We’re pleased to announce that ‘Project Cheers’ - the story of the 1968 OSTAR racing proa - is again in print. A book in three parts, the story of CHEERS is narrated by the three principle players: Tom Follet the skipper, Dick Newick the designer, and Jim Morris, the race syndicate organizer and financier. A very good read, especially for budding R2AK syndicates.

This new edition is a labor of love of of Russell and Ashlyn Brown, of PT Watercraft. Ashlyn collected archival photos from the original sources, scanned and proofed the text, and navigated the complexities of modern digital publishing.

Project CHEERS, 2016 Edition

The 1968 Cheers project will stand as a perfect example of the sort of thing that the Single Handed Transatlantic Race was designed to encourage. I don’t know which to admire most: the extreme unorthodoxy of the boat’s conception, or the strength and simplicity of her construction; or perhaps her wild good looks; or the efficiency with which she was tested, modified, re-tested and then proof tested, or Tom Follett’s impeccable seamanship allied to his rudimentary ocean-going inventory…

—Blondie (H.G.) Hasler

QUILL is an innovative tacking proa designed and built by Kim Fisher in England. The experimental vessel features a crab claw sail and a unique sliding outrigger arrangement. Kim writes:

Firstly, I would like to say a BIG thank you to Proafile for giving me mountains of useful information and encouragement to actually build this boat. I have been accessing your pages for over 3 years and this boat design is the result. (*blushing* -Editor) I am a committee member of the Amateur Yacht Research Society  and at many meetings over the past ten years discussions have raged about Marchaj’s data on Crab Claw performance BUT nobody had built one to prove or disprove what he said.  I just wanted to try one myself – hence I have built QUILL.

QUILL is a 15’ LOA x 4’ beam single-handed sailing dinghy with a crab claw shaped sail and a tacking proa layout. Total all up weight including rig is 107kg (236 lb.). It is GRP foam sandwich construction with carbon-fiber sliding seat, mast and boom. It has a pivoting centerboard and a “tubercle” shaped rudder blade. The cockpit is self draining.

The 10 sqm (108 sq. ft.) rig is different from other crab claws in that the yard is extended and becomes the mast similar to a cat boat. The unstayed mast is a lightly built OK dinghy mast with 50% less carbon fiber than standard to allow it much greater bend. The mast fits into a “dreadnought bow”.  The boom is a standard windsurfer mast which has been bonded together and a sail track added. Both spars are built straight and bent by a powerful kicking strap to take up the flat sail’s curved edge shape. In true crab claw fashion the sail is cut absolutely flat. The only controls are kicker, outhaul, mainsheet and topping lift which is used to add fullness to the sail. To ensure the mast doesn’t snap at deck level an extra 2” diameter carbon tube was inserted into the first 1m of mast. The boat performs very well when close hauled, reaching and downwind. The tacking angle is approximately 65 degrees (Kim compares that with his other boat , a K1 keelboat: 88 degrees). Kim has also devised a system which allows the mast rake to be rapidly altered while sailing and can move the mast to vertical relative to the waterline. He has yet to do a set of comparative beating tests to see whether this improves the tacking angle.

Another design feature is the tacking ama assembly.

In the past I have sailed a boat with a sliding seat , a TOY sailing dinghy, and this frequently capsized to windward when I got it wrong! I therefore designed a seat with floats on the end to help prevent this.

QUILL has floats (amas) shaped to fit perfectly into cut-outs in the boat’s sides. When fully extended to one side the other ama is flush with the hull side - thus contributing little drag. The system has proved very stable and simple to operate. The ama to windward acts more like a stabilizing weight rather than a float as it gently flies most of the time - a true “flying” proa. The boat’s waterline is just below the chine line so the dent in the side does not actually cut the water very often - the boat sails at low angles of heel.

Congratulations to Mr. Fisher for a successful proa experiment. The tacking, sliding outrigger proa may provide the best of both worlds: the benefits of a flying proa along with the proven efficiencies of one-way hulls, sails and boards.

Editor’s note: A similar sliding outrigger was used in the 1978 world sailing speed record contender SLINGSHOT. According to archival photos, the leeward ama tucked up against the hull did indeed cause considerable spray.

