Alu Proa Build in Belgium
I was pleased to find this email from Ewaut Van Wassenhove in my inbox:
It was a while ago but through your website I came across plans for Madness by Chesepeake Light Craft and now I’m building a scaled up version of the plans in aluminum in Belgium.
I’m super stoked about the design and I’m making an effort to make weekly updates on YouTube about the whole build.
I recently made a YouTube explainer video or an effort to explain…
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…
Proa Construction in Greece
Alex Calothis has submitted his progress on a proa build in Greece.
I grew up in Athens and learnt to sail on optimists when I was about 8, and I have loved sailing ever since.
My father built a 6m catamaran around that time, and it was very fast, but would not turn very easily - long narrow hulls with very little rocker. We often had to perform a three point turn to get her around!! Still, she was a lot of fun. Later he bought a…
Multihulls in the R2AK 2017
The third annual Race to Alaska starting gun goes off at 5:00 am on June 8. 750 miles, no motor, no support from Port Townsend WA to Ketchikan AK. As per the previous races, there will be plenty of multihulls vying for the $10,000 first to finish prize, and perhaps a new course record, though last year’s time of 3d 20h 13m set by Team MAD Dog Racing is a tall order.
New this year is the Buy Back offer: Each team that finishes and…
Crab claws on ice
A report by Peter Adrian from Sweden on his crab claw rigged iceboat:
Am sailing my second season my modified iceboat: an Isabella Classic with 5m2 (54 sq. ft.) crab claw sail. Just a win-win over all compared against the same boats with conventional Bermuda rig. Just one thing I’ve noticed is she no longer lifts the windward runner at over 60km/h (37 mph).
The yard is made fast to the apex of a bipod mast and fixed to the hull at…
R2AK 2016 and Parallel Evolution
The starting horn for the second annual Race to Alaska sounded at 6:00 am, Thursday morning, the 23rd of June. 58 boats crossed the starting line and headed for Victoria, BC, the first leg of an epic 750 mile race to Ketchikan - no motors, and no support. For a few days beforehand, The small town of Port Townsend, WA was transformed into race headquarters, full of teams, boats, officials, sponsors, volunteers and media. We PT villagers…
Hocus Pocus trailerable proa
Rafael and Heidi Francke update us on their latest mega-trailerable multihull - this time a proa. Congratulations on a quick build and a successful first sail. -Editor
Here we go again. This time it is NOT a folding catamaran like Cat2Fold. There is a change in wind direction. It is a Pacific proa.
Last year we were playing with the idea of a “folding” (actually “demountable”) power catamaran. The playing got serious to the point of…
R2AK Update - June 9
The Race to Alaska is proving to be just as tough on boats and sailors as expected. Uncharacteristically strong winds (up to 20 knots dead on the nose) and the resulting brutal chop are discovering every weak link in the fleet, causing gear failure, DNF’s, even a dismasting. Two of the early race favorites, the 24’ carbon fiber catamaran of Team Turn Point Design, and the Paul Bieker designed proa of Team Pure and Wild, called it quits…
R2AK - April Update
The Race to Alaska - only 40 days until the June 4 starting gun! The new boats are finally getting splashed, the first hurdle of many to come.
The first and only proa to be entered in the race is Team Pure and Wild, launched this Saturday at CSR Marine in Seattle. Designed by America’s Cup foil master Paul Bieker, built by legendary proa builder Russell Brown, and raced by the team of Joe Bersch and Dalton Bergan (I-14 National…
