proa sailboat plans

and

when tacking!

This 21 meter (69 feet) Pacific proa displaces 20,000 lbs. as drawn (10 U.S. "short tons") . Main hull BWL is 4.0 feet, LWL is 67.14 feet, LB ratio is ~17:1, prismatic is 0.62. Base Speed : 13.6 knots Ama (51 feet) carrys 25% of total displacement at rest, 30 feet to windward.

ranging in length from (21..26 meters).

of Micronesia.

69
85
102

21
26
31

7-10 tons
?? tons
?? tons



		large hull		small hull

-
Oregon

		by or

Links to other Proa Web Sites

Boatbuilding Links & Resources
Free Stitch & Glue Plans
All my Boat plans
Tender plans

Plans and Kits for Catamarans and Proas and other Multihulls

Check out my page on Advantages and disadvantages of multihulls

If you're planning a boatbuilding project you might like to check my boatbuilding resources. These are articles from my website and some outside links and build diaries.

Multihull plans in no particular order

Email me if a link is broken or if I've missed a boat. I try to keep my links good but things change quickly on the web.

I try to include most plans that I run across. I only exclude the ones that seem to be dubious, some are plagiarized or some just seem to be of terrible quality, or a website that includes pop-ups or other nasty things, that I don't dare include them. I have not personally checked all plans. Before building, do your homework.

Bruce Roberts has aluminium and fiberglass boat plans for large Catamarans
Schionning Designs has plans and kits for Cats, Trimarans and a keelboat.
From Wooden Boat Magazine plans for a 20 ft Trimaran. Also a Sailing Outrigger Canoe
Kurt Hughes has both large and small Catamarans and Trimaran plans.
Sailing Catamarans has beach cats.
Woods Designs has small and large boat plans
K-Designs has Little Tri sailing trimeran dinghy and others.
Dudley Dix Yacht Design has a large cruising catamaran
Svenson's Free Boat PLans has an old Mechanix Illustrated Hobby Kat plans along with many other boat plans
Duckworks Magazine has a whole section of small sailing multihulls.
James Wharram Designs offers plans and will build also.
Tornado Building Plans free from The Beachcats.com
Hartley Boats has a few designs for sailing cats.
Applegate Boatworks has plans for Blue Joseph, a proa
Glen L Offers plans for La Chatte, sailing Cat.
Scarab Folding Trimaran Dinghy.
Selway Fisher has a design for simple Catamarans.
Slider Cat Ray Aldridge design from Duckworks
Gary Dierking is well known in the Proa community.
Chesapeake Light Craft has many designs, well thought out plans and kits. This is Junior outrigger.
Also from CLC 2 large proas Madness, and Mbuli
Novacat 17 Plans and build photo IN German, get mr. Google to translate.
From Svenson's popular mechanix plans Cats Paw free plans
Fyne Boat Kits has several multihull designs. He also offers add-on outrigger for canoes and kayaks.
Instructable for a Polytarp Crab Claw sail for a proa
A one day proa project Maybe not quite perfect but worth looking at. Here's another instructable sailing outrigger canoe
Angus Rowboats has a sailing conversion plan with outriggers.

Too Much Choice

There are a great number of large cruising catamaran and other multihull plans out there. I think one of the reason is that building a large catamaran is easier than building a cruising size keelboat. Many designers feel confident that the home builder has a good chance of success in putting together quite a competent multihull.

I have not included all the large multihull plans and kits I have found, nor have I included many of the home made single effort catamarans that are out there.

Boats topics
Skerry from plans
Boatbuilding Links
Free Stitch and Glue Boat Plans

I try to be accurate and check my information, but mistakes happen. ALSO keep in mind that not all boat plans are well designed. Old Banks Dories are particularly tricky because they were notoriously unsteady until they had some weight in them. Check the boat forums, many people have built dories. I have not built these boats and I can't recommend or proscribe any.

Boatbuilding Articles

Small print.

This information is for general knowledge and entertainment. If you plan to build a boat be careful. If you don't know how to use powertools get help.

The Multi Chine Proa

Concept - Plans - Pics - Rig - Sail - Details - Sail test

Basic Concept

Cutting plans.

The main hull has three parts: lee plank, luff plank up and luff plank down. Every plank could made from mirrored halfs from 4mm plywood. Next step is to glue a stringer (20x20mm) along the upper edge of the lee plank (may be a second one into the middle) and of the upper luff plank for fitting the decks later. Annother stringer should fixed at the below edge of the upper luff plank. For more stablity use a keel batten (20x20 mm) as backbone. Then the traditionary holes through the below edges of the lee plank, keel batten and below luff plank.

Side view top view
Cutting plans luff side
Cutting plans lee side

Building Pictures

Analogue to the main hull (vaka) build the ama. Here it's more simple because the hull is symmetric and it straighten itself after putting the bulkheads in. Cutting plan for the Ama.

