The Launch of Arpex
After a seven year build, Peter Mirow has launched ARPEX, his self designed and built 30’ tacking outrigger in Rio de Janiero. We’ve followed his progress over the years on his blog, and we’re nearly as happy as he is to see the great day finally arrive. Cheers, and congratulations!
Great day! What else can a man want, then to design, and build a boat, and see it floating on its lines? Hahahaha!
See more pics of the launch here.
Slightly Dangerous Commuter
We’ve become very interested in lightweight, fuel-efficient power multihulls. Slightly Dangerous is a 26’ plywood commuter cat for the San Juan Islands, from Bieker Boats, built by the owners, Gordy and Judy Cole.
Slightly Dangerous is not a kit boat really, but all the plywood and foam parts were NC cut for easy assembly. The hulls are 9 and 6mm Okoume ply, finished off at the bow with a foam crash-box. The deck is 3” blue foam with…
Vaka Motu - work boat and beauty queen in one
Pacific Voyagers Charitable Trust is an NGO that builds sailing vessels that only an NGO could build. Neither the market driven yachting industry or corporate sponsored racing could even conceive of boats as cool as these, let alone build a fleet! This is Rangi, the second of the Vaka Motu line of inter-island cargo, passenger, and fishing double canoes. Intended not as a reproduction of prior art, the Vaka Motu imagine the future. The…
Outrigger Junior from CLC
Quick on the heels of the proa Madness, John Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft has announced the new Outrigger Junior as the latest member of the CLC stable. A 15’ plywood stitch-n-glue sailing outrigger, OJ is car-top-able, beach-able, tack-able, build-able and afford-able, so maybe not so crazy after all. Special thanks to Proafile reader Brian P. for the submission!
Inspired by Warren Seamen’s Malibu Outrigger, this boat is truly a…
Va’a Motu, a Tahitian Sailing Canoe
Gary Dierking has completed plans for his new Va’a Motu, a 20’ Tahitian-style sailing outrigger canoe. As usual for Gary Dierking’s work, the boat is a clever amalgam of traditional Pacific design and modern construction materials and methods. The canoe features a low, wave-piercing bow and a tall, upswept stern, wave-piercing ama, and a high aspect, fully battened marconi rig. Plans are US $135.00 plus $15.00 for international air…
Renaissance of Lady Godiva
The first sail of Lady Godiva in a quarter century. The Richard Newick designed proa was built in Martha’s Vinyard by Rory Nugent, for the 1980 OSTAR. Now owned by Anne and Paul Buttin.
Thanks to Frederic M. and Golden Oldies Multihulls for the submission.
String Theory
Proving his iconoclast chops once again, Jan Gougeon launched his newest baby into the Saginaw River last summer - to cries of both shock and awe. I reported on the launch of Strings - or Project X - as she was formerly known, earlier, but we finally get a much better look at the fascinating vessel in the new Epoxyworks No. 33.
Strings is a 40’, folding, self-righting, water-ballasted, trailerable, sailing catamaran. She’s pod cat,…
James Wharram Designs Amatasi Launched
The team of James Wharram and Hanneke Boon launched their latest child, Amatasi, on Oct. 12, 2011. The award winning design, a 27’ double canoe is intended to be a practical and sustainable coastal fishing boat. As a proa designer, I certainly appreciate the elegance of the fine canoe sterns on this design, though I do find it somewhat ironic that it embraces the quarter rudder for steering, a design that harkens back to Viking long…
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…
Son of Amaryllis
Jan Gougeon has finally revealed his radical new catamaran, seen here at the launch party in Bay City, MI. The wood, foam and carbon composite 40 footer includes water ballast, pivoting crossbeams for trailering, and rumor has it may even be self-righting! More details will be coming soon from the builder, I’ll update the post as it trickles in.
Via Sailing Anarchy
