Outrigger Sailing Canoes

A Carolinian proa on the beach in Saipan

2012-01-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

I'll be visiting the island of Saipan over the next two weeks. I was stationed there with the US Coast Guard in the 60's and later lived there for six years in the 80's. During my last visit about seven years ago, I shot this video of a proa on the beach. It did go out sailing later after I was too far away to get a good shot of it. Many people from the Caroline Islands live on Saipan and occasionally they still sail these canoes the 500 some miles up from the home islands.

Rigs and Reefing

2012-01-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

Good article here by Jim Michalak about small boat rigs and reefing. It could apply to those that want a shorter stub mast rig.

I gave the new crossbeam hinges on the Va'a Motu a good workout this week. Some steep five foot waves and a rip roaring surf couldn't make them squeak so I'm feeling good about them.
I am however going to try a different rudder system. I'm getting more side bend from the rudder pivot area than I like and am also annoyed when a rudder kicks up just a little and makes steering really hard. So I'm going to build a cassette rudder that works like a daggerboard. This won't kick up so easily if you hit something but it has several other advantages. It will be just as easy to steer with it partially retracted, it'll be totally stiff, and I'll be able to adjust the amount of weather helm on different courses by adjusting the depth.

Taming the Leeboard

2011-12-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

A leeboard at monohull speeds doesn't make much spray, but at multihull speeds can throw up enough spray to get you wet if you're hiked out above and behind it. While you want a blunt radiused leading edge below the waterline, this is not ideal at the water/air interface.

So I've reshaped the leading edge at the waterline area to a sharp knife edge.

Sailing tests yesterday revealed a vast improvement with the board making no fuss at the leading edge. You can still get splashed going into a steep chop where the water hits the upper part of the board, but the improvement in smoother conditions is well worth the modification.

This will work with rudders too although the spray from it will normally stay aft of the crew.

The red line represents the basic NACA0010 foil shape commonly used on daggerboards and keels. The black line shows the removal of material to produce a more "wave piercing" shape at the waterline.

Ghana Wa'apa

2011-12-11T18:56:00.001-08:00

Christopher Collins has built and is sailing his Wa'apa in Ghana, West Africa. The ama is inflatable and most of the spars are bamboo.

He is using a double lug shunting rig. You can see more photos on his blog: http://ghanawaapa.blogspot.com/

Another Amazing Episode of what it's all about

2011-12-05T11:16:00.001-08:00

Chris Grill continues on down the Mexican coast:
http://grillabongquixotic.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/running/
If this doesn't give you sweaty palms, nothing will.

Rolling and Furling

2011-12-01T19:18:00.001-08:00

I've refitted my Ulua trailer with rollers to take the Va'a Motu. It passed the 65 mph test with no wobbles.

I had to build support brackets for each crossbeam to make it secure for rough roads.

With the weather still not that great for sailing, I was inspired by this article to build a roller furling setup for an old jib I had. Cheap and works great.
If I want still more power, I could always put on a bowsprit and a roller furling gennaker :-)

It Folds!

2011-11-19T15:01:00.001-08:00

The hinges may be a bit industrial looking but they do work. I avoided countersunk heads because it's a nightmare cutting big countersinks in stainless plate. Perhaps some paint will help to disguise them.

Next sail will be in mild weather because this is one part of an outrigger canoe that do not want to fail. I've left enough metal in the brackets that I would be able to go to larger size pins if I see any distortion in the 5/16" (8mm) ones I have now.

Crossbeam Hinge

2011-11-10T13:22:00.001-08:00

It's time to make my outrigger foldable. I'll do this by hinging the crossbeams so that the ama can be lifted and pivoted over the main hull, thus reducing the overall beam to a legal trailerable width and avoiding the lashing and unlashing that gets old fast.
I've built a mockup of my Va'a Motu's forward crossbeam and am using 1/8" (3mm) plywood in place of the stainless steel plate I will use on the real hinge.

The beam is hollow with 3/4" (19mm) timber top and bottom with 1/4" (6mm) ply on the sides. The timber on the Va'a Motu beam is actually two layers of 3/8" laminated together.

I drew a careful line where the beam will be cut and glued on two 1/8" plywood spacers that allow the hinge parts to slide past each other.

The 1/8" ply pieces that you see will be stainless steel plate and the fiberglass pins will be 5/16" stainless. I drilled pilot holes for the fasteners to make sure that the beam stays straight when it is reassembled.

I cut the beam in half with a thin kerf pull saw.

A bulkhead and side blocking to a depth of 4" (100mm) are glued into the cut ends of the beam to reinforce it.

The hinge plates are screwed into place and the pivot pins installed. The real hinge will use epoxy bonded machine screws for fasteners. The pivot pins will be drilled for locking pins and you only need to remove the bottom pin for the hinge to operate.

And there it is. It seems stable enough for the job, so I'll hunt down some stainless plate and get to work on the real thing.

Rarotonga, Cook Islands

2011-11-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

From the Cook Island News

Of the boats he's built, Brent Fisher has named three for his family, blending the names of his children with that of his wife Annie.
Theres the Lou-Anne, the Peka-Anne now serving fish and chips as the Flying Boat and then theres the Corey-Anne, which is making its comeback after a 20-year hiatus.
Corey Fisher is building a business out of his namesake. Hes started up Fishin Tourz aboard the Corey-Anne, which he moors at Avana. Adorned with a Tangaroa carving by Mike Tavioni, she is a 26-foot outrigger.
I just enjoy taking people out, so I decided to put her back in the water, he said.
Fisher says he takes people out spearfishing, fishing and cruising for $90 a pop. The price, he says, includes all gear and transfers to and from the wharf, and up to four hours of angling.

The Need for Speed

2011-11-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

A little more wind this time. Boat speed peaked out at 9.8 knots (18 km/hr), but I will get out in stronger conditions to eventually reach my target 12 knots.
The figure eight loop knots at the ends of my Spectra rigging are tightening and causing the rig to loosen up, so I've been adjusting them after each sail. I've also moved the shroud attachment points 4" (100mm) farther aft for better support on broad reaches and runs. I do this so you don't have to :-)
The GPS is showing a true 90 degrees between tacks which is better than the other rigs I've tried on canoes. I guess there is something to having a tall narrow rig for going upwind.

First Sail for Madness

2011-10-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

The lazyboy Effect

2011-10-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Finally got a little more wind, maybe 10-12 knots. As an experiment, I lashed on a pair of old rusty beach chairs onto the hiking seats. Amazing! Total comfort and no more backache from sitting on a hiking seat for hours at a time. Now for some drink holders :-)

Yesterday I peaked out at 7.7 knots of boat speed according to my GPS.

