Hi, I’ve been lurking for a couple weeks and have enjoyed the supportive feel of the group. So, I thought I’d step up and join. I guess my interest in proas began when I build an eight foot outrigger with some friends on Jost Van Dyke when I was nine. It was made of pallet wood, galvanized tin and roofing cement and was used to keep the lobsters and fish contained as we swam in from the reef. Since I was the scrawniest I often got to paddle it in.

Lately, after studying Oceania with my kids and doing a 2-day race on an F-27, I came up with the idea of building a proa or tacking outrigger camp cruiser with my kids to lure them away from the computer a bit more. They like the idea, so here goes!

I’ve done a lot of surfing, sailing and racing over the years, mainly on monohulls and sailboards, and presently race a 505 dinghy and a j27. I’ve built 3 constant camber dinghies and fixed up and cruised several sailboats.

Thanks for having me.—Piper

Hi Piper, welcome to the forum.