The Wizard of Oz

The proa designs of Australian designer J. S. Taylor have been the subject of many an interesting discussion on the proa_file list over the years. Taylor, an East European immigrant to Oz in the 50’s, had several of his provocative articles published in the yachting press of the day, both locally and internationally. Taylor was one of the first to advocate the proa as a serious yachting alternative, and his imperious tone combined with a superb drawing and drafting style soon made him an editor’s favorite.

This was in the 1960’s, the era of the Jetsons and all things futuristic. Multihulls were an amazing new invention, with visionaries predicting ocean passages in motorboat-like speed and comfort, and marinas filled with nothing but multihull yachts, most of them with tailfins. Taylor managed to combine this love of progress with a grounding in Polynesian tradition, and it is the combination of the two that I find endlessly fascinating. Taylor drew boats that combined crab claw sails with solid airfoil wings, tall ceremonial stems with streamlined bubble canopies, outriggers with hydrofoils! He was doing his own version of steampunk, 40 years ahead of his time. Bamboopunk?

In his articles, Taylor presented his proas as if they were done and done, a matter of public record. Yet the record is mute. There ARE no photographs of Taylor’s proas, and one would think that vehicles of such spectacular design and performance might have inspired at least one snapshot. Truth is, Taylor was a sham - though a glorious one. The multihull movement is full of them - all promising their versions of the holy grail.

Taylor was misemployed. He thought he was a yacht designer, but he was really an imagineer; a translator and synthesizer of myths both modern and ancient. An artist who thought he was an engineer, a shaman trapped in the body of a yacht designer. It’s important to know which one you are, because an artist’s creations aren’t expected to actually float. I guess I’ve always had a hard time defining that line myself - IMHO the best art actually floats, and the best boats are art - in every sense of the word.

More J. S. Taylor pics after the jump.

Botje III

Ahana

Micro-Multihull Racer

Traditional Proa

Comments

• What a well-written piece, Michael.  I’ve commented on what I perceived to be one of the themes-- the difference between dreamers and doers-- on the yahoo boatdesign group.  I hope it will make for an interesting discussion.

  Ray

  Posted by Ray  on  09/03  at  07:50 AM