cheap construction and pure fun that is what proas is all about!
Cheers,
Johannes
Loving Proud Mary,
Won’t repeat what others have said but really well done, great first boat, love the video, keep watch it over and over again.
Fantastic
Tink
I had a thought about reefing; if the yard had a U bolt through it or something like that for the halyard to attach to, you could reef by just rolling the sail around the yard—as long as there were cut outs in the sail for the U bolt to emerge through on each roll. So there would be a row of holes in the sail between the yard and the clew, each the size of the u bolt, each one on circumference of the yard apart.
Does that make sense?
That does make a lot of sense, but would the ends of the sail keep any useful shape without being also lashed?
It might not work without lashing the ends. But it will probably work a lot better. That should reduce the pillowing from rolling up the sail as well. And it shouldn’t be too hard to do with the sail down.
If you REALLY wanted to go nuts you could use those diagonal battens like the Hobie Adventure Island. Except in this case they’d be in a chevron . That would keep the ends tight (for a while) and give you some leech.
It looks like your yard is about the same length as the boat. How long is your mast? What is the angle between the mast and yard when you’re sailing.
I’ve made some progress on my 24’ P.M.-rigged walap….renderings are coming soon.
best,
chris