I never had a proper mount for the GPS, but even if you have one it exposes the instrument to flying sheets and halyards. There are already too many things to catch lines on, so I built an internal mount with a small plastic window in the aft water tight bulkhead. A short bungy holds the GPS in place. I like it.

Fiji was Perfect

2011-10-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

Twelve days in Fiji is never enough, but at least I'm coming back to a new canoe and some spring weather. Went sailing for a few hours everyday, caught some fish, drank rum and cokes for sunset, read some books.
The Tamanu was in great shape stored under a house with the exception of forty pounds of mud dauber/mason bee nests that we had to scrub out.

Back to the Tradewinds

2011-10-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

After a winter with little or no sailing but a lot of sawing and sanding, it's time to return to Fiji for two weeks. The Tamanu is disassembled and stored under a house there. Hopefully the parts are all still there and in good condition.

This what our cruising ground looks like. Lots of islands and coral reefs to sail around and chase some fish.

Second Sail

2011-10-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

Lately the weather has either been no wind or 40 knots, but today I had 4-8 knots of wind and sunshine so I strapped on the GoPro chest cam and launched. Gliding around at 4 knots is better than nothing.

The Safety Ama

2011-09-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

I've been cursed by a week of dead calm and cold weather, so no more sailing yet. It was, however, a perfect opportunity to build the safety ama, an optional strap-on smaller ama that can prevent a capsize in those moments of inattention or a jammed sheet line. It is still possible to capsize 180 degrees even with this extra ama, but it is held in place with just two quick release straps that can be released in the water to aid in righting the canoe.

I had enough foam left over from the main ama and shaped it without any central web/stringer. It is also meant to be used as a primary ama on any smaller canoe that I may develop in the future, so the angled struts may look a little off when used as a safety ama. It weighs about seven pounds.

A fiberglass dowel is glued into the bottom of the kiato and fits into a matching hole in the ama strut. This prevents the ama from slipping out of the lashing. The lashing is webbing with a spring loaded grip. A good coating of fish oil keeps these going for many seasons.

Launch Day

2011-09-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

Conditions finally calmed down so pushed him into the water for a first sail. Sorry no sailing video or numbers yet as I wanted to fully concentrate on all of the parts of the canoe and see if anything needed changing.
It certainly tacks the way I had hoped, and not like any multihull I had ever sailed. It comes around as quickly as a little sailing dinghy.
I only had about 10 knots of breeze but the speed seems as good or better than my other canoes.
A few things need to be done before the next sail. It needs a stop thingy on the rudder so that when it's pulled down it stops at the right angle and the mast slot needs a pin so that the slugs don't fall out when the sail is lowered.
I now know more about the effect of curved masts. The mast is a rotating one and having the head curved aft has the effect of over rotating the mast to the ideal angle. Normally with rotating masts, you need control lines at the base to pull it around more than the sail would naturally do, but this one does it automatically.
The wind looks even lighter today so I'll concentrate on the details yet to be finished.

A Hoist at last

2011-09-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Several things conspired to slow down progress: The curved mast that was such a good deal turned out to cause innumerable nightmares when making a sail for it. In the end after days of re-cutting and changing battens to less stiff ones, I finally got it to hoist without jamming halfway up. I'm happy with the shape in the end but don't recommend pre-bent spars to anyone.
Meanwhile I caught a stomach bug that was going around and can only work for an hour before I have to rest for two. Things are improving.
All this week the wind and squalls have been blowing through my front yard at over 40 knots, making my sail and mast fiddling more difficult than normal.
Sometime next week I should get out there on the water and see what happens.

Sail (remaking)

2011-09-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'm cutting down an old Tornado sail for the Va'a Motu. The mast I have has a built in curve so I can't use the old luff of the Tornado sail. I traced the curve of the mast onto the sail and added a percentage of luff curvature to that. I'm using plastic slugs instead of a boltrope so that the sail comes down easily without me having to pull on it.

A few more jobs left to do on the hull: a shim between the leeboard and the hull side to make the leeboard aim straight ahead, make a tiller, and a snubbing horn for the sheet.

Hookup

2011-08-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

I leveled everything up on two planks and blocked up the ama to the right height. The forward kiato is connected to the ama with four struts so I drilled holes through the skin and deep into the foam until I hit the center web. I poured epoxy thickened with microspheres into the holes and inserted the 1-1/4" dowels. The aft kiato only has a single vertical strut installed in the same way. The pitch trim of the ama can be adjusted by moving the lashing point on the aft strut.

Ama glassing

2011-08-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

I finished the final shaping of the ama and got it ready for glassing. It gets two layers of 6oz cloth with an overlap at the keel and deck ridge. I glass one side each day with both layers going on at the same time.

The new bottle of hardener I opened had turned red which is annoying but doesn't affect its effectiveness.

Rollout

2011-08-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

It was time to give the Va'a Motu a little sun. I'd have liked to roll it into the water but the ama still has to be fiberglassed. There will be hiking seats on both sides when I get them made. I also need to make the hull seats but am working on ideas to make them easily removable.

Ama shaping

2011-08-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

Four hours of sawing, power planing and long board sanding later and it looks about right. The sharp edges will be rounded to take the fiberglass. The sanding is done with very coarse 40 grit paper to reduce the possibility of delamination later. You sand for fairness but not smoothness.

There is an excellent resource on shaping and glassing polystyrene surfboards here:
How to build your first surfboard.
And if your really serious, you'll want to read Burt Rutan's "Moldless Composite Aircraft Construction"

The Ama

2011-08-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Two layers of 5" (125mm) polystyrene foam with a plywood web/stringer glued in between. The vee side will be the top, but he bottom will be round. I like amas to shed water quickly when rising out of a wave.
Now all I have to do is cut away everything that doesn't look like an ama.
Unfortunately I have some paying work that needs my attention, so progress will slow down for the next week or so.

Hull paint

2011-08-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

The outside of the hull is now painted and the second kiato is glued up. Now it's time to drive over to the big city and find some foam blocks for the ama.

The Snake

2011-08-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

The first side panel ready to go on the forward cross beam ("kiato" in Tahitian). I'll be interested to see how much spring-back I get tomorrow when I release it from the blocking. I planed several feet of each end into a taper so it will be tapered in both dimensions. Saves weight and looks more elegant.

Two coats of undercoat inside the hull after much sanding and filling. When I built the canoes in Fiji I used almost no sandpaper and didn't have a sander. I just smoothed everything with a block plane and I must have saved dozens of hours of labor.

Slow cure

2011-07-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

The temperature is low the last few days, so my bottom sheathing is curing slowly. I mixed graphite powder into the second coat of resin and there will be one more coat after I do some sanding. I doubt that the graphite will make the hull any faster or the surface any harder, but it does retard solar degradation and can be left unpainted.

