Topher Dawson sends a report on his method of construction for SGIAN GHLAS, the proa featured in the previous article. It is as delightfully creative and sensible as the design itself. This is Part 1 of 2. -Editor
By Topher Dawson
Urethane foam core (Tricast 5) or other cores, with glass and polyester resin, makes for a strong, stiff and light panel. Nomex, carbon and epoxy would be stronger, stiffer and…
SGIAN GHLAS (Grey Knife in Gaelic) is a new 24’ foam cored fiberglass proa submitted by Topher Dawson of Ullapool Scotland.
At first glance I thought it was the second silliest proa design I’d ever seen! Like someone had accidentally beached their dory on the back of a small submarine or a Narwhal? However, Topher Dawson is perfectly serious about his new proa, and as I studied the odd craft and read his reasoning for it, I found…
Areté (ex CIMBA, Pacific Bee), a 38’ Russell Brown designed Pacific Proa is for sale. The ply/epoxy boat is said to be in excellent condition and ready for its next adventure. Currently lying in Chilean Patagonia, at Chiloé Island.
Length: 38’/11.6m
Beam: 18’/5.5m
Displacement: 5512 lb./2500 kg
Launched: 1984
Overall condition: Excellent and ready to go.
Notable voyages: Chilean Patagonia, Chiloe Island, Fjords several times.
I’ve asked Robert Zabukovec to contribute to the Proa Rig Options section on Proafile with an article on the biplane rig he invented for SIDECAR. I’ve long been fascinated by biplane rigs, however my interest has always been limited to catamarans, not proas. Who knew? Robert’s thinking on the subject exploits the lateral asymmetry of the proa to advantage, creating a rig that is not only fast and easy to shunt, but also remarkably…
Miss Cindy, the famous micro-cat cruiser is for sale on Salt Spring Island, B.C. for $3500 US, with her 2 hp Yamaha 2-cycle outboard and a custom trailer.
Designed and built by Tony Bigras in 2008, the 16’ pocket yacht carried Tony on an epic 6000 mile cruise down the Pacific coast of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Read the captain’s log here: Travels with Miss Cindy.
Miss Cindy features a very cool rig: a biplane lug.…
Robert Zabukovec, the designer/builder of SIDECAR who’s story was published in the previous article, has kindly agreed to share some of his design methods with us here at Proafile. These are tools that anyone with spreadsheet or CAD software can use. —Editor
Most sailors regard proas as weird and freakish, and a few, the most wonderful thing in sailing. Proas have a mythical fantasy status, but they are just…
It was a great pleasure last week to open an email from Robert Zabukovec, who proceeded to share his experience sailing an astounding proa of his own design: SIDECAR. Why astounding you may ask? Proafile gets a lot of “unusual” sailboat ideas sent along over the years and I like to think I’ve seen it all, but this is the first time I’ve seen a shunting biplane proa rig. The unusual rig works well and the canoe is beautifully…
A proa takes the record!
Team New Zealand have smashed the wind-powered land speed record.
Glenn Ashby piloted the radical land yacht Horonuku to 222.4kph (138mph) in just 22 knots of wind on Lake Gairdner in South Australia on Sunday evening.
Conditions finally aligned to better the long-standing record of 202.9km/h recorded by Britain’s Richard Jenkins on March 29, 2009.
Blair Cowan reports on progress building and sailing his 21’ lug rigged schooner proa. The construction took one year, from May 2021 to May 2022. He has sailed the boat all season and plans to sail the Texas 200 in 2023 and next year’s Everglades Challenge. Blair writes:
DAIKON - The raidboat proa. A shunting outrigger canoe built for inland lake sailing and coastal adventure camping. The 21’ self-bailing Ojibwe-Chippewa inspired…
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…