The rig functions like a seesaw. With changing the bow after shunting you pull down the yard with the sail to the new bow.

Fine demonstrated is this rig at the homepage of Gary Dierking or in the Gibbons-Special at multihull.de. This Gibbons/Dierking rig has a simpler handling in opposite to the Crab Claw sail. Also you should do easier maneuvers at the overcowded lakes here (Remark: This I thought before I tried it in reality. See 'sailing experiences' below).

Fittings and running lines (1)
Fittings and running lines (2)
Cut of the sail out of a minimal tarp
Cut of the sail measurement (for first test)

Detail Views

Arrangement hulls
Beam fittings, Webbing
Construction - Paddle fittings
Yard connection

In meantime there are some other P5 built:

The plans of the P5 are free for building a boat for private use. Commercial replication is not allowed. For rightness of all plans and advices are no guaranty is given. Most parts in this descripton have only a character of proposal and must be verified by the builder himself. Be creative and courageously - and you can sail a P5 like me!

Yachting World

Digital Edition

Jzerro: The oceangoing Pacific proa

Helen Fretter
April 8, 2021

Jzerro is a Russell Brown-designed proa, which is being prepared for a 14,000-mile record bid from New York to San Francisco

The great Californian Gold Rush of the 1840s and 1850s saw over a quarter of a million people follow the sun to the west of the United States, each dreaming of making their fortunes.

The ‘49ers’, as the early migrants in the first wave of 1849 were known, mostly travelled by ship, sailing from New York to San Francisco westabout around Cape Horn . It was an arduous and dangerous journey, but over 500 vessels – from majestic clipper ships to hastily converted whaling boats – made the voyage in 1849 alone.

The route is as much a part of the American maritime heritage as the clipper tea routes are a part of Britain’s. The benchmark fastest sailing between the two cities was set by the 225ft three-masted clipper Flying Cloud , which sailed around in 89 days 8 hours in 1854, a time that was unbeaten for 135 years.

Since then over 200 record attempts have been made, in everything from trimarans to maxis, yet it has never been attempted in a single-handed proa. American sailor Ryan Finn is bidding to be the first to do so, solo and non-stop.

Pacific proa

Proas have been around since adventurous island dwellers first strung cloth atop a dug-out canoe, with early versions developed by Austronesian sailors for exploring the unknown southern seas of the Indo-Pacific some 7,000 years ago.

Made up of a single hull and second ama, they are light and fast, and simple to construct. Devotees of modern incarnations of the proa praise them for their speed under minimal sail area and their ability to absorb waves with less slamming and uneven loading than a conventional catamaran. On a close reach, Jzerro can easily pass boatspeeds of 17-18 knots.

Pacific proas always sail with the small ama to windward. Photo: 2Oceans1Rock

However, the geometry of a Pacific proa (ie with a small ama to windward) does present its challenges.

In order to be able to sail with the ama to windward on both port and starboard tacks, a proa must be symmetrical both fore and aft with two ‘bows’, two lifting rudders, and a rotating mast.

On a boat the size of Jzerro , which is 36ft long, accommodation and stowage is severely limited by the single hull, and cockpit protection almost nonexistent. Attempting to sail a proa around Cape Horn, against the prevailing winds, is an extreme challenge.

Ryan Finn at his fair weather helming position. Photo: 2Oceans1Rock

Ryan Finn says the idea of a proa adventure was what first inspired him. “The boat concept came before the route. I’ve been thinking about multihulls than can sail upwind without experiencing major structural issues, and that’s where I became aware of Russell Brown’s designs. I knew they had successfully travelled far and I realised a proa would solve a lot of the structural beam issues that big catamarans and trimarans have, since you’re not leaning on the leeward ama – the leeward ama is the main hull.”

Article continues below…

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Inspired by sailors like Tom Follett, who raced his proa Cheers from Plymouth to Newport Rhode Island in the 1968 OSTAR, Finn was sold on the proa concept. He bought pioneering proa designer Brown’s own Jzerro , which Brown had sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Finn has been working as a delivery skipper for many years and before that competed on the Mini Transat circuit. “There was no way I’m going to raise money to race in France, I’d already attempted to do that before,” he explains. “I can never compete with their budgets, so I thought I should stop trying to play their game and just do the kind of sailing that I want to do.

Aerial view of the symmetrical proa, showing its two bows, two rudders, and duplicate stays and fittings for flying foresails when the mast is rotated. Photo: 2Oceans1Rock

“The New York-San Francisco record was very difficult and very long, and it was available, because no-one has done it single-handed non-stop before so I thought I’d give it a shot.”