The outer stem laminated in place with long temporary screws to hold it while the glue cured.

I decided to start on the forward cross beam while waiting for the hull sheathing to cure. I stapled some polytarp down on the table first because epoxy won't stick to it. I measured out the stations and offsets and screwed down a block at each intersection. This hollow box beam will have lower and upper chords consisting of two 3/8" (10mm) layers of Kauri laminated together so I'll have 3/4" (20mm) of solid timber on the top and bottom of the beam with solid block spacers.

Favorite glassing tools

2011-07-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

Anytime you're applying fiberglass cloth to a reasonably level surface, a plastic spreader or squeegee is the way to go. Just dump the resin onto the surface and spread it around quickly with the squeegee. Keep spreading the resin until the surface is no longer shiny but shows the texture of the fabric. Excessive resin left in the fabric will cause it to float up and you'll have to sand those bumps off later.

A carbide or tungsten blade scraper should be used before any sanding after the resin has cured. It takes off the high spots and doesn't make any dust.
Tomorrow I'll turn the hull over and prepare to glass the bottom.
I now have a powerful stereo system in the shop and it seems to be making me work harder, I should have had it in there long ago.

Hatches and gunwales

2011-07-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

I managed to find some plastic flush hatches that I hope won't leak too much. I also installed doubler pieces to the inside of the hull at the cross beam and motor mount location. Next job is to glass the cockpit floor, but may have to wait for a warmer day.

The outer gunwales went on today too. I still have to laminate an outer stem and round it off.

Closed up

2011-07-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today I installed the cockpit floor, foredeck and after deck. I will sheath the cockpit floor with fiberglass and lap it up 2" onto the side of the hull. Now I have to go shopping for some plastic hatches and access panels so I can use all of that storage space below the cockpit and in the end compartments.
The cockpit appears that it will be just big enough for me to sleep in.

Details...details

2011-07-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

After what seemed like a lot of progress in the first 24 hours, reality sets in during the next 24. All those fiddly little parts to make and fit inside take a lot of time and don't look like you've done much. Several half bulkheads have been filleted and glassed into place to support the cockpit floor.

While I plan to use a stayed mast that will step on the cockpit floor, I want to have the option of using one of my unstayed rigs later, so I fitted a strong plywood box structure to allow a mast to step right down on the hull bottom. I could have glassed in a section of PVC pipe but didn't have anything the right size.

The cockpit floor has stiffeners glued to its underside and will be put in place tomorrow. The fore and aft deck are also ready to go. I always hate covering up all that work in the bilge.

24 Hours

2011-07-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

The Va'a Motu is coming along quickly. I have a basic hull shell after 24 hours of labor. Fijian Kauri stringers, 1/4" (6mm) Gaboon ply (nice and light) and epoxy glue.

The Va'a Motu

2011-07-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a new 20' (6M) design lately that borrows some features of the Tahitian va'a motu. The hollow clipper bow, the raised transom stern, the mixed attachments between the ama and the iakos, and the curved gull wing iakos are seen on the fast lagoon sailers in Eastern Polynesia.

The forward iako is made stiffer and stronger than the aft one. The more flexible aft iako acts as a spring to allow the ama to change pitch with the water surface.

The leeboard and quarter rudder are arranged in a similar way to the Tamanu. An outboard motor can be clamped on the ama side of the hull. The long cockpit between the water tight bulkheads has a raised floor and is self bailing. The 20' (6M) hull is flat bottomed and requires six sheets of 1/4" (6mm) plywood to construct.

The stayed rig is high aspect with a sheetlet sheeting system similar to junk sails. The sheetlets control twist in the sail and make reefing as simple as it is with a junk rig.

This painting of a va'a motu by the late Herb Kane is based on drawings and accounts from Captain Cook's visit.

I've begun construction of the full scale prototype and hope to have it sailing in a few months.

Grillabongquixotic's Blog

2011-07-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Chris Grill has published an extensive review of his experiences building and sailing a stretched (22') T2 design. Anyone considering building a shunting proa should study this carefully. Chris has sailed it hard in all conditions in the open sea. His review is fair and well balanced about the good and bad points of this type of sailing proa.

Ulua by Hannah Jenkins

2011-06-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

I was very pleased to receive these photos of Hannah Jenkins' Ulua project. It's a little different from standard in that the hull is shorter at 16' (4.8M) and is cold molded from two diagonal layers of ash veneer.

Above photo by Jenny Steer, http://www.jennysteer.co.uk/

Hannah installed a sealed floor for extra flotation.

An elegant socket for the crossbeams was molded with ten layers of fiberglass cloth.

There are many more photos here and here.

Hannah is now starting her own boatbuilding business in the UK and her Ulua "Olive" is for sale. You can contact Hannah at: hannahjenkins77 (at) gmail.com

Junior High Wa'apa

2011-06-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Gary,

Just yesterday our entire jr. high went to Mission Bay and launched our outrigger. It has been two years in the making, and came out great. I've paddled the Molokai Channel race and have plenty of seat time in larger canoes, and I was impressed with how well your/our little 16'er works. Fast boat, although some weathercocking was evident as the wind built. I'll work on that as rigging experience improves. She's 6oz sheathed on the bottom up to the yellow topsides, and she's built of 6mm Harbortek meranti ply. We did our own scarf joints (I'm the math teacher too); in fact, the whole boat was built in my classroom with zero fancy shop tools! The ama is selected Home Depot 1X6's stacked cake fashion, but we cut the interior out as we went, so it's essentially hollow. Very cheap that way, but a lot of power planing. The beams were simple laminations of HomeDepot cheap pine and WEST.

Scot Copeland

Julian, CA

The ama was built the way we used to make model boat hulls.

Lots of planing and sanding though.

Dan's Ulua for Sale

2011-06-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

I’m reluctantly putting my Ulua “Anhinga” for sale. I haven’t had the chance to use it like it deserves & am entertaining offers. It’s featured in Gary’s book Building outrigger Sailing canoes in one picture.
Some details about the boat:
Stretched to 21’—fits in a standard garage
Tanbark reefable sprit boomed sail by B&B yacht designs--128 s.f. or about 80 reefed
Mast is bombproof (but heavy) and features sail track and slides on the sail to make reefing easy
Can be set up or sailed as an outrigger or a trimaran
Custom tramps
Quarter rudder adapted from a dingy rudderhead and a 0009 blade that kicks up
Lots of other details but pictures might be best.

Contact
Dan St. Gean
dstgean@yahoo.com

Outrigger Art

2011-05-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

I recently acquired this print of a painting, by Andi Merkins, of a fishing outrigger in the Cook Islands. Marine art like aviation art does not allow for much artistic license, the details need to be anatomically correct, as is the case with this painting.

