Mini Cargo Ferry Prototype
GALLERY | Click images to enlarge
Mini Cargo Ferry prototyping and development in the Marshall Islands, by Harry Proa. This is the first step on the road to getting the zero emissions 24m cargo ferry built and hauling passengers and freight.
The mini cargo ferry was designed in response to a need to replace the outboard powered fibreglass skiffs which are ubiquitous in the Pacific. These boats are expensive to run, difficult to maintain and have almost completely destroyed the islanders boat building and sailing skills.
Mini Cargo Proa build blog
About the Mini Cargo Ferry
The Harry Proa Sailing Cargo Ferry
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Thank you for posting this, it’s interesting. The table of priorities (in the design section of the “about” page linked to) isn’t rendering for some reason.
There seem to be pictures of the mini-ferry with two different sails, with two different thread directions relative to the yards. I’ve seen pictures of old matting sails with the grain parallel to both yards. I’m curious as to what the considerations on orienting the sailcloth are.
Ferries, unlike most cargo vessels, have the advantage of being loaded by customer labour; not sure if this is the case here? Thinking of somewhat larger vessels, are there any cargo proas designed to take standard containerized shipping? If the standard marine cargo containers were impractical, the smaller aluminum aircraft containers (some of which are also made to fit in a rounded fuselage) might work.
This would let an operator bid for container contracts, which is commercially essential in most ports. Wind may, with some design effort, again become the most economical power source for shipping, but I can’t imagine we’re going to give up containerization; it’s so much faster, safer, and cheaper.