Single-handed record attempts at the route have been rare: in 1989 Philippe Monnet attempted it on a Shuttleworth-designed trimaran. Monnet had to stop and restart after hitting ice, but managed to complete the voyage in 81 days. The crewed record, meanwhile, was set by the 110ft catamaran Gitana 13 at 43 days in 2008.

Despite its metropolitan start and finish points, much of the 14,000-mile route is more akin to an ocean crossing. “A lot of people don’t realise how far to the east Brazil is, it’s way out there,” points out Finn. “So to clear the eastern point, you have to go really far offshore, almost like a transatlantic, more than halfway across the Atlantic to get around that point. Then there’s potential for a lot of coastal navigation around Patagonia, and in the Pacific, it should be pretty far offshore too.”

Solo sailing mods

Although Brown had sailed Jzerro double-handed across the Pacific, Finn needed to modify the boat for solo sailing. “The biggest thing was I needed new sails and I wanted the sail handling to be a lot different.

So I’ve moved a lot of chainplates for the headsails on both ends, and added medium roller furling sails on halyard locks,” recalls Finn.

The ‘off-duty’ rudder is lifted, here the ‘port tack rudder’ as Finn refers it. Photo: 2Oceans1Rock

Proas do not tack, instead proa sailors make a manoeuvre called ‘shunting’, which involves setting a new foresail, furling and lowering the old one, easing the main out to leeward, rotating the rig, resheeting the boom to the ‘new aft’ fitting, and raising and lowering a rudder on either end.

Finn says that the proa is not unstable during the process, however. “Because the mainsail is completely to leeward, just sort of flagging there, the boat is really settled when you’re shunting, it’s a good time to take a break – the boat parks and you can really stop.” Shunting is not, however, an easy manoeuvre to make with limited searoom.

Finn has opted for wind instruments on a static pole on the ama, rather than masthead units on the rotating rig, for simplicity. However, he points out: “Because you’re going forwards and backwards, you have to recalibrate the autopilot every time you tack. Everything has to flip 180°, so it’s kind of complicated. I’m getting used to it, but I don’t know how many proas there are sailing that have autopilots!”

The tillers use whip-staff steering principles and are mounted vertically in the small cockpit. Photo: 2Oceans1Rock

Another big element that needed improvement for the record attempt was shelter. “The boat is very, very wet because it’s very light, so there’s a lot of spray. I’ve created a dodger that I can tack from one end to the other that protects the cockpit pretty well,” explains Finn. When not required, the dodger can be lashed to the trampoline.

Back to basics

Initially New Orleans-based Finn hoped that his all-American endeavour would attract sponsorship, but when little was forthcoming he decided to push on with the record bid as a low budget project, cutting his own sails, and building custom components such as halyard locks himself.

Finn hopes to inspire others to realise that adventure sailing can be affordable. “I always wanted to prove that you don’t have to have millions of dollars for a boat that’s capable of setting an impressive record,” he says.

Accommodation on Jzerro is limited within the main hull and leeward pod that extends outboard – and although Jzerro ’s ply interior was beautifully crafted, Finn describes the sink as his sole luxury. Solar panels and a fuel cell were installed for power, with Iridium GO! for communications.

Interior is beautifully built in plywood but there’s not a lot of space. Photo: 2Oceans1Rock

Finn’s first attempt at the record began on 21 January 2021, but Jzerro sustained damage off the eastern seaboard, puncturing the forward edge of the leeward pod, and the attempt had to be aborted early on. Finn has returned Jzerro to Brown’s yard, where he’ll make repairs and hopes to resume his record bid.

“Having sailed over 10,000 miles on Jzerro , and in much more demanding conditions than I saw during this record attempt, the damage was a surprise, but also a good revelation for preparing to make another attempt,” explains Finn.

The biggest contributing factor leading up to this failure, he says, was how heavily loaded Jzerro was when he left New York, largely due to the volume of water he was carrying (he had no watermaker due to budget restrictions). Finn is now working on a major weight saving programme to reduce loads on the structure, also adding a watermaker and increasing power capacity.

If you enjoyed this….

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About Dick Newick

email for Plans

Dick Newick

"People sail for fun and no one has yet convinced me that it's more fun to go slow than it is to go fast."

All Designs

Moxie in the Azores

"For this, his third attempt at the OSTAR, Weld had Dick Newick design him the trimaran Moxie. In design, construction and in every piece of equipment Moxie was built to win. Phil Weld knew what it took to race across the Atlantic - the boat and the man were made for each other."

"By breaking the barriers of both performance and acceptance, Dick Newick can be called the Chuck Yeager of multihulls" -- Jim Brown, Wooden Boat magazine, May 2008

Two Proas at Once

I built my first Proa 5 years ago for testing. I was very pleasantly surprised.
The main hull I later used as the ama on my Great Proa.

My first Proa under construction...