This water color of my own Te Wa was painted by Harmen Hielkema several years ago. There are more of his canoe paintings at his art blog:
http://harmensartblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/art-gallery-work-of-harmen-hielkema.html

Laguna Bacalar

2011-04-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

Gunnar Jentzsch is running adventure tours in Laguna Bacalar, Mexico with his double Wa'apa and his stretched Ulua. These videos will give you a nice idea what a day spent with Gunnar is like.

The Real Thing

2011-03-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

Beautifully built dugout canoes are a rarity these days, but David Kunert is doing his bit to keep the art alive. You can own one too. See all the details at one of David's sites:
http://traditionaloutriggercanoeforsale.blogspot.com/
http://tevitakunato.blogspot.com/

Takapu for Sale

2011-03-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

Harmen Hielkema's 6.9M (22.6') shunting proa is for sale. Like me, he has more canoes than he can now do justice to. This sale consists of the main hull, ama, two asymmetric steering daggerboards, a boom and a yard. More details at Harmen's site.

Everglades Challenge

2011-03-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 5 is the start of the annual Everglades challenge, where kayaks, canoes and small boats race (or cruise) 300 miles from Tampa Bay, Florida to Key Largo. My friend Wade Tarzia is entered in his "Short Dragon" (above) now equipped with two inflatable amas, making the whole canoe much more portable from Connecticut.

Bob Dalton has also entered his 24' Wa'apa equipped with a lug main and sprit mizzen.

Surf Ulua in Mexico

2011-02-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

Sal Smario sent me these photos from Punta Mita, Nayarit, Mexico. This is a three seat stretched Ulua rigged for fun in the surf. Notice the larger floatier ama with a flat bottom and plenty of rocker up forward, developed in Hawaii just for surfing. For speed under sail a wave piercing ama shape is the way to go, unless you plan to sail down very steep waves a lot.
Sal plans to build two more Uluas.

Wa'apa by Joao Rivera

2011-02-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Joao Rivera in Rio De Janeiro has been powering away on his Wa'apa project. And for you builders out there, he is photographing every step of the way on his blog: http://kiaoratearoa.blogspot.com/

Ulua by Bas Martens

2011-02-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

Bas Martens recently launched his Ulua in Auckland, NZ. The hull is strip planked Paulownia, a timber grown on plantations in Australia and New Zealand. Paulownia is slightly lighter than cedar but heavier than balsa.
You can follow the project at his blog: http://uluabuild.blogspot.com/

South Carolina Wa'apa

2011-02-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

Rich Taylor is a teacher in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and he helped his students to construct a Wa'apa canoe. This is the kind of project I am most proud of because of the long term benefits for the young people involved. It it something that they will not forget and will empower them to even more ambitious projects in the future.
Here's a video of the launching ceremony complete with a Hawaiian chief:

Double Wa'apa

2011-01-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

Gunnar Jentzsch in Mexico has turned two Wa'apa hulls into a Hawaiian style double canoe. You can sail aboard his canoes and share his adventures at his Active Nature tours.

Hollow Beams

2010-12-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

Hollow crossbeams (iako, kiato, aka) are a good way to save weight without losing strength or stiffness. In the first photo, a 5/8" (16mm) board has been clamped to locater blocks screwed to the workbench. Spacer blocking is glued to the interior surface at regular intervals and importantly where the beam crosses the gunwales of the canoe.

The top member of the beam is another 5/8" thick board and is glued and clamped to the spacer blocks.

Solid blocking at the ama end of the beam is longer to take an inserted dowel later.

1/4" (6mm) or 3/16" (4mm) plywood is glued and nailed (or stapled) to both sides of the beam. After the glue under the first layer of plywood has cured, remove the clamps and put plywood on the other side. I can't remember how much springback there was, but is was not much.

A hardwood dowel (old shovel handle) is glued into the end of the beam for a Wa'apa style connection. The end of the beam will later be finished with several wraps of fiberglass to prevent splitting.

These are the beams I've been using for several years on my Wa'apa canoe.

Wa'apa missing

2010-12-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

Stephen Sleight's 16' Wa'apa has taken from the beach in Maui and he's like to have it back. Contact me if you have any information.

Meanwhile Stephen has built a smaller 12' version of a Wa'apa or Tamanu out of two sheets of plywood.

Stephen built an 18' T2 several years ago and now needs to sell it. Contact me if you are interested.

Big Weekend in Savusavu, Fiji

2010-11-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Savusavu in Fiji hosted the Fiji National Outrigger paddling Regatta. Fiberglass OC6 canoes were racing but I was more interested in the sailing canoes that came from Rabi Island. Rabi Island is populated with people from Banaba in Kiribati and their canoes are built in the Kiribati style.

The 75' Uto-ni-Yalo, recently returned from a cruise through New Zealand and most of Polynesia was also in town for the week.

Savusavu is one of my favorite South Sea towns. A well protected anchorage, wonderful people, good food and plenty of cold beer. Thanks to Leanne Hunter for the photographs.

Eric Lyon's "Seaweed"

2010-11-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Eric Lyon designed and built the 32' "Seaweed" for cruising in British Columbia. The box section hull can sleep two adults inside. Curved crossbeams lead to a diamond box section ama filled with foam. Eric is still deciding about the sailing rig. Most likely a tacking lug rig will be used, or a cambered Chinese lug if I can talk him into it.

More Junk Rig Tests

2010-10-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

I finally got out with the junk rig again. I'd cut off the Gurney flap because I just couldn't see it being a benefit on a fast easily driven hull. Maybe the high lift/high drag device would be of benefit to a slower heavier hull. In any case I did max out at 10.2 knots of boat speed in a 10-15 knot wind.

I even reefed on the way home just to see if it is as easy as advertised, and it is. I eased the sheet, went forward and lowered the sail down two battens and it was done. The upper sections of the sail are cut flatter than the lower sections, so you are all set for whatever the wind gods throw at you.

There is one detail that you don't want to forget when sailing any small craft. Be sure that there is some way to prevent the mast from coming out of its step in the event of a capsize. A partial dislodging of the mast can cause all kinds of damage to the mast collar, the hull or to the mast itself. In the photo above I have hose-clamped a section of bamboo around the mast just below the deck and collar. A down haul line from the boom to the deck will also do the job. I have done mine this way to allow the mast to still rotate.

Barracuda

2010-10-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

My wife Rose and I have just returned from 12 days aboard a friend's catamaran cruising the Yasawa Islands in Fiji. Rose is an avid fisher-person and hooked up with this five foot barracuda. It was delicious.

