Proa "Victor T"
I've been a wooden sailboat lover since Lowells Boat Shop built me a 12 foot
sailing dory-skiff in 1984. But I've been fascinated with Pacific outrigger sailing
canoes since I saw one in the Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts when I
was around 16 years old. I was going to build one eventually, but my divorce
hastened the decision: I now had to leave the dory at my mother's house in New
Hampshire as I moved to an apartment. And I had to somehow build the canoe in
my apartment, and store there too. The answer: build a small boat, and design the
main hull to bolt together in two 7 foot pieces. That's how you keep a 14 foot
boat in your bedroom! The Victor T (named after my father) came together over
two years. It is a crude boat reflecting (1) my poor skills and (2) the fact that I
had no plans: it went from my imagination and right to the wood, so it sort of
came into being as I built it. It has served me well, and now I am building a
second one, a 16 footer, in one piece now that I have a house again. (Read more
about the Victor T experience at www.instructables.com, "Make Life Better with
a Sailboat-in-a-closet.") Some photos below:
sailing dory-skiff in 1984. But I've been fascinated with Pacific outrigger sailing
canoes since I saw one in the Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts when I
was around 16 years old. I was going to build one eventually, but my divorce
hastened the decision: I now had to leave the dory at my mother's house in New
Hampshire as I moved to an apartment. And I had to somehow build the canoe in
my apartment, and store there too. The answer: build a small boat, and design the
main hull to bolt together in two 7 foot pieces. That's how you keep a 14 foot
boat in your bedroom! The Victor T (named after my father) came together over
two years. It is a crude boat reflecting (1) my poor skills and (2) the fact that I
had no plans: it went from my imagination and right to the wood, so it sort of
came into being as I built it. It has served me well, and now I am building a
second one, a 16 footer, in one piece now that I have a house again. (Read more
about the Victor T experience at www.instructables.com, "Make Life Better with
a Sailboat-in-a-closet.") Some photos below:
The Victor T (the
vaka or main hull)
under construction
in two 7 foot pieces
in the spare bedroom
vaka or main hull)
under construction
in two 7 foot pieces
in the spare bedroom
The assembled main hull (vaka) with test
fit of the crossbeams (akas) that will attach
to the outrigger float (ama). The first
version in 2004 used bolts; in 2005 I
shifted to more traditional lashings, which
are strong but flexible = better. Later I
would also cut out heavy solid wood and
add watertight decks fore and aft.
fit of the crossbeams (akas) that will attach
to the outrigger float (ama). The first
version in 2004 used bolts; in 2005 I
shifted to more traditional lashings, which
are strong but flexible = better. Later I
would also cut out heavy solid wood and
add watertight decks fore and aft.
It all fit in the back of my truck, which
was good, because the apartment manager
didn't allow trailers in the parking lot!
was good, because the apartment manager
didn't allow trailers in the parking lot!
The unpacked boat looks like this. It takes
about 45 minutes to assemble if I use the
Polynesian sailing rig, and if no curious
people come over to chat; they often do,
but I don't mind. This is still the 2002-2004
version with the hasty (=ugly) float. I built
a better float in 2005.
about 45 minutes to assemble if I use the
Polynesian sailing rig, and if no curious
people come over to chat; they often do,
but I don't mind. This is still the 2002-2004
version with the hasty (=ugly) float. I built
a better float in 2005.
And it is together, with the
canting Polynesian "crabclaw"
rig. This boat is now a "proa"
because, as in the sailing
culture of much of the Pacific,
it has no designated front or
back: the sail reverses ends
using the mast as a crane, and
on the new "tack" (we call it a
"shunt" when sailing Pacific
proas) what was once the
stern is now the bow. I use no
rudder: I use the sheet and
body-weight shifting to steer,
and it works fine. I do use a
leeboard (swings for
adjustment) which is a western
feature; Pacific peoples used
paddles to adjust hull
center-of-lateral-resistance and
to resist leeway forces.
canting Polynesian "crabclaw"
rig. This boat is now a "proa"
because, as in the sailing
culture of much of the Pacific,
it has no designated front or
back: the sail reverses ends
using the mast as a crane, and
on the new "tack" (we call it a
"shunt" when sailing Pacific
proas) what was once the
stern is now the bow. I use no
rudder: I use the sheet and
body-weight shifting to steer,
and it works fine. I do use a
leeboard (swings for
adjustment) which is a western
feature; Pacific peoples used
paddles to adjust hull
center-of-lateral-resistance and
to resist leeway forces.
Here we are in 2005 with the new ama.
And it still works: here, a good day in New
Haven harbor sailing at about 5 knots.
Yes, a crude boat (an occasional boat-goof
has sneered at it, but most boaters admired
the project), but it was fun, cheap, doable,
storable, transportable, and I can't tell you
how much it meant for me to do this. My
next one will be a little better (in progress
right now)
You should make one, too. If you feel it will
cure something in you (and it will) don't let
anyone stop you. Humans are smart; humans
find solutions, and so will you.
Haven harbor sailing at about 5 knots.
Yes, a crude boat (an occasional boat-goof
has sneered at it, but most boaters admired
the project), but it was fun, cheap, doable,
storable, transportable, and I can't tell you
how much it meant for me to do this. My
next one will be a little better (in progress
right now)
You should make one, too. If you feel it will
cure something in you (and it will) don't let
anyone stop you. Humans are smart; humans
find solutions, and so will you.
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