... and under sail

Actually, my big boat is a converted PORT MADISON PROA. There is no blueprint, only the entry in the Duckworks Magazine Design Contest #6. The construction is Stitch and glue with 6mm ply for all but the bottom which is 10mm. The rudders are outside, connected with wire ropes, and are easy to pull up. You can reach everything from the cockpit. The cockpit itself is 1m by 2m and can be removed to make transport easier LOA - 7.5 m BOA - 4.5 m The sail is a crabclaw, that runs on a rail. In the spring I will send you detailed photos and drawings, if everything goes well.

Here I am early in the big boat project...

... do you recognize the ama?

There are several reasons I chose to build a Proa. Originally, I wanted to build a TIKI 26, even going so far as to buy a set of plans - without thinking where I would build it or how to transport the hulls, etc. Being a solo sailor was important to me, but this boat was a little bit too much - too big and too complicated.

Now it is getting well along

One day I saw a movie on TV about the TAUMAKU project. It has fascinated me. Some natives built a Proa without any metal parts, such as nails, screws, etc. I thought I could sail such a boat alone.

Ama/aka joint

I looked everywhere, in books, magazines and the Internet for information about this type of boat, and thus I found the Port Madison Proa at Duckworks Magazine. In my eyes, this boat, in all ways, was the best of the bunch.

Aka lashing

I had built the small Proa in Stitch and glue construction to test the behavior of this type of boat in all situations. In doldrums as well as storm, it behaved wonderfuly and safely.

sail detail

In spite of some resistance from my wife, I then decided to build the larger boat. I sat down and made a drawing 1/10 scale. I used the Tiki 26 construction drawings and the information on the Madison Proa to design my own boat. Due to the length of the three 6mm plywood sheets, I decided on a total length for the boat of 7.5 m. I used the TIKI's beams only bent, it was great work. For the AMA, I used the main hull of the small Proa. (I had two boats at once)

Rudder details

I deliberately moved the outside of the hull/ rudder attachement to avoid major damage and plan to keep the crabclaw rig because any boat sailing without one, in my opinion, does not deserve the name PROA.

I'm building her in my backyard.

The first sail will take place on a small lake in the Salzkammergut and if everything works, I will sail farther. (My dream is circumnavigating Europe) A report with photos follows, as promised, in spring. Until then much needs to be done.

Accessories
Built Boats
Information
Rowing Boats
Sailing Boats
Motor Boats
Surf and Paddle Boards

Sailing Boat Plans

Madness Pacific Proa

A lightweight Pacific proa for fast cruising or daysailing.

More information

Tenderly is a traditional-looking clinker sailing dinghy that is stable and easy to build

Tenderly Dinghy

A traditional-looking 10-foot clinker dinghy for rowing, sailing and motoring that is stable, handsome and easy to build.

Eastport Pram

A pretty, light, tough, roomy and easy to build 7 foot 9 inch pram dinghy that can be rowed or sailed.

Nesting Eastport Pram

An easy to build rowing and sailing pram dinghy that splits into two nesting sections for compact storage.

Kit-built wooden sailing dinghy - Skerry

A 15 foot clinker style double ended family boat that can be rowed, sailed or motored.

Skerry Raid

A small, decked, wooden cruising boat for coastal expeditions by sail and oars.

Lighthouse Tender

A stable but fast double-ended rowing or sailing boat based on a traditional Maine Peapod.

Northeaster Dory

A 17 foot clinker dory for solo or tandem rowing or sailing.

Southwester Dory

A lightweight beach cruising and expedition boat for sailing, rowing and motoring, which can also be built as a motor launch without the sailing rig.

The Duo dinghy makes a fun little sailing boat with an unstayed mast and slot-in wings

The Duo is a simple-to-build rowing and sailing dinghy that can nest for easy storage. It makes a good tender as well as a fun sailing dinghy.

Jimmy Skiff II

A stable, flat-bottomed rowing and sailing boat that also handles well under motor, for family outings, fishing and day sailing.

Goat Island Skiff

A simple lightweight sailing boat with excellent performance.

Family home made sailing boat in a marsh

PassageMaker

An 11 foot 7 inch clinker style pram dinghy that performs beautifully when rowed, sailed or motored.

PassageMaker Take-Apart

An 11 foot 7 inch clinker style pram dinghy that can be nested to save space.

Pixie Beach Catamaran

The Pixie is a fun car-toppable beach catamaran that sails well with one or two crew and is popular among people who are new to sailing catamarans but who are not that interested in racing.

Kit for a trailer sailer cruiser called Pocketship

A fast-sailing 15 foot cabin cruiser with a dry and commodious interior.

Autumn Leaves wooden canoe yawl designed for engineless coastal cruising by sail and oars

Autumn Leaves Canoe Yawl

A modern wooden canoe yawl for engineless coastal cruising by sail and oars, designed to be affordably built by an amateur.