Expedition to Papua New Guinea

2010-09-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

A fine collection of canoe photos from Papua New Guinea.

A Proalific Builder

2010-09-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

Gunnar Jentzsch of Laguna Bacalar, Mexico began by building one 24' Wa'apa with a shunting rig.

Then he decided to try the tacking rig

So why not build a second hull and have room for more friends.

Ah, but single outriggers are so much fun, I'd better build a 27' stretched Ulua.

Beautiful inlays.

Where will it all end?

Cambered Junk rig on a Wa'apa

2010-08-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've just had my first test sail using a 100 sq ft cambered junk sail on my 24' Wa'apa. I have to give credit to Mike Mulcahy and his Duckworks article, and to Arne Kverneland of the Yahoo Junk Rig forum for inspiration.
I've gradually realized that I've been deterred from some expeditions because of the limited reefing capabilities of traditional Oceanic sails. The Chinese junk rig is famous for being the quickest and easiest to reef, but it has also gained a poor reputation for windward ability in modern adaptations. Modern stiff sail fabrics can be blamed for much of this problem. The junk sail is traditionally cut as a flat panel and this worked well with old style stretchy fabric which would form an airfoil shape when the wind started blowing. When polyester fabric was used in a flat cut sail, no shape was produced and neither was much lift.
My heavy duty polytarp cambered junk sail is made up of individual barrel shaped panels that are sewn together at the batten locations. The battens are two pieces screwed together through the fabric and are intentionally very stiff. The bottom batten is also the boom and the yard at the top is a stiffer spar.
The leech along the bottom three panels has a 5" extension called a Gurney flap. There is some argument about the effectiveness of this device, but I will stay with it for a while and cut it off if it does more harm than good. So far it doesn't seem to hurt the otherwise excellent performance. I don't have any GPS tacking angle data yet due to a battery problem, but will get that the next time I'm out. It's winter here and sailing days are few and far between.

T2 progress

2010-08-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Andrew Bennett in Oregon is making progress on his 18' (5.4 M) T2 sailing proa. The planking is red cedar and the keel is mahogany. Note the asymmetric hull shape.

Ulua in Austria

2010-08-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

Peter Mitteregger in Austria sent me these photos of his newly launched Ulua.

O Tahiti Nui Freedom

2010-08-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

The 50' "O Tahiti Nui Freedom" outrigger canoe left Tahiti July 27 and is headed for China. It's been a long time since a tacking single outrigger has made a long ocean passage. The canoe will make many stops on the way to Shanghai and has already arrived in Rarotonga.
Follow along at their website

Tamanu sailing in Fiji

2010-07-03T01:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a short video of my Tamanu canoe sailing in Fiji during last May. I made some progress with the reefing system on the sprit rig. Instead of the traditional thumb cleat on the mast to hold the snotter, I now hang the base of the sprit on a loop of parrel beads that are held by a light spectra line to the head of the sail. To reef, I just lower the halyard and the sprit comes down with it. Retie the tack and clew and you're away.
You won't see it on the video where I'm using a small red triangular sail.

Return to Paradise

2010-05-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

I've realized that something important has been missing from this blog; pretty girls sitting in outrigger canoes. These Tahitian girls are using a canoe very similar to my Wa'apa but with the characteristic Tahitian ama and iatos.
Rose and I are leaving soon for another month in Fiji. The weather here in New Zealand is cooling down for the coming winter and I'm looking forward to some warm water. My yellow Tamanu canoe is stowed under a pole house where we'll be staying. A day of putting it all back together and we should be back out on the water looking for big fish to hook and new beaches to explore.

Tim Anderson in the Channel Islands

2010-04-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Tim Anderson has returned to the Channel Islands in California to continue another one of his outrigger canoe cruises/missions.
http://www.instructables.com/id/ChannelIslands2/

The OutRig Project

2010-03-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Jim Brown, the legendary multihull designer, has probably had more influence on my life's work and path than anyone. The photo above is of my own Searunner 37 "Bird of Dawning" sailing off Hawaii in the 1970's. He has now created a website to document the history of modern mulihull sailing craft. Watch the first two videos to get an idea of what's coming next.

Jacob Bencke's Ulua construction photos

2010-02-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

Jacob Bencke took many construction photos during his Ulua project. See more photos Here.

Fiji Race

2010-01-31T13:58:00.001-08:00

Four camakaus raced in the first of an annual race held in Suva, Fiji on the 23 rd of January. Thanks to Michael Koch of Savusavu for the photos.
The blue tarp sail won most of the races.

Ulua with a masthead cam

2010-01-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

I built a special mount out of PVC pipe and an FCS surfboard fin socket that slips over the top of the mast. The Go-Pro camera comes with a fitting to insert into these inexpensive sockets for surfboard fins.

Proa races in Suva, Fiji

2010-01-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

Do try to be in Suva for the camakau (pronounced tham- ah-kau) races on Saturday the 23 rd of January. Canoes from Fulaga and Moce will battle it out in this the first of an annual event. Please send photos if you are there.
More details at the Fiji Times.
Photo from the Fiji Times.

Ulua with onboard Go-Pro cam

2010-01-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

This is the first video I've taken with my new Go-Pro video cam mounted on the foredeck of my Ulua. Click on the image to watch the video.

What I've been doing lately

2009-12-28T12:52:00.000-08:00

What do you do with a bargain basement priced 35 year old Tornado sailing catamaran when its sailing days are past? I had a couple of choices. I could restore and reinforce the hulls, buy new sails and rigging, and sail it like the designer intended, but somehow I could not see myself righting that 27' rig after a capsize. I could have used the two hulls as amas and built a longer center hull to make a small cruising trimaran. This has been successfully done by others.
Or I could make it into an outboard powered fishing and day cruising boat. The last choice seemed the easiest because not only do I already have a yard full of sailing canoes but I had a 9.9 hp Honda outboard and was interested to see how fast I could drive these hulls.

I tried to keep everything as light as possible while still spending the minimum amount of money. There are four hollow plywood girders bridging between the two original aluminum crossbeams. The deck is 9mm (3/8") Meranti ply. The sides and seats are all 6mm (1/4") ply.
I had to do some test runs to get the motor height just right. You can lose a lot of speed if the prop is too deep and it will ventilate if it is too shallow.
My GPS read a maximum speed of 13.8 knots (25.5 km/h).
Future work will involve reducing the spray from the engine that hits the aft crossbeam and possibly fitting a dodger/awning for sun and wind protection.
And in true outrigger style, the entire platform is lashed to the crossbeams with polyester line.
I have to admit that I was partially inspired to do this by Russell Brown's "Skeeter", although his is designed for rougher conditions than mine.

