The Proas of John Pizzey - Part 1
John Pizzey may be an unfamiliar name to proanauts outside Australia, but we hope to correct that. John has been experimenting with proas as long or longer than any modern inventor, and he has an immense body of both practical and theoretical knowledge to share. Proafile is pleased to present the first article in a series, authored by John Pizzey. ~Editor
A few thoughts on cruising proas after many years absent from sailing them but…
David Keiper’s Williwaw
Using archival footage, the Int’l Hydrofoil Society has made a short video of David Keiper’s hydrofoil trimaran Williwaw. David built the first flying hydrofoil cruising sailboat in 1970 and subsequently cruised her all over the Pacific. The boat and the voyages are detailed in Keiper’s Hydrofoil Voyager, which is being republished on Amazon this summer.
The ArcSail Proa
Malcolm Smith always has something really tasty cooking in his workshop. His latest project is a force-balanced design utilizing a ‘ring wing’ that he calls the ArcSail. The concept has huge potential for boats both large and small, and I’m very pleased that Malcolm has opted to share it with us at Proa File -Editor
I have a long time fascination with sailing boat configurations that minimize heeling moment, due to their potential for…
More than zero
Russell Brown has posted a new (Sept. 2011) video to the PT Watercraft Channel on Youtube. It features some excellent sailing footage of his proa Jzerro, as well as some running shots of a cool power outrigger that Russell designed for a friend to use as an aquatic pick up truck in the islands. The outrigger is powered by a 20hp outboard and goes about 18 knots!
16m Cruising Proa by James Brett
Aukland based marine designer James Brett as turned out a tantalizing rendering for a proposed 53’ (16.2m) offshore cruising proa.
The bridgedeck cabin includes a double sea berth, full galley and saloon, while the main hull contains two double cabins, and the head. The workings of the boat are the same as my Free Radical design, using the same well proven rig and rudder systems. Construction will be in plywood with ply/balsa laminate…
The logic of Madness
John Harris of CLC has taken delivery of his screaming yellow 31’ proa ‘Madness’ from Sea Island Boatworks in Charleston, NC, and says he’s looking at about a month of fitting out before the maiden sail.
Madness was inspired by, and designed in direct consultation with, proa guru Russell Brown. The design is a fusion of his 30-foot plywood Jzero design from the 1970’s, his more-refined cold molded 36-footer Jzerro, from 1993, and my…
Exclusive: Epicure, 47’ Cruising Proa
I am pleased to present the proa Epicure. Epicure is one of the most interesting modern proas ever built, and certainly one of the best looking and most original. Belgian-French yacht designer Daniel Charles tells us more about his incredible yacht, which is now being seriously offered for sale. IMHO, this opportunity is like finding a Bugatti in the barn. In other words, a golden one.—Editor
Epicure is a cruising proa which started…
Gary Dierking’s modular canoes
Gary Dierking is a small craft designer inspired by the native canoes of the Pacific islands. He started out with some elegant cedar strip versions of a Micronesian proa and a Hawaiian outrigger, but it is the “three board canoes” that I admire most. From Gary’s site:
In the late 1800’s, when sawn lumber began to appear in Hawaii and other Pacific islands, the local canoe builders immediately saw it as an easier way to build…
James Wharram Designs win design competition for eco fishing boat
This is old news, but I’m always happy to hear about another win for the team of James Wharram and Hanneke Boon. The brief from Classic Boat magazine was for an under 10m boat that would not require a license for fishing under sail or oar.
They chose the new Wharram Ethnic design, the 27ft Amatasi double canoe, the only catamaran entry. The design is developed from the 21ft Tahiti Wayfarer design and inspired by the Ethnic canoe craft…
Russell Brown Interview
John C. Harris of CLC Boats has coaxed the Jedi Master of proas off the mountain for a chat. Fascinating stuff.
Photo: Russell Brown’s Jzerro on the cover of Cruising World, shot in Tahiti on his trans-Pacific cruise in 2000. Steve Callahan was crew and authored the story.