——-

——-

Read more about the crab claw rig: Proa Rig Options: Crab Claw

Gary Dierking is experimenting with the “spinnaclaw” - a crab claw rigging idea that I proposed way back in 2008. It’s pretty cool to see someone take an idea sketch and make it real - thanks Gary! Apparently, there is both good and bad news…

Read about it here on Outrigger Sailing Canoes.

Dave and Steve Clark talk about their new UFO foiler destined for production. Dave demonstrates the launch procedure (piece of cake), and takes the boat out for a quick flight. The boat is designed to remove the “user hostility” from the Moth foiler sailing experience, thus broadening the appeal of hydrofoil sailing.

——-

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 portfolio is full of innovative boat plans from 4.25m to 12.5m that really do provide excellent value for the dollar. His latest effort is an asymmetrical catamaran that he kindly shares with us here at Proa file.

A new idea and a new design is born: a micro-cruiser multihull for the lowest cost and work.

“I like proas but I do not like shunting. It is okay for long distances but not, for instance, on a narrow channel or river with a lot of traffic like we have here in the Netherlands. It takes too much time. So… perhaps a tacking proa? A moment please - a tacking proa sails on one tack as a Pacific proa (ama to windward) and at the other tack as an Atlantic proa (ama to lee). A small ama in respect to the main hull is not desirable when sailing on the Atlantic proa tack. A low volume ama can lead to a diving bow and even a pitchpole. The solution: make both hulls the same length and volume (till a given point). Next place the rig on the ama or “secondary” hull and you have a CATAPROA®.

“Here the result. A one or two person boat for raids and treks. The cabin looks tiny from the outside but is adequate. The Cataproa is still a prototype, but I am busy refining the design. So far, the tests are showing the potential of the boat and I am very pleased. Most surprising is the handling quality, which is even better than expected. Coming about and gibing is like a very good dinghy. I can say nothing as yet about the speed potential - I have sailed the boat only in light winds. However, 5 knots boat speed in 6 knots of wind is not bad.

“To follow the low cost approach I have used a Sunfish sail and parts of the rigging. The windsurf mast you see in the photos was too weak, I changed to a carbon tube with a diameter of 50mm. Construction is the time proven plywood/glass/epoxy composite system. I stick with the system because it is the most cost efficient way to built a very light boat. Any other comparable system (like carbon/foam sandwich) would cost 4 to 5 times more. The construction is a mixture of systems. No “stitch and glue” (too time consuming when you look at the steps necessary). The hulls are taped together and then fillets and glass strips are added on the inside. The sheer line is conventionally built up with stringers. I built the boat in around 180 hours. A first time builder would of course require more time. The total weight of the boat including the rig is 89 kg. The mast hull weights a mere 22 kg.

“I built the boat for under € 1000 (currently $1,106), plus US $110 for the sail, and plus the cost of the mast. here I can give no estimate, because the price for carbon tubes vary depending on the country where they are purchased.

“To shift the pressure points (CLR) of the hulls to the correct position in relation to the CE of the sail from one tack to the other,  the daggerboard is canted forwards and backwards. The system works to perfection.

“The only change I’ve made so far is to make the cockpit 100mm wider than the boat shown. Another update will be to make the boat foldable. At the time I was designing and building the boat I did not see how easily the boat can be made to fold for trailering. I didn’t bother to think about it, because I set up the boat on the trailer (fastening 8 bolts) then I lift the trailer and the boat slides in the water. Launch time in about 30 minutes, the reverse process is even faster, a big bonus of a light boat.

“For interested persons in the European Community, the boat is officially certified for coastal sailing.”

———-

Venerable multihull builder, skipper, designer and author Jim Brown is treating us to a series of podcasts done in his inimitable style - recounting his personal stories and experiences spanning over 50 years. Subjects range from Woody Brown and the birth of modern catamarans in Hawaii, to storm survival, cat vs. tri comparisons, and even a few proa related talks. View and download the collection here at Outrig Media.

Photo: before he was famous

Continuing in the ‘Old School’ vein, here is the 1924 Savoia-Marchetti S.55 - a twin-hulled flying boat that set 14 world records for speed, payload, altitude and range. “The most incredible serial-built flying boat of the Interbellum.”