Mbuli, a Pacific proa design

2009-12-19T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is the "Squid" a Mbuli class proa designed by John Harris of CLC boats, and built by David Howie of New Zealand. It's a fast powerful design and was impressive at the recent New Zealand Proa Congress. Read more about this project at the Wikiproa.

James Brett's "Free Radical"

2009-12-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

James Brett's 16' "Free Radical" with a next generation junk rig performed well at the 2009 New Zealand proa congress. You can find out more at his website.

Vanuatu Outrigger Sailing Races

2009-11-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of sailing outriggers from Lelepa Island racing in a cultural festival held recently in Vanuatu. I did not know that sprit rigs were in use there. Note the low attachment point of the sprit which prevents any chance of reefing the sail by lowering the sprit. The alternative is to remove the sprit altogether and fold the top half of the sail down and around the mast.
Thanks to Francis Hickey for taking the photos and Don Miller for sending them.

NZ Proa Congress 2009

2009-11-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

Here's some video clips of shunting and tacking outrigger canoes romping off Arkle's Beach in the North Island of New Zealand.

The Real Thing

2009-11-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

I spent a few days in Suva, the capitol of Fiji, and hunted down any sailing outriggers I could find. The first is the "Laisenia" found stored at the Arts Council. The Laisenia is a thamakau and is smaller than the larger ndrua battleships.

The Laisenia appeared to still be restorable. Many of the smaller poles and spars were rotted but the hull appeared to be mostly sound.

Note the extra intermediate diagonal struts connecting the ama to a fore and aft pole lashed to the main crossbeams.

The bows of Fijian canoes are slightly different at each end although the canoe uses a shunting rig and sails in either direction.

This is another thamakau mounted on the wall of the Fiji Museum. It looked to be 25-30 feet long. Note the rail along the leeward side to allow the yard to slide smoothly along it during a shunt.

This a a small ndrua, maybe 40 feet or so. The ama on a ndrua is larger than a thamakau and is actually a small hollow hull. The high platform amidships prevents the rig from falling over if the sail is set aback. The steering oars are quite large and provide the only lateral resistance in a very round bottomed hull.

Tamanu video

2009-11-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

This video was shot from the beach showing the sprit rig in light wind and the small sail in 25 knots of wind.
The best sailing videos are shot from a chase boat but unfortunately I didn't have one. Shooting from onboard with any conventional lens gives a narrow field of view and misses the best times because your hands are full when things really get going.
For these reasons I have just ordered a Go-Pro Hi definition waterproof head cam that can be mounted on the canoe. A 170 degree field of view should make a remarkable improvement. Stay tuned.

Sail Power

2009-10-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

I had long wanted to gain experience with the sprit rig and to find out how adaptable it would be for outrigger sailing canoes. I had brought two sails with me to Fiji; an 89 Sq Ft sprit sail cut out of an old beach catamaran sail and a small 46 Sq Ft triangular sail for high wind sailing. The bigger sprit sail had a row of reef points that allowed it to be reduced to 63 Sq Ft. All three sizes were used quite a lot. It is possible to reef the big sail at sea, but it is a precarious undertaking because you do have to stand up on the foredeck to lower the sprit to the new position. Fortunately there was always a small island nearby that allowed this to be done more easily on the beach. No doubt with a few more tracks and blocks etc, it could all be done without standing up on the deck, but I was trying to keep it all as simple as possible.
Once the sail is reefed down, it is possible to reduce the area even more by removing the sprit all together and pulling the peak down and wrapping it around the mast. This only seems to work well when the peak is pulled to the leeward side and means that you have to change it if you tack. With this in mind I decided to have a dedicated high wind sail and with the frequent 25+ knot days, I think it was a good decision.

My first main sheet arrangement used a cam cleat mounted on the block. These are nice because they take all the strain off your hand and only need a lift and a jerk to release them. I guess I'm a slow learner because I've capsized in the past because of these things. The 1.5 seconds that it takes to release the sheet is still not as quick as an outrigger can put his ama well up into the air. I didn't capsize this time but came close enough to say " this is enough" or "I'm too old for this sh*t".

You used to be able to find "snubbing winches" in marine hardware catalogs, but I haven't seen them lately. So I made a "snubbing cleat" and mounted it on the aft crossbeam. It's carved from 2" wood and allows a single or double wrap of sheet line around its base. With a single wrap, it will slip when you release it, but relieves the strain on your sheet hand while you're holding it. I had no more close calls after this was installed and will only be using cam cleats for less critical tasks.

The four day wonder

2009-10-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Having completed my Tamanu in Fiji, and my neighbor John Caldeira having completed his two latest kayaks, we decided to help a local Peace Corps volunteer, John Leonard, build a 16' paddling Wa'apa.

Between the three of us, it was ready for paint after four days. A few details like the stems were changed to the simpler method that I use on the Tamanu. The sheer at the ends was also lowered slightly to make it easier to paddle in the strong winds encountered in the area.
The side panels are 4mm ply and the bottom and deck are 6mm. There is no fiberglass or epoxy used in the structure. Polyurethane glue with bronze boat nails hold the panels together.
The ama is bamboo with forked sticks providing the connection with the iakos.

Outrigger canoes are easily moved around on the beach with one set of wheels provided you tip it up on its side.

John is paddling from the aft seat but you may want to change to the middle seat when paddling into a strong wind.
John and John held a planned capsize drill immediately after launching. With a low buoyancy ama like this one, you right the canoe by sinking the ama. This helps to empty most of the water from the hull as it is rolling back upright.

The extra bamboo above the ama provides secondary buoyancy if the ama is pushed under the water.

The deck hatches are made from the tops of square plastic containers with snap on lids.
John reports that the canoe has already caught many fish and is a definite chick magnet.

Back to reality or back from reality?

