Hi everyone,

My name is Kimbal Hall, and I live in Princeton, Massachussetts (USA).  It is about an hour and a half from any good sailing, and I have 2 young children, so I haven’t been sailing much lately, but I have been fantasizing and internet surfing, so here we are!

I sailed dinghys a lot as a kid through college, where I burned out on racing.  I’m getting interested again though, and I found proas via outrigger canoes, when I was looking form something that was light, fast, stable, and that I could build myself.

My idea of a perfect proa at this point is something that is light (can be carried by a few people, or 1 person with a dolly), is easily trailer-able behind a standard car, can be sailed by one person, or up to 4 (2 adults, 2 kids), and can support some overnight camping trips.

I am a mechanical engineer, specializing in fluid mechanics, so I have some theoretical background for boat design, but not so much hands on boat building experience.  To that end, I’m currently building a Kaholo 14 stand up paddleboard (SUP) from cheasapeake light craft, and so far so good on that front.

I’ve been lurking around the forums for a while, and love what I see!  Hopefully I can contribute, and eventually share some of my designs once I get there.

-Kimbal.

hi Kimbal, welcome to the forum. Thanks for your intro. Looking forward to your contributions when you are ready. Good luck with your SUP. They look like fun.

Hi Kimball,
I’m in Arlington MA, and a recent (well about 1 year) convert to proa-crastination and boatbuilding. I started with a CLC design myself, and built a pair of kayaks last year which was a fantastic experience, giving me some basics especially in the use and application of epoxy and fiberglass. To further this, I’m working this year on a sailing canoe which will give me some more experience with the carpentry side in terms of making stringers and foils and all the other bits and pieces you don’t have to worry about in a little kayak. It’s all about building on past experience a step at a time.

If you’re interested in little proas I’d strongly recommend Gary Dierking’s book “Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes,” if you haven’t already. I can’t think of a better springboard for your own design noodlings.

Welcome!

That’s exactly where I want to be in a year! - Designing/building a sailing canoe to get all the same both with boat building and sailing a proa before I (maybe) move on to something larger.

I will absolutely check out Gary’s book.  I have poked around his website a bit, and there is loads fantastic practical experience there. 

Since you live in Arlington, have you been out on Mystic Lake?  I went to Tufts, and have spent many hours sailing there.  The wind is pretty shifty, but it doesn’t get much better than sailing there on breezy, warm fall afternoons when the leaves have started to turn, and the sun is starting to set. 

Good luck with the canoe! I’d be interested to see what you are working on if you have any pictures or drawings that you’d like to share.

-Kimbal.