Designed by Alessandro Marchetti, the S.55 achieved great fame through spectacular long-distance flights: Lieut-Col the Marchese de Pinedo flew the Santa Mariafrom Sardinia to Buenos Aires and then through South America and the USA in 1927; later Brazilian, American and Russian crews achieved world headlines. The S.55 will be chiefly remembered, however, for the remarkable mass formation flights led by the famous Italo Balbo - which were dubbed the ‘Aerial Armada’ by the international press.

A fascist propaganda dream come true, the flying boats were undeniably capable, and well… catamarans. Flying catamarans!

Read more here, and here.

Thanks to the Multihulls Digest for the report.

The first production proa in a long while hails from Warsaw. Pjoa Laguna is based on Marshall Islands tradition, with a few changes. The form factor and distinctive crab claw sail are certainly “old school” canoe, however this version offers a sun deck, enclosed storage, dismountable for car-topping and storage. Like the original, this canoe is also 100% recyclable (no glass-reinforced plastics).

Read more here, and see them at Boot Dusseldorf 2017 - Hall 4, Stand E15.

Much thanks to Janusz O. for the submission.

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 the bow, so it cannot move. Like the traditional oceanic rig, only the boom is free to sheet in and out. Iceboats are sailed close-hauled at all times, and tack downwind, so the narrow sheeting range between the bipod is no problem.

The sail is cut dead flat, so it is the simplest of rigs for the home builder. Another advantage is the iceboat can be parked in it’s box more or less completely rigged. Pull the sack off the spars/sail, lift the yard and clip it to the bipod mast. Install the runners and the sled is ready to go in 5-6 minutes, while the Bermudas are still still fighting to get their stuff ready in 20-30 minutes, and even longer if minus 5C.

Peter’s Isabelle Classic fleet: The G-Flyers

Peter also sails a Viking ship. Really.

BROOMSTICK is a 15’ home-designed & built hydrofoil trimaran by Doug Halsey. It first sailed as a foiler in 2004 and has been refined gradually each year since then (only sailing a handful of times per year). Although it wasn’t intended to be the ultimate in speed, it routinely exceeds 20 knots, with a lifetime best speed of 28.7 knots. Box section hulls, round aluminum tube beams, deep-V hydrofoils and used beach cat sails - what’s not to like?

—-

Tarpon Springs FL based smallcraft designer/builder JF Bedard has posted an informative recap of his experience racing the 2017 Everglades Challenge in his self-designed and built micro-cruiser: RoG. Great for any fan of long-distance challenges like the EC and the R2AK. Besides, I am especially taken with Bedard’s diminutive racer, its distinct lack of multiple hulls notwithstanding. Bedard Yacht Design.

The original CSK Polynesian Concept 35 is for sale in Newport Beach, CA. This boat was designed and built for Buddy Ebsen, the actor and TV star best remembered for his role as Jeb Clampett in the CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. The listing dealer appears to be banking on the star power of the yacht, but the listing is still worth a look due to the good photos.

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 rings the bell will get 5 minutes to decide whether or not they will be the one to sell R2AK their boat for $10,000. Buy an old Hobie for a thousand, race to Alaska, make $9K. What could possibly go wrong?

There are 21 multihull teams signed up for the full race:

1. Team Triceratops from Frisco on a Corsair F-27
2. Team Pure & Wild/Freeburd from Marblehead, MA on Mama Tried, a custom 8.5m Melvin trimaran
3. Team Phocoena from Paris, France on a Tricat
4. Team Nomadica from Victoria BC on a Windrider 17
5. Team Ketch Me If U Can from Frisco on a Nacra Inter 20
6. Team PT Watercraft from Port Townsend WA on a Gougeon 32
7. Team Bitty Kitty Meow from Lake Forest Park WA on a Nacra 17
8. Team Bad Kitty from Surrey BC on a 34’ yellow catamaran
9. Team Big Broderna from Anacortes WA on a F31 trimaran
10. Team Uncruise from Juneau AK on a Farrier 25C
11. Team Make It So from Seattle, WA on a Prindle 19r
12. Team Northwest Wind & Surf from Seattle WA on a Dierking Tamanu trimaran
13. Team Campbell Sloop from Sqaumish BC on custom Angus trimaran
14. Team Sistership from Ventura CA on a Corsair F-27
15. Team Gar from Charlottesville, VA on a 19’ Tri-raid trimaran
16. Team What the Fuca from somewhere south on Corsair F-28
17. Team Sailpro from Isle of Wight UK on a 34’ Crowther Buccaneer trimaran
18. Team 3 1/2 Aussies from Vancouver BC on a F-31
19. Team Kairos from New Canaan CT on a 19’ Angus Rowcruiser
20. Team Pear Shaped Racing from San Francisco/Victoria BC on a Multi 23 trimaran
21. Team Discovery from Taylor SC on a Hobie 16

Best of luck to all the teams, and don’t get eaten by a bear.

