The Canoes of NG Yacht Design
Papeete Tahiti based Nicolas Gruet - NG Yacht Design has an interesting portfolio that includes some now famous outrigger canoes of classic Tahitian form but updated with modern ideas about yacht design. See Outrigger Canoe 50 and Va’a Motu 30. They had me with the gaff rigs, but that ama on the 30 is perfect. Their latest outrigger: Pirogue 39’ VIP, is an aluminum power excursion vessel with wave-piercing bows. Again, a really nice…
Power Outrigger From Paul Bieker
Paul Bieker is continuing to develop the power outrigger. His latest 24 footer will achieve a cruising speed of 15 knots and 25 max, with a 25 hp 4-stroke outboard. Power outriggers should really become the maritime “pickup truck”. Bieker says:
This plywood outrigger power boat is being built in Martha’s Vineyard. We started with the 20 foot power proa as a template, and modified it for a slightly bigger motor and simpler structure…
A Small Solo Fishing Outrigger Canoe
KANU-1 is a design commissioned by Paul Cheevers in Papua New Guinea. It is a solo paddle canoe intended for reef fishing off the beach. Paul writes:
My idea is to make a product that will give a boost to the local fisheries sector. At present most fishing is done from Yamaha-powered banana boats (pangas). That is fine if you can afford one, but most cannot. I am aiming more towards the women in the village who would paddle out at…
Outrigger Fishing Boat for New Guinea
Paul Cheevers has written in to share his new project: a 7m (23’) sailing outrigger design to be produced in fiberglass and used on the islands of Papua New Guinea by the locals as an alternative to the ubiquitous outboard-powered banana boats. The design is called VAN-2, from the free plans offered at the CFP (Coastal Fisheries Programme) website. Paul writes:
“After seeing hundreds of Yamaha 40hp banana boats (pangas) over the…
Poor-Poise: A Hardware Store Outrigger
A reader sends in his account of repurposing plastic canoe and kayak with hardware store parts to obtain a sailing outrigger. A Home Deproa! Thanks for the submission. -Ed
My name is Mason, I’m 25, and I work as a preschool teacher. I first started sailing at summer camp when I was growing up, and I’ve been looking for a way to enjoy it as an adult ever since. A few years ago I bought a 1978 16’ Hobie Cat catamaran, but I ended up…
Sailing canoe models by Francis Pimmel
Francis Pimmel makes pretty darn gorgeous models of Pacific sailing canoes, from the famous Hawaiian voyaging canoe recreation Hokule’a to flying proas of Micronesia. Order one for your boardroom.
Much thanks to Paul D. for the submission!
Quiquec - outrigger canoe
Browsing through Youtube I discovered this charming 5.6m outrigger canoe named QUIQUEC, uploaded and built by Norbert Rettig of Hockenheim, DE. The 12 square meter lug rig is wonderfully old school but the canoe moves very well even so, and the low center of effort would certainly be appreciated with the lovely torpedo-shaped low-volume ama. All the spars, ama and beams fit neatly inside the hull for storage and transport on the roof…
Nick Beck and the Holopuni sailing canoe
Nick Beck tells Patagonia about the creation and development of the Holopuni sailing canoe: A Thirty-Five-Year Voyage Back in Time.
In May 1981, I set out in a home-built Hawaiian sailing canoe from South Point on the island of Hawai’i to my home on Kaua’i. It was an adventure that would take me from the southern-most to the northern-most point of the Hawaiian Islands. I named my canoe Holopuni, “to sail everywhere”, and I’ve been…
Navigating Baja by outrigger canoe
The Adventurists Max Lowe and his new friends are taking the road less traveled on a ten-day adventure along the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico. Austin Kino gives us a tour of the Hawaiian sailing outrigger Holopuni. From National Geographic. Navigating Baja: Bringing Hawaiian Sailing to Mexico
CataProa - a micro multihull by Bernd Kohler
Modern multihulls got their start in the 1960’s by being relatively cheap and embarrassingly fast when compared to the monohull sailing yachts of the day, and so attracted an enthusiastic following of iconoclasts. Since then, multihulls have cruised relentlessly up market - leaving the “cheap” aspect in the wake of history. Bernd Kohler is one multihull designer and pioneer who still appreciates the virtue of thrift, and his online…