Faering Cruiser

A serious rowing and sailing boat for coastal cruising, with a small cabin aft.

Nesting Expedition Dinghy

A very compact sailing beach cruiser that can be nested in three sections for storage in a corner of a garage.

Mbuli Pacific Proa

Plans for a very light and fast Pacific proa beach cruiser.

The Mebo 12 nesting dinghy for day sailing and cruising

A versatile nesting dinghy for day sailing and camp cruising with a comfortable double berth.

Outrigger Junior

A finely-proportioned and lively sailing canoe with a huge lateen sail for lots of speed.

Quattro 14 racing beach catamaran by Richard Woods

Quattro 14 Beach Catamaran

A lightweight single-trapeze beach catamaran for racing that is easy to build.

Quattro 16 racing beach catamaran by Richard Woods

Quattro 16 Beach Catamaran

A high performance twin-trapeze racing catamaran that is lightweight and easy to build.

Strike 15 racing trimaran by Richard Woods

Strike 15 Trimaran

The Strike 15 is a high-performance racing trimaran with folding outriggers designed to be easy to sail by older or less experienced sailors and easy to launch from the beach.

Strike 16 Trimaran

The Strike 16 is a dry, comfortable trimaran for four-person day-sailing or two-person weekending.

Strike 18 Trimaran

The Strike 18 is a dry, comfortable trimaran for family day-sailing with an optional, removable, cabin top to convert it into a pocket cruiser.

The light and stable Tryst 10 ft trimaran

Tryst Trimaran

A light and stable 10 ft trimaran that is very easy and fun to sail and can nest for compact storage.

Zest Racing Dinghy

The Zest is a single-handed racing dinghy with a plywood hull and comfortable sitting-out wings.

Beth is a lightweight sailing canoe designed by Michael Storer

Beth Sailing Canoe

A light sailing canoe combining a traditional rig with a high speed hull.

The Kombi is a dual-purpose wooden canoe for exciting sailing and paddling

Kombi Sailing Canoe

A truly dual-purpose wooden canoe for exciting sailing and family paddling.

The Viola 14 is a lightweight sailing canoe with dinghy performance

Viola Sailing Canoe

A lightweight plywood sailing canoe with the performance and stability of a good sailing dinghy.

Oz Goose low-cost plywood sailing dinghy that is easy to build and fun to sail

A low-cost sailing dinghy that is easy to build and fun to sail for clubs, regattas and sailing lessons.

The Trika 540 trimaran can be built from plywood at home

A pretty little demountable trimaran designed for speed and easy handling by one or two people on lakes, rivers and bays.

TriRAID 560s

A light and fast adventure trimaran for 1-2 people designed for raid competitions.

Sailing Outriggers

Outrigger floats to turn a canoe or kayak into a fast sailing trimaran.

The Eureka canoe sailing with drop-in outriggers

Drop-in Outrigger Plans

Light and easily removable outrigger floats that turn a canoe or kayak into a formidable sailing boat or a stable fishing platform.

Mini drop-in canoe outriggers by Michael Storer

Mini Drop-in Outrigger Plans

Small outriggers for a sailing canoe, to aid stability for learners and for extra safety for more adventurous sailing.

Drop-in canoe sailing lug rig by Michael Storer

Drop-in Canoe Sailing Rig Plans

A simple lug rig that can be added to an ordinary canoe or kayak to add the ability to sail.

Fyne Boat Kits — Old Cooperage Yard, Gatebeck, Kendal, Cumbria LA8 0HW
Telephone: +44 (0)1539 567 148
Email: info [at] fyneboatkits.co.uk

Practical Boat Owner

Digital edition

Praise for proa design

Roger Nadin
August 14, 2023

Roger Nadin on traditional proa design that’s enjoying a kit-boat revival

A Gary Dierking T2 modern proa design. Credit: Les Anderson Credit: Les Anderson

Back when Captain Cook ‘discovered’ the South Pacific, local people were using what, to Western eyes, were unusual sailing boats.

These had twin hulls but with one hull shorter than the other.

They couldn’t be sailed into the wind and would not tack through the wind. Instead, the asymmetrical main hull could be sailed in either direction in a move known as shunting.

The attachment of the single crab-claw sail (the tack) to the hull could be moved from one end to the other.

This boat, known as a proa, is sailed so that one of the outriggers is always to windward.

a man sailing a proa design boat on calm water

Proa design: T2 proa under sail. Credit: Peter Richardson

Originally developed from a single-hull dugout canoe, the proa was changed to a fast, stable sailing platform with the addition of a single counterbalancing outrigger known as an ama.

The main, longer hull is known as a waka. From small, paddled workboats, proas grew to become stable ocean-crossing sailing craft that were key to the distribution of populations in the Austronesian and Polynesian areas.