Follow the race at R2AK.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.

If you are planning on attending the pre-race Ruckus the day before, give me a shout for a meet up.

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 rings the bell will get 5 minutes to decide whether or not they will be the one to sell R2AK their boat for $10,000. Buy an old Hobie for a thousand, race to Alaska, make $9K. What could possibly go wrong?

There are 21 multihull teams signed up for the full race:

1. Team Triceratops from Frisco on a Corsair F-27
2. Team Pure & Wild/Freeburd from Marblehead, MA on Mama Tried, a custom 8.5m Melvin trimaran
3. Team Phocoena from Paris, France on a Tricat
4. Team Nomadica from Victoria BC on a Windrider 17
5. Team Ketch Me If U Can from Frisco on a Nacra Inter 20
6. Team PT Watercraft from Port Townsend WA on a Gougeon 32
7. Team Bitty Kitty Meow from Lake Forest Park WA on a Nacra 17
8. Team Bad Kitty from Surrey BC on a 34’ yellow catamaran
9. Team Big Broderna from Anacortes WA on a F31 trimaran
10. Team Uncruise from Juneau AK on a Farrier 25C
11. Team Make It So from Seattle, WA on a Prindle 19r
12. Team Northwest Wind & Surf from Seattle WA on a Dierking Tamanu trimaran
13. Team Campbell Sloop from Sqaumish BC on custom Angus trimaran
14. Team Sistership from Ventura CA on a Corsair F-27
15. Team Gar from Charlottesville, VA on a 19’ Tri-raid trimaran
16. Team What the Fuca from somewhere south on Corsair F-28
17. Team Sailpro from Isle of Wight UK on a 34’ Crowther Buccaneer trimaran
18. Team 3 1/2 Aussies from Vancouver BC on a F-31
19. Team Kairos from New Canaan CT on a 19’ Angus Rowcruiser
20. Team Pear Shaped Racing from San Francisco/Victoria BC on a Multi 23 trimaran
21. Team Discovery from Taylor SC on a Hobie 16

Best of luck to all the teams, and don’t get eaten by a bear.

Follow the race at R2AK.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.

If you are planning on attending the pre-race Ruckus the day before, give me a shout for a meet up.

Duckworks has a nice interview with one of our favorite canoe designer/builders.

When did you become a boat designer and what was your first real design? I started drawing boats when I was about eight years old, and I built my first one at fifteen from a photo in a magazine. That first project was an eight foot lake scow with an underbody similar to the current Puddle Ducks…

Celebrated New Zealand artist and designer David Trubridge has turned his creative attention back to boats, where it all began. Trubridge studied naval architecture in his native England, and sailed his small family on a journey that took them to the Caribbean and Polynesia, working their way from place to place, eventually landing and settling in New Zealand. His wooden furniture and lighting designs are now exhibited and sold in trade fairs worldwide.

A key chapter in the book (So Far) looks at boats and the question, why are traditional boats from every corner of the planet invariably so beautiful, despite an incredible variety of form? I could not resist launching on a practical exploration of boat forms that combined my naval architect training with my experience at building shell forms for lighting using CAD.

Some of the finest seafarers of all time have been the Polynesians, who have made some of the fastest and most beautiful boats. Their creations include the crab claw sail, proven to be the most efficient overall sail ever designed; and the amazing thofothofo from Aua and Wuvulu Islands which is as unique as it is impossibly beautiful. But to what extent is beauty a consideration for the Polynesian canoe maker? Or is it more of a practical tool for achieving the perfect form?

David has utilized his modern skills and technique of CAD, a CNC router and ultra thin plywood to build his own version of ancient designs, including a British coracle, a thofothofo outrigger canoe and a dugout river canoe. He has also turned his attention to exquisite stand up paddle boards.