2009-10-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

We returned from three months in Fiji a couple of days ago. Coming from balmy trade wind breezes to a late winter cold spell in NZ is quite a shock. I have a funny tan on my feet from wearing Crocs out in the canoe; brown dots on the top of my feet.
The whole project went very well with the 20 foot Tamanu hull completed in about two weeks. A few more days for the 2x4 crossbeams and PVC pipe ama and we were able to at least go fishing with the 2 hp Yamaha motor. Meanwhile I made the spars, rudder, and leeboard from Fijian Kauri (Dakua).
Of course I made a few changes from the prototype that I had built two years ago. I tried to optimize the hull for subsistence fishing with eight feet of the mid hull undecked (for throwing fish into) and I recessed the fore and aft decks 4" to allow storage of rods, gaff, etc to be stored there without falling overboard. There was still six feet of water tight storage at each end. I used plastic barrel tops for hatches and I can't praise them too much. Industrial strength and a big enough hole to throw an anchor through.
I had always wanted to gain experience with the sprit rig along with the fact that it was one of the first European style rigs to be adopted in Oceania. I brought an 89 Sq Ft sail cut down from a beach cat sail. It had reef points that reduced it to 70 Sq Ft. I also brought a 50 Sq Ft triangular sail for the high winds I was expecting at this time of the year. I wasn't disappointed as the wind was frequently around 30 knots or more. My old sailing gloves will never recover. The small sail was used quite a lot and 12 knots of boat speed was easily reached.
I was very impressed by the performance of the sprit sail. It was certainly excellent to weather. Reefing it can be tricky standing on a very narrow canoe but fortunately there was always a beach nearby where it can be done more easily. The mast for this rig is unstayed and rotates. This is especially useful when approaching the shore downwind because you can sheet out until the sail is luffing out over the bow.
My wife Rose is an addicted fisherman (fisherwoman?) and a lure or two was always trailing behind us. I've never eaten so much fish in my life. The drill that we developed when we had a strike usually just involved luffing the sail and passing the rod around the mainsheet if the fish was coming in from the wrong side. I was the gaff man and greatly enjoyed swinging them up and into the bilge. When it was a Barracuda my feet stayed up on the gunwale until it was killed.
Over the next weeks I'll cover some of the lessons learned and some other experiences we had in Rakiraki, Fiji.

Sailing in Fiji

2009-08-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

The new sprit rig is efficient and 89 sq ft seems enough.

The same 2x4 that passes through the hull supports the outboard motor on the port side and the rudder on the starboard side. A quarter rudder is close to the helmsman and requires no control lines.

Painted at last

2009-07-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of work I've got the main hull finished and most of the ama done. Luckily the foam/glass nosecone I made fitted the Fiji drain pipes. The marine ply is good quality and very cheap at roughly US$30 for 5 ply 1/4".
For stringers and crossbeams, I used the local "Dakua" or Fijian Kauri. This is one of the finest general purpose boatbuilding woods that I have ever used. I found several 12" x 1" x 20' planks. I haven't seen one of those since I was a kid. So no scarfing was necessary.
I'm using a polyurethane glue made by Sika, so I suspect it will work as advertised.
We're away on a side trip to Savusavu now for a week, so that will give my very sore wrist time to recover. The 12 hour ferry ride from Suva was very smooth.

The 12" diameter hatches fore and aft are cut from the tops of plastic barrels and are very much industrial strength.
I hadn't anticipated painting teeth on the bow, but the striping was just asking for it.
Needless to say I'm having a ball.

Fiji time

2009-07-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

I'm here in Fiji now and it's good to back in a tropical climate. I've made a good start on the new Tamanu I'm building. The side panels are finished; the bulkheads are almost ready and I should be able to fold it up in the next day or so. As usual, it's hard to find tools and materials that we normally take for granted and I'm glad that I brought as much as I did.
The connection is very slow here so the photos will be minimal.

The Texas 200

2009-06-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, Dan St Gean and Brian Rugg entered the second annual Texas 200 (cruise/raid/race/survival course?). Their entry was a marriage between two Tamanu hulls and the frame and rig from an aging Hobie 18. You can read the story of the hulls construction here.

Many adventures ensued and you can read a full account here.

Ulua with safety ama

2009-06-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Martijn van Nugteren in the Netherlands has his stretched Ulua ripping along in fine style. This foam composite Ulua is rigged like the Hawaiian racers with a safety ama that doesn't touch the water until the canoe is heeled as much as you see in the above photo.

A nose cone for a PVC pipe ama

2009-06-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Two years ago when I built my first PVC pipe ama in Fiji, I made the nose fairing out of a solid piece of fence post. I shaped it with a cane knife and a block plane. It performed well enough and didn't leak, but I didn't like the weight of it out on the tip of the ama.
This time I have prefabricated a foam and fiberglass nose cone that I will carry in my luggage.

The nose cone is built in the same way as a complete foam and fiberglass ama with a central plywood web and foam blocks glued to both sides with polyurethane glue. You can use either ESP beaded white foam or the blue or pink Styrofoam sold for insulation.

I did the rough shaping with a handsaw and electric hand plane. The final shaping is done with a sanding block.

About four inches of the cone is recessed to fit inside of the PVC pipe. Both the recessed area and the rest of the cone is shaped down to allow for the thickness of the fiberglass and fairing compound. I allowed about 1/8" or less for this.

Here the foam is fitted inside of a short section of 6" PVC drain pipe to check the fit.

The 9 oz cloth fiberglass is applied (with epoxy resin only!) from two sides allowing a double thickness overlap along the top and bottom. I used small round patches of fiberglass on the very tip where it is difficult to get the fiberglass to stay tight against the foam.

After the epoxy has cured, I applied fairing compound with a putty knife.

After final sanding of the fairing compound, the nose cone is ready for installation into the end of the PVC pipe. It will be held in place with a flexible adhesive sealant like Sikaflex or 3M 5200. Silicone will work if you cannot get the polyurethane sealant.

Fiji here we come

2009-06-09T18:06:00.001-07:00

Two years ago my wife and I stayed in Fiji for a little over two months. I built the first of my Tamanu designs there and we had the time of our lives, sailing, fishing, and exploring.
Two days ago I shipped a 2 HP Yamaha outboard and a folding anchor to Fiji to be waiting for us when we arrive in early July for a three month stay. Since the original Tamanu was sold, I'll be building another on a different island. It takes about two weeks, if all goes well, to get the hull and ama finished. Excellent marine plywood is manufactured there, but my suitcase will be full of fasteners, polyurethane glue, hardware, and sails. I won't be using any fiberglass or epoxy resin. I'm trying to use as many locally available materials as possible. Cheap Chinese power tools are locally available and will last at least as long as the project.

I'll be building the same basic hull shape this time with some differences only with the deck and bulkhead layout. The ama will again be 6" (150mm) PVC pipe with a foam/fiberglass nose cone that will be in my luggage. The Rakiraki area where we will be staying is known for its high winds and is a favorite kite/wind surfing location. I'll be trying a traditional sprit rig this time because it is more easily reefable than the stub mast rig I used last time. I have a smaller triangular sail for really windy conditions.
The photo below shows the sprit rig I used this past summer on my 24' Wa'apa.
Hopefully I will be able to update this blog occasionally during our stay.

Wa'apa in France

2009-05-24T14:26:00.001-07:00

Phil Shapiro recently launched his new Wa'apa in France. Phil finished his canoe in two months of weekends, constructing it in his kitchen and living room.