History is filled with magnificent stories of great ocean voyages using proas and these continue in one form or another to this day.

With the digital age new proa-based ideas have come from France, the US, Poland and even the UK where proa plans can be found among the multihulls from James Wharram ’s drawing board.

Proa design pro and cons

So, what are the advantages of a proa boat ?

It’s quick and cheap to build, fast and stable, lightweight, and easily transportable; even boats up to about 18ft can be carried on a roofrack.

Its shoal draught provides access to waters other boats can’t reach and once assembled, the proa provides a comfortable, stable platform on which a standard tent can be erected.

It’s an ideal craft for ‘camp cruising’.

An additional quirk of the design is that it doesn’t have a rudder .

Instead, a steering paddle is used to power the boat when the sail is not in use. If there’s one negative about proas, it’s that they’re not very manoeuvrable.

A similar craft that actually tacks is known as a tacking outrigger canoe, and that would be a better option if sailing in enclosed waterways.

Continues below…

A modern take on the traditional proa boat

Ali Wood finds out more about visionary proa boat designer, Rob Denney

Keel types and how they affect performance

Peter Poland looks at the history of keel design and how the different types affect performance

Sail boat rigs: the pros and cons of each popular design

Peter Poland looks at the history of popular rig designs and how the different types affect boat performance

Freestanding masts: Why more cruisers should go wireless

You see a yacht with a mast, or masts held up with no rigging and think: ‘What’s going on? Why…

How do you get hold of a proa? Some yards will take commissions for proas up to around 36ft, though most modern proas fall into the smaller (16 -25ft) range and are self-built – either from plans or a kit of pre-cut parts.

A recent build here in the UK is a T2 from the New Zealand-based designer, Gary Dierking.

This strip-plank boat was commissioned by its owner to be built at The Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis.

The owner took the opportunity to also sign up for a boatbuilding course. So – a new boat and a new skill all in one go!

There’s a very active group of proa sailors and builders in Poland.

These proa fans sail the Baltic coast and the big lakes of Poland and produce plans plus kits for boats up to 23ft.

So if you’re looking to keep the costs down and want a fast, easily transportable boat, the proa or outrigger canoe could be the boat for you.

More info on proa designs

For proa design plans and kits visit:

fyneboatkits.co.uk
duckworks.com
clcboats.com
Plans only from: selway-fisher.com
Read a journal by designer Michael Schacht at proafile.com

Courses in wooden boatbuilding:

boatbuildingacademy.com

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Proa building blog

A house by the sea

Imagine you live in house close by the beach. The noise of the breaking swell, seagulls in the air and the salty taste of the ocean breeze will accompany you every day. Sounds great? Off course it does, at least one reason why 80% of the human population lives close by the ocean. But the dream of a place by the sea is turning into a nightmare for a growing share of the population: a rising sea level is eating up the shore lines, causing soil salination and squeezing out the freshwater lenses of islands or low lying coasts.

I didn’t thought to much about all of this until I got a job at “Waan Aelon in Majel – Canoes of the Marshall Islands” as part of an assignment for the GIZ implemented Low Carbon Sea Transport Project (LCST) in Majuro, Marshall Islands back in 2017. The Marshall Islands are a small island nation in the central Pacific between Hawai’i and Papua New Guinea. The country consists of low lying coral atolls only, with the highest elevation just a few meters above sea level. Shortly after arriving in Majuro, the nations capitol, I found the most beautiful islands I could have dreamed of, settled by wonderful, gold-hearted people. But at the same time almost every single problem humanity yet caused is present on these islands on a micro-scale: cultural damage by colonization and imperialization, high radiation level by nuclear weapons, forced migration, overpopulation, urbanization, drug abuse, plastic trash, deforestation, overfishing, coral bleach, (water) pollution and so on. But the most devastating problem for these low-lying island is just emerging: sea level rise, caused by climate change. The Marshallese people did not primarily cause any of those problems, but suffer every day. The scientists predictions doesn’t sound very promising either: a couple of decades, or half a century until the islands will be uninhabitable due to inundation and frequent floods! After the nuclear tests the population will be forced to leave their ancestors homeland for a second time – a cultural genocide.

So all hope is lost?

Not yet. The small NGO “Waan Aelon in Majel” (WAM) fights all challenges since 30 years by preserving native culture (especially boat building and sailing), offers a perspective for young people to make a living and by creating international awareness for the climate crisis.

As a child of the East-Frisian island Norderney I know the oppressive feeling of being surrounded by roaring waters during the storm season in winter since I can remember. But still it was the work of and for WAM which was an eye opener for me. Norderney and her 6 sister islands consist of fine white sand only and elevate just a couple of meters above the north sea. Without any protection around them they are as vulnerable for erosion as a sandcastle. Yet nobody at home seems to be too concerned.

