Coconut is a 24’ sailing fishing proa being built in Honokaa, Hawaii by Tim Mann, for employment in Micronesia as a lagoon taxi, fishing boat and small copra hauler. She is a proof of concept for Tim’s vision of “carbon-negative” modern technology vessels competing boat for boat against the gasoline-powered craft now so ubiquitous in the islands.
“She’s lashed together. Outboard-hung kick-up rudders lash onto the boat also; when they…
In what is no doubt the longest headline ever at Proafile, The Journal of the Polynesian Society has published a paper by Anne di Piazza, Erik Pearthree and Francois Paille on their wind tunnel research results. Apparently inspired by C. A. Marchaj and his wind tunnel testing of various rigs of working sail, including the “crab claw”, the new study expands the range to a wide variety of Pacific rigs:
The primary objectives of this…
Here is a rare bird: a 6m (19’-8”) sailing proa for sale. Rigged as a schooner with free-standing masts, the seller states the boat features kick-up rudders, solar-electric propulsion system (range 20+ km), yuloh, ground tackle, easy motion while sailing, fast in light winds, sleeping space for one, maybe two, ample storage lockers, watertight bulkheads, launch carts for vaka and ama, disassembles for transport or storage, sailable as…
No less then ten shunting proas attended this summer’s Proa Rally in Poland. Like a gathering of Ents, such a large number of proas flocking together outside the Pacific is a rare event indeed. Hats off to Janusz Ostrowski and other Poland Proanauts for making it happen.
More info and photos here on FB.
Rael Dobkins from Balkan Shipyards has a new proa rig - a clever Chinese lug or junk designed for shunting. Rael hopes to combine all the traditional benefits of the junk rig, such as being easily reefed, single-handed, and cheap for the DIY crowd, with the requirements of shunting. Stay tuned to his channel to see how it all works out!
Thanks To Robert W. for the link.
LaShunk Proa Rig by Rael Dobkins
Harryproa has an interesting cargo proa concept: an inter-island ferry/cargo vessel for East Timor. The brief calls for 10 tons of cargo and capacity for 25 passengers, primarily (but not only) wind propelled, a crew of 2, shallow draft and beach-able, built and repaired by local semi/unskilled labor with minimal equipment and easily obtained materials, and a large tender.
Naturally, Harryproa has determined that a harryproa is the…
Lorenzo Acompañado II is a talented Filipino designer and boatbuilder who is exploring the traditional native double outrigger canoe in modern materials. He has designed and built a 6m (20’) sailing Paraw, a car-top Bigiw, and is currently building a decidedly modern version of the Bangka called the L20 Beach Trimaran. His designs include a 12m (40’) Balangay outfitted for dive charter and a 7.23 m (24’) Vinta.
See his work at Samal…
Pete Hill’s 33’ cat ORYX is now for sale. The 33’ plywood/epoxy design is a modified Bernd Kohler KD10 that features a modern aero-junk rig, according to the seller.
She is a seaworthy boat having sailed 40,000 miles from England to New Zealand via the South Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Tasmania.
I’ve built and lived aboard several over the last 40 years, and sailed 1000’s of sea miles. Oryx is the culmination of that experience.
The…
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…
The 500 Sails Project has launched their first wapa. The Sakman Neni is a modern recreation of a traditional Mariana sailing canoe - or flying proa - as documented by Anson in 1734. It employs a Derek Kelsall KSS method fiberglass composite hull combined with bamboo connectives and lashings.
The name “500 Sails” was inspired by the arrival of the Spanish galleon San Pedro at Guam in 1565, when it was met by the Chamorros in their…