Beauty Matters, the Boat Project Part 1
Beauty Matters, the Boat Project Part 2

BOOK REVIEW: ‘So Far’ Traces the Evolution of David Trubridge’s Nature-Inspired Designs
David Trubridge on Facebook

Much thanks to Paul D. for the submission.

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 charter yacht and worked as a yacht skipper for about 30 years. I’ve also worked as a skipper for a while.

I’ve had a dream for many years to build a boat, and my father introduced me to the idea of the proa - he was very interested in the early western proas that were built to break speed records. The layout just makes sense to me. This is the first boat I have built. I started about two years ago, but I am not in Greece much these days, maybe a month or two in the summer, so progress is slow. I’m enjoying the build process!

Particulars

• Vaka (main hull): LOA 7.5m. LWL 7m, Beam 0.7m (beam waterline is less - about 50cm)
• Ama (outrigger): LOA 5m, LWL 4.8m, Beam 0.35m
• Beam from hull centers: 3.5m.

The vaka was designed with Freeship, and the ama is a box section, but on set on edge, like a diamond. Construction is 8mm marine ply stitch & glue, sheathed in ‘glass. The akas (cross beams) are box sections out of 20mm spruce (I don’t think it’s proper spruce - I got it from the local wood shop). I can jump up and down on the one that I have finished and it doesn’t flex much at all. It is sheathed in a carbon fiber ‘sock’. I hope it’s strong enough. The akas will be lashed to the deck of the vaka, and there are solid oak beams that go all the way through the vaka below the gunwale to accept the lashings. I’m still working out the best way to connect the akas to the ama. The posts sticking up out of the ama are also solid oak.

I will try either a crab claw sail, with the mast stepped on a ‘bridge’ that will run from one aka to the other, perhaps 50cm to windward of the vaka, or two masts and a sloop rig, with each mast stepped directly onto the akas. Although I expect first trials will be conducted using a kitesurfing kite, because I’m impatient!

Rudders will hang from posts that you can see in the photos sticking out of the vaka to windward, and they will rotate a full 180 degrees so that the leading rudder can just trail when it is not in use.

I have made a solid spruce daggerboard, routed to an ogive section, and there is a daggerboard slot in the vaka, but I have not yet cut out the hole for it at the bottom of the hull, and to start with I will try the boat without it. I may or may not use this in the future.

Originally I designed a 10m vessel, and the hull that I am using as the vaka was actually designed as an ama for this 10m proa.

The hull is designed to take on water ballast, if I ever use it as the ama for a larger vessel, like CLC’s MADNESS, which provided inspiration for the design.

Thanks for the progress report Alex, and I must say this looks likes the most pleasant work shop I have ever seen! -Editor

French designer Jérôme Delaunay has completed plans for a 9.9m (32’-6”) cruising proa named VAKA 990. It is a “pacific” type that includes four berths, a WC and some storage. The proa features a free-standing schooner rig of 37.25 m2 (400 sq. ft.) and central daggerboard in the main hull. Steering is via outboard mounted (Viking-style) rudders fore and aft. The central accommodations pod extends out to leeward to function as “anti-capsize” buoyancy at angles of heel over 30°. Construction is plywood/epoxy. In some views there appears to be a hatch with bubble canopy in the ama which could provide an enclosed helm position.

If ever a proa could be called simple, practical and conservative, the VAKA 990 would be it. Plans are available here for €600. Read more about Delaunay’s work on Facebook and Nautline.

Harryproa has been busy of late. Here’s a nicely modeled proposal for the new VOR Inshore Foiler races. It is, naturally, a proa in configuration, but that is where the similarity to a Pacific sailing canoe ends. The fully foiling triscaph may be vapor-ware at the moment, but considering the obvious thought that went into the proposal from shipping logistics to VIP guest seating we hope this one makes it to prototype stage. Read Rob Denney’s full proposal here. More on the design at Cat Sailing News, and on Facebook.

Jan Stute and Siegfried Wagner have designed and built a modular camp-cruiser proa that was recently exhibited at Hanseboot in Hamburg. The design is based on a classic Pacific island sailing canoe, or walap, including a crab claw sail and deep-V asymmetrical hull, though realized in modern plywood and epoxy. The hull comes apart into three sections to make storage and transport more flexible.

We like the optional canoe dinghy, which doubles as an anti-capsize float.

Read more at the blog: werftprojecte.

Thanks to Proafile reader Aquiles for the submission.