Back in Germany the daily routine and all projects I previously had felt pointless compared to the real challenges of our future. Step by step the idea of combining what I’m good at (building boats and sailing) and the desire to be a part of the solution instead of the problem shaped out of the fog. Christian came back to Germany a couple of months later (he worked for WAM in Majuro, too) and was immediately hooked by the idea: the Proasis Project was born.

Every island and every shore in the world shares the same ocean with each other and is already affected by the rising sea level. Its a fight for the island I call home, for the land of our Marshallese friends and for the far majority of the human population. We can only fight (and maybe still win) it together!

The Proasis project will carry the spirit of WAM from the Pacific Ocean to new, somewhat colder waters around northern Europe. To create awareness and demonstrate an alternative way, we will design, construct and sail Proasis, a pacific based proa (outrigger sailboat, see “ What is a proa “). Proasis will be powered fossil free, simple and low cost. By using mainly recycled or degradable materials she will be eco friendly with a small footprint. At the same time, Proasis serves as the prototype for a fleet of emission-free fishing and transport craft, build by WAM as part of the GIZ implemented project “Transitioning to Low Carbon Sea Transport” in the Marshall Islands.

Our goal is to be visible on the water as an eye opener for as many people as possible, in the same way WAM has been an eye opener to us.

We will try to post an update at least once each month, so stay tuned!

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to leave us a comment or drop a message at mail (at) proas.is

IMAGES

plans for DIY proa rigged with CrabClaws sail : r/ProaSailing
Proa File
Chesapeake Light Craft » Madness 31-foot Pacific Proa: Kit Option
STUDY PLANS READY FOR THE 32' PROA It has been a long gestation process
Mark's Tacking Proa
Study Plans Ready For the 32′ Proa

VIDEO

Cataproasaildenmark
Sailing Video From The Weekender DVD Set
Sailing Canoe Build Part 8/9 (Proa "Lucky Pigeon" First launch)
Extreme Proa Sailing
"Madness" Proa Under Sail
Sailing Phi^Phi: Episode #015: Rzucewo 2023