Isle of Pines Ndrua

2009-05-09T13:19:00.001-07:00

In the mid 19th century, a 30 meter Tongan ndrua visited the Isle of Pines at the very Southern tip of New Caledonia. One of the crew settled there and passed on the techniques of building what is possibly the best and most famous Oceanic warship design.
As late as 1855 a fleet of 40 ndrua carrying 10,000 warriors set sail in an internal power struggle in Fiji. Those struggles go on to this day but without the elegance of the ndrua.

On the 16th of May, 2009, the 15 meter (50 ') Meryemana will be launched by builder and owner Phillippe Renaud at the Bay of Toro, New Caledonia. It will even have a traditional woven pandanus sail.
A ndrua uses a shunting rig and reverses direction on each tack. The hollow ama is larger than a normal outrigger canoe and is only slightly smaller than the main hull.

The Tahitian sprit sail

2009-04-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

Certainly one of the most intriguing rigs to be observed during early European contact was the sprit sail used by the Tahitians and in a less radical form by the Hawaiians. It has a very high aspect ratio and a very interesting top shape. (Tip vortex reduction?)
It was not convenient to use and had to be tipped up fully rigged like a windsurfer sail. There does not seem to be a way to reef it. It is possible that the sail could be brailed up against the mast if the boom were removed.
Painting by Herb Kane.

I built a small version of this rig for my Ulua some years ago. Instead of a sprit along the leech to support the head, I used some fiberglass rod battens in curved pockets to support the head. While very efficient it still could not be lowered out on the water or reefed.

I came up with another version of this rig for a 27' Tahitian tipairua (catamaran) that I built for a client. This is actually a cross between a sliding gunter rig and the Tahitian rig. It had full length battens throughout and could be reefed while underway. I used a sprit boom to reduce the twist from a very high aspect sail like this. It goes very well to windward.

Why I love Polynesia

2009-04-24T01:03:00.001-07:00

Reason number 99.

Austronesian sail types

2009-04-20T17:44:00.001-07:00

This chart taken from Edwin Doran Jr's book "Wangka" shows the principal sail types used in the Pacific and Indian oceans. Note that he refers to the Oceanic lateen as a crane sprit.
Click on the drawing for a larger image.

The Gaff rig

2009-04-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

While the gaff rig was used occasionally in Polynesia after European contact, few have been seen until recently in Tahiti where these elegant outriggers seem to have put the gaff rig to good use.

The Sprit rig

2009-04-05T20:01:00.001-07:00

During the early period of contact with European ships, Oceanic sailors were very interested in the strange new sailing rigs they saw. While the big square sails of the European ships attracted little envy, their small boat rigs were soon copied. The photo below shows a Vinta entering Zamboanga in the Southern Philippines equipped with a European style sprit rig. In this case it is used as a tacking rig.

The photo below shows single outriggers, on Borabora lagoon in French Polynesia, using the sprit rig in a tacking configuration.

In Papua New Guinea the sprit rig was adapted for shunting, where the sail is reversed from end to end and the canoe can sail with either end as the bow. The ama is always kept on the windward side. Large steering paddles are necessary to balance a sail that is centered well aft.

The Oceanic lateen rig

2009-03-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Oceanic lateen rig is the most commonly used rig on shunting proas in the Pacific region. This rig is sometimes referred to as a "crabclaw" when the leech is cut into a deep curve, although crabclaw shaped sails are also used on tacking rigs.
The photo above shows Jeremie Fisher's "Equilibre" sailing in the Caribbean.
The photo below shows a Fijian thamakau sailing in the Lau Islands. Note that you can still go very fast on a reach no matter what your sail looks like.

Ulua launch

2009-03-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ross Munro, in Queensland, Australia, recently launched and trialed his 18' (5.4M) Ulua. The planking is Kiri (paulonia), and with two layers of 6oz fiberglass, it still weighed only 57 lb (26kg). Kiri is lighter than cedar but heavier than balsa.
The ama is from a production OC2.

Everglades Challenge

2009-03-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

The Everglades Challenge, a 300 mile canoe/kayak race from St Petersburg to Key Largo Florida, will begin tomorrow morning, the 7th of March. You can follow along at the Watertribe website, where an online viewer plots the racer's positions from GPS readings.
The photo shows one of this year's entries, a Philippine Paraw built by skipper Carlos Solanilla and crewed by Wade Tarzia.

Ama lashings Part 6

2009-02-27T18:51:00.001-08:00

A direct connection between the ama and crossbeams is typically seen in Hawaii. It is especially suitable for heavy surf landings where a strut connection would more easily be damaged if the canoe was overturned.

Modern Hawaiian types usually have a small raised portion on the ama to lift the ends of the crossbeams higher above the water. Strips of rubber tire innertube used for lashing also reduce the chance of damage in the surf.

Top photo taken from "The Hawaiian Canoe" by Tommy Holmes. Drawing taken from "Canoes of Oceania" by Haddon and Hornell. Bottom photo is a fiberglass production model Ulua.

Ama lashings Part 5

2009-02-21T17:04:00.001-08:00

In Tahiti we can see a fine example of a mixed connection. The stiff forward crossbeam uses a standard four strut connection while the slender and flexible aft crossbeam acts as a spring to allow the ama a limited range of motion in the pitch axis.

This is an even better example of a springy aft crossbeam from Bora Bora.

Ama lashings Part 4

2009-02-12T19:16:00.001-08:00

One of the simplest ama connections used is the forked stick as is shown in the above photo by Tony Whincup, of canoes racing in Tarawa lagoon. This method is scalable up to very large canoes such as the 75 ft Taratai shown below.

Ama lashings Part 3

2009-02-07T13:03:00.001-08:00

The image above shows a typical ama connection used in Madagascar, off the coast of East Africa.

According to "Canoes of Oceania", this ama connection from the Marquesas Islands, at the far opposite end of outrigger canoe territory, was actually inspired by a person from East Africa that settled in the Marquesas in the late 1800's. The U shaped cutout at the top is used to hold fishing spears.
I use a variation of this technique on several of my outrigger canoe designs, because is is quick and easy to disconnect and allows the ama to pitch without stressing the connection.

Ama lashings Part 2

2009-02-02T13:19:00.001-08:00

This canoe was built in Pukapuka in the Northern Cook Islands and was used for catching flying fish out in the lagoon at night. It is now kept at a museum in Rarotonga.
The view is from the stern which has a carved shape at the end. The bow is low with a wave piercing shape. These canoes were sailed in years past but this example no longer has its rig.

There are three crossbeams using straight connecting struts. A lashing between the crossbeam and the ama holds the struts firmly in holes drilled in the ama. The middle crossbeam has only two struts but the two other crossbeams have four struts.
This arrangement may look flimsy, but my own experience with straight stick connectives has shown that they are very seaworthy indeed.