COMMENTS

Proa File
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.
Pacific Proa Company
Pacific Proa: Double-ended, bi-directional. sailing multihull with. main hull to leeward (~75% displacement) and small hull to weather (~25% displacement) Goes opposite direction when tacking! Click images for larger views, October 2021 - Rig and Sails. This 21 meter (69 feet) Pacific proa displaces 20,000 lbs. as drawn (10 U.S. "short tons").
Links to Catamaran and Proa boatbuilding plans
Applegate Boatworks has plans for Blue Joseph, a proa. Glen L Offers plans for La Chatte, sailing Cat. Scarab Folding Trimaran Dinghy. Selway Fisher has a design for simple Catamarans. Slider Cat Ray Aldridge design from Duckworks. Gary Dierking is well known in the Proa community.
5 m Proa building plan for free
Concept - Plans - Pics - Rig - Sail - Details - Sail test. Basic Concept. The conception of the P5 is a light car toppable proa for 1 to 2 sailors. Both hulls are multi chine designed for plywood/epoxi (stich&glue) building. The total weight should be 70-75 kg. The basic idea of the boat are borrowed from Gary Dierkings strip planked TARAWA.
Pacific Proa Beach Cruiser
Madness 31-foot Pacific Proa. One big hull, one little hull. Lots of speed, not much money.Madness Hull #1 is for sale.Madness is a lightweight "Pacific" or windward proa, intended for fast cruising with two adults or daysailing with... Kits from $29995.00 Plans from $2.99 Mbuli - A Pacific Proa. Plans updated and expanded in August 2019.
Harryproa
Harryproa. The perfect ocean voyager, yet simple enough for a quick sail after work. Ideal for a weekend, but big enough for longer distances for those who don't need all the comforts of home. Plans include the latest Intelligent Infusion instructions, plus the structural drawings and dimensions to apply them to the construction of the hulls ...
Madness Pacific Proa
The complete Madness Proa plans include 31 sheets of architectural drawings covering all construction details, including both racing and cruising rigs. ... (914 mm) wide by 165″ (4191 mm) long in order to build the boat using these plans. Please check your print shop is able to print sheets this large before purchasing the PDF plans.
Chesapeake Light Craft » Mbuli: Ultra-light Pacific Proa Beach Cruiser
Sail Area: Mbuli - A Pacific Proa: 20' 0" 450 lbs. 450 lbs. 12" 30" 192: ... Plans are not extravagantly detailed and are intended for builders who may have built a small boat or two. The lifting rudder-daggerboards and the hollow masts are the most challenging part to tackle. Total cost of the project, including the best materials, high ...
Mbuli Pacific Proa
Mbuli (pronounced em-BOO-lee) is a Pacific proa designed and built by John Harris in 1999 and 2000. The original design brief called for a lightweight beach cruiser, easy to build, and capable of carrying a solo cruiser around sheltered waters at faster-than-average speeds. As such, it was a successful design, much admired and coveted.
Proa File
A report on a new cruising proa build by Manfred Meier, designed by Othmar Karschulin of multihull.de. Thanks to Manfred and Othmar for the submission! —Editor. I became aware of the proa when reading a book about multihulls, named "Mehrrumpfboote" (multihulls) written by Klaus D. Kurtz. I expected that this book would deal with catamaran ...
Cruising proa concepts
Summary. This document is done to clarify and compare different type of proas. At the first stage the treated proa concepts are defined. Then there are comparison of righting moments and stability, possible sail areas, heeling moments, wetted surface, resistance and speed potential. The basic idea is to find out the fundamental characteristics ...
Jzerro: The oceangoing Pacific proa
Attempting to sail a proa around Cape Horn, against the prevailing winds, is an extreme challenge. ... Paul Larsen plans to break the outright world speed sailing record this year aboard the 30ft ...
A modern take on the traditional proa boat
Notwithstanding, he's had a pretty good crack at it himself. His prototype Harry was a 39ft (12m) proa, which he could shunt single-handed in 8 seconds.. He followed this with Harrigami, a folding trailerable proa, and then, together with designer Mark Stevens, drew plans for Visionarry, a 15m (49ft) version of Harry built for the Dutch market to take blind people sailing.
Mbuli: Ultra-light Pacific Proa Beach Cruiser by John Harris
Mbuli (pronounced em-BOO-lee) is a Pacific proa designed and built by John Harris at CLC in 1999 and 2000. The original design brief called for a lightweight beachcruiser, easy to build, and capable of carrying one or two people around protected waters at faster-than-average speeds. As such, it was a successful design, much admired and coveted.
Dick Newick
PLANS FOR SALE. email for Plans. ... Phil Weld knew what it took to race across the Atlantic - the boat and the man were made for each other." See Race History: Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race 1960-2000+ ... 34' Atlantic proa owned and skippered by Rory Nugent. ROGUE WAVE "a splendid success by wizard Dick Newick"
Proa File
The illustrated glossary of bilaterally asymmetrical sailboats. aerohydrofoil Sailboat concept pioneered by Bernard Smith in the 1960's and described in his seminal work The 40-Knot Sailboat.Smith's analysis of sailboat kinetics led him to a groundbreaking design involving no traditional sail or hull, instead utilizing solid airfoils and buoyant hydrofoils, arranged in a proa-like formation.
Duckworks
I used the Tiki 26 construction drawings and the information on the Madison Proa to design my own boat. Due to the length of the three 6mm plywood sheets, I decided on a total length for the boat of 7.5 m. I used the TIKI's beams only bent, it was great work. For the AMA, I used the main hull of the small Proa. (I had two boats at once)
Sailing Boat Plans
Sailing Boat Plans. A lightweight Pacific proa for fast cruising or daysailing. A traditional-looking 10-foot clinker dinghy for rowing, sailing and motoring that is stable, handsome and easy to build. A pretty, light, tough, roomy and easy to build 7 foot 9 inch pram dinghy that can be rowed or sailed.
Praise for proa design
These proa fans sail the Baltic coast and the big lakes of Poland and produce plans plus kits for boats up to 23ft. So if you're looking to keep the costs down and want a fast, easily transportable boat, the proa or outrigger canoe could be the boat for you. More info on proa designs. For proa design plans and kits visit: pjoa.eu ...
Proa File
Its superiority increases when the boat bears away, and on reaching, with the heading angle 90 degrees, the driving force coefficient of the crab claw is about 1.7, whereas that of the Bermuda rig is about 0.9. That is, the crab claw rig delivers about 90% more driving power than the Bermuda rig. ~ Sail Performance.
Our Story
The Proasis project will carry the spirit of WAM from the Pacific Ocean to new, somewhat colder waters around northern Europe. To create awareness and demonstrate an alternative way, we will design, construct and sail Proasis, a pacific based proa (outrigger sailboat, see " What is a proa "). Proasis will be powered fossil free, simple and ...
Madness: 31-foot Pacific Proa by John Harris
364 sq ft. Madness 31-foot Pacific Proa Configurations: » (click here to learn about kit options) Standard Configurations: Madness #1 - Finished Boat. view contents. $29995. Alternative Configurations: Madness Complete Plans and Patterns Package.
Proa File
A traditional proa is well balanced with its traditional rig, meaning that it needs no rudders to steer a straight course, or to shunt. The rig CE is forward of center, which balances with the hull's forward CLR. Not so the sloop. The sloop has its CE AFT of center, so it cannot balance well with just the hull, and requires daggerboards ...